Senate opens flag-burning debate

CNN.com ^ | 27 June 2006

[Aussie Dasher]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Senate began debate Monday on a proposed constitutional amendment that would prohibit the desecration of the American flag, the latest in a series of election-year votes pushed by the chamber's Republican leaders.

Observers give the flag amendment a better chance of passing than the one to ban same-sex marriages that was defeated earlier this month.

That was another vote aimed at mobilizing the GOP's conservative base before November's midterm elections.

A vote is expected this week, before the Fourth of July congressional recess.

Sen. Arlen Specter, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, compared the measure to Supreme Court decisions banning so-called "fighting words," slander, libel, obscenity and pornography involving children. As such, he said, it has no "social value."

"Flag burning is a form of expression that is spiteful or vengeful," the five-term Pennsylvania Republican said during the debate. "It is designed to hurt. It is not designed to persuade."

Sen. Patrick Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, argued that burning the American flag was precisely the kind of speech the First Amendment is meant to protect.

[Waco]

You wanna see protecton of speech? Someone arrange to burn the UN flag daily in front of the Capitol. Eh?

[TheEaglehasLanded]

Freep Mitch McConnell's office, I've heard he has voted against it. Remember the Torch Bob Torricelli from NJ had voted for the Balanced Budget Amendment until it got within 1 vote of passing in 1996 and then voted against it.

[eric_da_grate]

If it's a waste of time, it should go over unanimously and in short order.

Democrats hate this issue, as most every other issue they stand for but can't openly defend under serious scrutiny. They've got an entire counter-culture lunatic base to protect. Putting this to a vote is a symbolic gesture that they'll dread having to make. It makes them as nervous as having to defend gay marriage.

Whenever they say, 'This is irrelevant. Let's talk about something else', you've got them.

[elkfersupper]

Republicans should be working on more important issues.

We need to do away with a full-time, paid federal legislature, or at the very least ban refrigerated air conditioning in Washington, D.C.

[at bay]

Whenever they say, 'This is irrelevant. Let's talk about something else', you've got them

Let me get this straight. You amend the Bill of Rights for short-term political gain on a whim.

[youthgonewild]

These wimps need only to look at Patriot Rick Monday... now that's love for your country.

Is Rick Monday that old baseball player, who when some hippie jumped on the field and burned a flag, he turned his head away and refused to look? I think I read it in Beckett a long time ago.

[Rudder]

...another vote aimed at mobilizing the GOP's conservative base before November's midterm elections.

And, as such, it's a complete waste of time.

[Cinnamon]

Yes! Yes, that is him! the whole stadium gave him a standing ovation. He was saying in an interview that when he saw that he just knew it was wrong and went for it. Had been a second late, the flag would have been engulfed in flames because when he picked it up, the flag was doused in lighter fluid and the hippie was holding the lighter to it.

[SmoothTalker]

What a waste of time. We have real issues like spending and our borders and the party elites want to have a pointless debate on an unnecessary amendment. They really have a low opinion of the base if they think they can just wave something like this in front of us before every election and we'll just happily go to the booth like nice little lemmings. Its insulting how little they think of us and our intelligence.

A flag burning amendment is a stupid thing to debate. For one when was the last time you actually saw a flag being burned? Heck when was the last time you even hear about it in your town? I've never seen one burned. Not once. Never. And if a few get burned a year, so what? How is that a threat to our democracy? Part of what makes us a strong country is that we tolerate offensive expression and don't place lots of government imposed burdens on the behaviors of our system. This sounds like a measure out of communist China or Sadaam's old iraq. A pathetic ploy.

[SmoothTalker]

100% true. Burning a flag is wrong. So is insulting someone, or lying to your wife. But just because something is wrong or offensive doesn't mean it should be illegal in a free society.

[DoctorMichael]

Wow!!!!!!! The Pubbie leadership is pure genius bringing this out again to mobilize the base! This is sure gonna make me forget about the illegals, the bloated pork-barrel budgets and dig deep into my wallet for a contribution.

[Gone GF]

I'm so relieved that the Senate is talking about stopping this horrible epidemic of flag burning going on in this country. If something isn't done soon, we'll have no flags left to fly.

[ThinkDifferent]

No matter what your political affilation, or level of anger, burning an American flag is just wrong.

I agree. But throwing someone in prison for burning a flag is even worse.