Veterans Dismayed by Committee Approval of Flag Amendment, Measure Now Cleared for Full Senate Vote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Gary May info@veteransdefending.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 15, 2006) — Today the Senate Judiciary Committee approved S.J.Res.12, a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to ban the physical desecration of the U.S. flag. The legislation will now go before the full Senate for a vote, which is expected the week of June 26.

The following is a statement by Gary May, chairman of Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights (VDBR) and a decorated Vietnam veteran who received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart:

“It’s outrageous that the freedoms that I and thousands of other military veterans served to protect are now jeopardized by such an unwarranted and politicized campaign. The so-called flag “desecration” amendment would severely weaken the Bill of Rights and undermine the very foundation of American democracy.

“For senators to attempt to amend our nation’s most sacred charter of freedom simply to silence unpopular dissenters does nothing to honor the flag—in fact, it defies every principle the flag stands for. American democracy is complex. It gives the minority a voice in public debate and asks us to respect the rights of those we disagree with, but that is what makes this nation so great. Limiting First Amendment rights goes against the American tradition of liberty for all.

“Congress needs to focus its efforts and resources on more pressing issues facing our nation such as health care, education, energy costs and, of course, the ongoing war. America clearly is not suffering from an epidemic of flag burning, and to take the drastic step of amending the Constitution is nothing more than a waste of time. If members of the Senate seek to honor veterans, they should defeat this attack on American freedoms.”

###

Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights is a network of U.S. military veterans founded in 1999 to oppose a constitutional amendment to outlaw flag “desecration” and to fight to preserve Americans’ First Amendment freedoms. For more information visit www.veteransdefending.org.