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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Saturday, June 12, 2004 No protection for the flag A constitutional amendment is under consideration. No, not the one banning gay marriage. This is another run at "protecting the flag." Last year the House again passed its version of the amendment but it was never voted upon by the Senate. Now it appears that the Senate may attempt to pass the amendment this summer, possibly before July 4. The broadly worded amendment states that "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." No one doubts that a Republican-controlled Congress (joined, in this case, by many sympathetic Democrats) would promptly do so. I have two questions: (1) What exactly is "The Flag"? Is it just the traditional stitched cloth banner that everyone of my generation learned to fold properly and to run up the flagstaff without letting it touch the ground? Or does 'flag' include the mud-spattered bumper stickers and decals on every other SUV on the road? What about pictures of flags? Or the stylized images of flags that may not have exactly fifty stars and thirteen stripes? Flag jewelry? Flag quilts? Flag t-shirts? Let's see: there are birdhouse flags, flags on mugs, Country Flasher Body Lights flags, frisbee flags, mousepad flags, flag bracelets, tie tacks and cufflinks, flag umbrellas, flag blankets, flag wrapping paper, flag napkins (is it desecration if you wipe your mouth with the flag?). You see my point, I hope. My second question is, "What exactly constitutes 'physical desecration'?" Would that include flags the size of Rhode Island flying day and night, rain or snow, over half the car dealerships in the country? Or faded, stained flags draped over concrete statuary in a dismal cold rain? Tattered flags whipping in the wind from vehicle roof gutters? Unless these questions can be answered in legally defensible terms, it's going to be darn hard to enforce any legislation that Congress might pass. I'm skipping over for the moment the issue of intent ("No, no," say amendment proponents, "it's disrespect that counts—it's the intent to desecrate"). Skipping over it because in my opinion, the flag has already been desecrated beyond all hope of rescue from a Constitutional amendment. There was a time when the flag stood for the philosophies and principles of the US of A. It was the red, white and blue that we flew on our front porches on July 4th and Memorial Day and Flag Day; the flag we looked for to identify the Post Office or other federal buildings; the flag we raised each morning at the beginning of the school day, and took down every evening; the miniature flag that stood before the US delegation at international conferences, the flag held high at the Olympics. It was the flag on Iwo Jima, the flag-draped coffin of a war veteran, and, with bittersweet pride, the flag at the World Trade Center. What is our flag now? It is a merchandising logo, not much more. The amendment has to specify "physical desecration" because that's the only kind of desecration that hasn't already been visited on the flag. If the flag was still a symbol of traditional American democracy and values, I might feel differently about legal protections. But it's now primarily a symbol of the advertising industry, and they don't need protection. With George W in the White House, they're doing just fine. One final point: a lot of people in this country remember what their flag always stood for. What better way to defuse their very real patriotism than to trivialise its icon? Remake its traditional and profound symbolism into little more than a generic trademark? I don't think I could summarize better than to quote Jerrold Nadler, representative from New York, in last year's House Judiciary Committee hearing on the amendment:The flag is a symbol of a great nation and of the fundamental freedoms that have made this nation great. If the flags need protection at all, it is from Members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedom that the flag represents. posted by Liz @ 8:28 AM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
A constitutional amendment is under consideration. No, not the one banning gay marriage. This is another run at "protecting the flag." Last year the House again passed its version of the amendment but it was never voted upon by the Senate. Now it appears that the Senate may attempt to pass the amendment this summer, possibly before July 4. The broadly worded amendment states that "The Congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." No one doubts that a Republican-controlled Congress (joined, in this case, by many sympathetic Democrats) would promptly do so. I have two questions: (1) What exactly is "The Flag"? Is it just the traditional stitched cloth banner that everyone of my generation learned to fold properly and to run up the flagstaff without letting it touch the ground? Or does 'flag' include the mud-spattered bumper stickers and decals on every other SUV on the road? What about pictures of flags? Or the stylized images of flags that may not have exactly fifty stars and thirteen stripes? Flag jewelry? Flag quilts? Flag t-shirts? Let's see: there are birdhouse flags, flags on mugs, Country Flasher Body Lights flags, frisbee flags, mousepad flags, flag bracelets, tie tacks and cufflinks, flag umbrellas, flag blankets, flag wrapping paper, flag napkins (is it desecration if you wipe your mouth with the flag?). You see my point, I hope. My second question is, "What exactly constitutes 'physical desecration'?" Would that include flags the size of Rhode Island flying day and night, rain or snow, over half the car dealerships in the country? Or faded, stained flags draped over concrete statuary in a dismal cold rain? Tattered flags whipping in the wind from vehicle roof gutters? Unless these questions can be answered in legally defensible terms, it's going to be darn hard to enforce any legislation that Congress might pass. I'm skipping over for the moment the issue of intent ("No, no," say amendment proponents, "it's disrespect that counts—it's the intent to desecrate"). Skipping over it because in my opinion, the flag has already been desecrated beyond all hope of rescue from a Constitutional amendment. There was a time when the flag stood for the philosophies and principles of the US of A. It was the red, white and blue that we flew on our front porches on July 4th and Memorial Day and Flag Day; the flag we looked for to identify the Post Office or other federal buildings; the flag we raised each morning at the beginning of the school day, and took down every evening; the miniature flag that stood before the US delegation at international conferences, the flag held high at the Olympics. It was the flag on Iwo Jima, the flag-draped coffin of a war veteran, and, with bittersweet pride, the flag at the World Trade Center. What is our flag now? It is a merchandising logo, not much more. The amendment has to specify "physical desecration" because that's the only kind of desecration that hasn't already been visited on the flag. If the flag was still a symbol of traditional American democracy and values, I might feel differently about legal protections. But it's now primarily a symbol of the advertising industry, and they don't need protection. With George W in the White House, they're doing just fine. One final point: a lot of people in this country remember what their flag always stood for. What better way to defuse their very real patriotism than to trivialise its icon? Remake its traditional and profound symbolism into little more than a generic trademark? I don't think I could summarize better than to quote Jerrold Nadler, representative from New York, in last year's House Judiciary Committee hearing on the amendment:The flag is a symbol of a great nation and of the fundamental freedoms that have made this nation great. If the flags need protection at all, it is from Members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedom that the flag represents.
The flag is a symbol of a great nation and of the fundamental freedoms that have made this nation great. If the flags need protection at all, it is from Members of Congress who value the symbol more than the freedom that the flag represents.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
RSS Feed
PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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