Great editorials from the FDL Reporter today.

Editorial: Flag burning

This is in response to your June 21 editorial, "We don't need law to protect Old Glory from flag burning."

Only those opposed to the will of the people see the amendment as an infringement on free speech. In fact, the amendment returns a right to the American people -- the right to protect their flag.

The U.S. Supreme Court, in 1989, by just one vote, took away from the American people the right to protect their flag by invalidating flag-protection laws in 48 states and the District of Columbia. This is a right exercised since our birth, defended by the justices on five previous Supreme Courts, and by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, who helped adopt the first flag and write the First Amendment.

Flag desecration is conduct, not speech. One could make the argument that defacing the Washington Monument or spray-painting graffiti on the Vietnam Wall is a form of "political demonstration" but that argument would not hold water in a court of law. Or does the Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights believe the Vietnam Wall is "just another piece of granite?"

It is our hope that the entire Senate will stand up for American values and pass the flag-protection amendment.

Michael D. Buss

Flag Education program manager

American Legion Headquarters

Indianapolis, Ind.


Another great editorial

The author of this article clearly has no real understanding of what the flag truly is. It is not just a piece of cloth, but rather a symbol of the sacrifices made by brave men and women throughout our history to ensure that we can have the freedom of speech.

Freedom of speech does not have to include the defiling of this symbol. If you have an opinion, then by all means, you are within your rights to voice it. Why must it include burning a flag that represents the country I took an oath to defend and the country over 1,250,000 gave their lives up for?

If it's only "feel good legislation," so what? Let it be that way then. If you want to talk about rights, then what about the right for our fallen heroes and those wounded in service to this country? Shouldn't the right for their memories and what they fought for be protected also?

We here now have the opportunity to voice our opinions, those who have gone before us to protect that right have only the memorials and the flag for which they died to be their voice.

To burn the flag is to burn the message left to us -- that this country is so great that they laid down their lives for it. Don't burn this message; preserve it.

Chad Birkholz

Fond du Lac