Veterans Group Dismayed by House Passage of Flag Amendment;
Calls on Senate to Protect Freedom of Expression
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary May
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
WASHINGTON - Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights, a network of thousands of U.S. military veterans committed to preserving freedom, today expressed its disappointment with the House passage of a constitutional amendment to ban the “physical desecration” of the flag. If passed by the Senate and ratified by the states, the proposal would be the first restriction to the Bill of Rights to be included in the Constitution.
“The House vote was a loss for the very freedoms that the flag embodies,” said Gary May, chair of Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights and a Vietnam veteran who lost both his legs in combat. “To many, the flag represents shared values, and the history of a nation unsatisfied with the status quo. The flag should not represent a nation where we punish those who peacefully disagree with the majority. The Senate must reject this attack on the First Amendment.”
On a vote of 286 to 130, the House adopted H.J. Res. 10, the Flag Desecration Amendment. This proposal, which has been introduced and defeated six times before, would give Congress the authority to penalize any "physical desecration" of the American flag. Many proponents of the measure cite a desire to “honor veterans” in supporting the measure.
Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights was founded in 1999 to raise awareness that a growing number of veterans are opposed to the Flag Desecration Amendment. The organization coordinates the efforts of thousands of veterans who oppose restricting constitutionally guaranteed freedoms in exchange for “protecting” the symbol of it.
In additions to Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights, Veterans for Peace has also passed a resolution in opposition to the amendment. In recent weeks, an independent group of nearly 1,300 veterans sent a letter to lawmakers urging them to reject the proposed constitutional amendment. Signatories have served in military operations ranging from World War II to the recent military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Additionally, well-know veterans have also expressed their opposition to the proposal, including former Secretary of State and former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin L. Powell, former Senator John Glenn, former Senator Bob Kerrey, and former Reagan Defense Department official Lawrence J. Korb.
The proposal now heads to the Senate, where it has failed repeatedly. However, given the current composition of the Senate, it remains unknown if defenders of freedom of expression will be able to stop the misguided proposal. Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights today called upon the Senate to reject the measure.
Nationally, there has been growing public opposition to the proposal as well. Earlier this month, the First Amendment Center issued the findings of a survey in which 63 percent of those polled said that the Constitution “should not be amended to prohibit burning or desecrating the American flag.”
"With all the issues facing the nation, flag burning should be at the bottom of the list," May said. "Washington continues to cut back funding for the Department of Veteran Affairs -- a real agency that has a real impact on the lives of Veterans. If Congress wants to honor our sacrifice, let them make real changes, and not pass 'feel good' legislation, particularly when such a move tramples on the First Amendment.”
