What I can do - I will - || Honoring our Flag

WHAT I CAN DO - I WILL -

To pledge allegiance to the flag means to solemnly promise to honor the flag. That flag is the flag of the United States of America, Old Glory. Each and every one of our soldiers, from the very first ones to those who serve now, have solemnly promised to serve for our republic. A republic is a state in which the supreme power rests in the body of the citizens ... Therefore, not only do soldiers pledge allegiance to the flag, they pledge allegiance to each and every one of us American citizens. We, as a republic, and as a nation, have the power to do something. Then why don't we use that power to bring home the soldiers still missing, those soldiers that served and have yet to be reunited with their families and the republic for which they so willingly served? The last words of our Pledge of Allegiance say "liberty and justice for all", but are our prisoners of war and missing in action receiving the liberty and justice they deserve? The whole concept of "prisoner or war" is a complete contradiction of liberty. It is the soldier who fights to give us freedom, and it is the soldier who allows us to enjoy liberty and justice ... When will we return the favor?

U.S. Senator John Warner on
Protecting the Flag

I have long been among the strongest supporters in the United States Senate of amending the United States Constitution to allow Congress to prohibit physical desecration of the United States flag. Unfortunately, on March 29, 2000, such a proposal failed to gain the 67 votes necessary in the United States Senate, failing by a vote of 63-37.

In 1989, the United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision in the case of Texas v. Johnson, stated that the First Amendment prevented a state from protecting the American flag from acts of physical desecration. Since that time, a number of individuals have sought to seize on this misguided Supreme Court decision to justify flag burning. Why would any citizen, who wishes to continue enjoying the great privileges of being an American, need a legal right to burn our Nation's flag in public?

No amount of tortured legal argumentation can overcome common sense and the plain meaning of the First Amendment. The First Amendment to the Constitution states that no law shall abridge the "freedom of speech." The key word in this portion of the Amendment is "speech." Laws that do not abridge "speech" are not prohibited by this section of the Amendment. Simply put, burning the United States flag is not speech. A flag is not burned with words. Rather, a flag is burned with fire. As such, burning a flag is more appropriately classified as conduct, which is not protected by the First Amendment.

The proposition that our greatness as a nation rests on whether or not an individual is permitted to burn Old Glory simply does not add up. At a time in our national history when disparate influences appear to be dividing people, the American flag represents unity. During the American Revolution, and subsequent conflicts, the flag has unified our diverse nation. Our flag symbolizes the freedoms we enjoy everyday. Generations of Americans have gone forth from our shores to stop enemies abroad from taking away these freedoms.

In addition, our great nation has always used the flag to honor those who, proudly in the uniform of our military, made great sacrifices. These are startling statistics that tend to be forgotten with the passage of time: World War II, 406,000 U.S. Service Members killed; Korea 55,000 U.S. Service Members killed; Vietnam, 58,100 U.S. Service Members killed, the Persian Gulf, 147 U.S. Service Members killed. For all those who gave their life, let us not forget that their caskets were draped in our flag as the final expression of our nation's thankfulness.

The memory and honor of those who have fought under our flag demands that our flag be protected against reckless conduct presenting itself as "free speech."