A Bad Game Of Capture The Flag

This week, the U.S. Senate will be taking up another proposal to change the Constitution, this time to prohibit "desecration" of the U.S. flag. Already passed by the House, the amendment would go to the states for the ratification process if it gets by the Senate. I hope this won't happen.

I won't go into detail attacking the grandstanding by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers trying to appear more-patriotic-than-thou. That's what those people do by instinct. But I will say this: true patriotism is about substance far more than it is about style. I notice a lot of flags out on display have become frayed since the days after 9/11 or the start of the Iraq war. What are the so-called patriots doing about these violations of the current Flag Code? Or the bedspreads, clothing, tablecloths, etc., made with a flag pattern ... shouldn't these be illegal as well? Or how about a flag with 51 stars or 47 stars, or a reverse order of the stripes? If a protester burns one in protest, and has the necessary documentation, can they be prosecuted? That's not an "official flag", after all.

Unless I've been in a coma, there hasn't been a rash of flag-burning over the years. But, anyone who steals a flag (either private or public) should be prosecuted for theft and vandalism. And, of course, marches and the like require parade permits that ensure order can be maintained. But if someone burns their own flag, it is a legitimate, if distasteful, form of protest. This is something which has worked pretty well for over two hundreds years. Let's not undo it with a bad and completely unnecessary law.

The Senate should not pass it along.