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John Daley ReportingShould the US Constitution be changed by constitutional amendment to protect from desecration of the US flag? One group is making the case today that it should.
Of course, this long-running debate is all about free speech. Polls show most Americans, most Utahns, support legally protecting the flag. But the on-going question: Is flag desecration, say burning the flag, a protected free speech right? In 1989, in a 5-4 decision the Supreme Court said it is.
Today an Indiana-based group called the Citizens Flag Alliance held a press conference on Utah's Capitol Hill. They want a Constitutional Amendment, a one-line change which would say "Congress shall have the power to prohibit the physical desecration" of the flag. The group released a poll by the Opinion Research Corporation that says nearly 70 percent of Utahns agree with that position.
Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady, Ret., Citizen Flag Alliance: "We want the people of Utah to understand that the Supreme Court made a mistake. We want them to understand that our concern is not flag burners, but people who say flag burning is speech."
Richard Parker, Harvard Law Professor: "This amendment is written in a very specific, focused way to deal with strictly physical desecration of the American flag, nothing else."
Thad Jensen, Korean War Veteran: "This flag is a symbol of our country and it must be protected."
Opponents of this measure argue even the most offensive speech should be protected under the First Amendment. The amendment has passed the US House several times, but not the US Senate. Of particular interest to this group is Senator Bob Bennett, who supports protecting the flag by statute but not a Constitutional Amendment.
