mr. speaker , i would like to thank the chairman for his good work on the committee on the judiciary . 
i would also like to thank the gentleman from california ( mr. cunningham ) xz4000910 for taking up this legislation once again . 
i would also like to thank the american legion and the other veterans service organizations for their work behind this legislation before the house . 
the legislation before the house today would protect `` old glory '' from desecration . 
this is not about free speech or the ability of our citizens to express displeasure at the actions of government . 
that right is fully protected by the first amendment and this proposed amendment . 
the supreme court was right in their rulings to prohibit the shouting of `` fire '' in a crowded theater ; and , equally , the supreme court was wrong to permit flag-burning . 
the burning of the flag is conduct that congress is justified in regulating , and that is what we are doing in this legislation . 
the stars and stripes is a powerful symbol of our nation and the ideals that we as a people hold dear : the freedom of american citizens , the courage of those who have defended it , and the resolve of our people to protect liberty and justice for all from enemies from within and from without . 
the ideals that it embodies are very powerful and are recognized here at home , but also abroad , by friend and foe alike . 
this symbol of liberty is so powerful that congress should have the right to prohibit its willful and purposeful desecration . 
it is not a piece of cloth that rose from the ashes of the fallen twin towers or that was draped from the pentagon in the aftermath of september 11 . 
after that day , the flag suddenly seemed to appear everywhere , overnight , across this land , any size of fabric , even those made by schoolchildren from construction paper , i suppose , flags stuck in flowerpots , pinned on lapels , decals posted on the back windows of our automobiles and trucks . 
the message was the same : i am proud to be an american . 
i have seen the flag on a distant battlefield , and those , like me who have seen it there , see it perhaps from a different perspective . 
across the river from here is a memorial to the valiant efforts of our marines to raise that flag on iwo jima . 
it was not just a piece of cloth that appeared in the sky on that day so many years ago , just as it is not a piece of cloth that francis scott key saw over baltimore harbor centuries ago . 
the flag was the physical embodiment of all we as americans cherish : the triumph of liberty over totalitarianism , the freedoms we enjoy ; our rights the government has an obligation to protect ; and the duty we have to pass the torch of liberty to our children undimmed . 
the flag is a symbol worth defending . 
long may she wave . 
i urge the adoption of this constitutional amendment to protect the flag . 
