mr. speaker , symbols matter . 
certainly the cross has special meaning for millions of people . 
the menorah , the koran , we saw that recently where false reports on desecration of the koran led to riots and hundreds of people dying . 
the statue sometimes has special meaning . 
the symbolic meaning of the toppling of the statue of saddam hussein was not lost on the iraqi people or the other people around the world . 
buildings have symbolic value . 
the buildings that were destroyed or attempted to be destroyed during 9/11 were not randomly chosen . 
the world trade center symbolized the u.s. economy . 
the pentagon symbolized our military might ; and probably this building was also targeted because it symbolized the government . 
and so for millions of americans , the flag symbolizes the very essence of this country . 
it is more than fabric . 
it is what gives this nation meaning . 
millions have fought under this banner . 
hundreds of thousands have died under the banner . 
many have died on the battlefield simply protecting the flag itself , keeping it from being captured or from even hitting the ground . 
and so for 200 years , this was a commonly accepted understanding of the importance of the flag , the symbolic meaning of the flag . 
and then came two 5-4 supreme court decisions in the 1980s which allowed flag desecration under the banner of free speech , which has really offended a great many people in this country . 
i think an overwhelming number of states , more than 80 percent of u.s. citizens , disagree with those supreme court decisions . 
so i urge my colleagues to support h.j. resolution 10 , which states , `` the congress shall have power to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the united states of america. '' mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman from wisconsin ( mr. sensenbrenner ) xz4003650 for his stand on this issue and for giving me this time to express my views . 
