The "Flag Desecration Amendment," which would amend the Constitution to give Congress the power to criminalize any "physical desecration" of the American flag, was narrowly defeated by the U.S. Senate in June. The measure failed by one single vote. The flag amendment is opposed by a broad spectrum of individuals encompassing conservative and progressive beliefs, including thousands of veterans, who fear the implications for basic American freedoms if the amendment were ratified. This amendment would restrict one of the very freedoms that the flag represents: freedom of speech. Though we as individuals are free to condemn those who would deface the flag, censorship has no place in the Constitution. With the margin so close in the Senate, we must continue fighting to defend the First Amendment against this unnecessary and dangerous attack.