mr. speaker , i thank the gentleman from new york ( mr. nadler ) xz4002890 for yielding me time . 
mr. speaker , i rise today in opposition to h. j. res. 10 , which would amend the constitution to allow congress to pass laws banning the desecration of a flag . 
i find it abhorrent anyone would burn our flag , and if i saw someone desecrating the flag , i would do what i could to stop them , at risk of injury or incarceration . 
for me , that would be a badge of honor . 
but i think this constitutional amendment is an overreaction to a nonexisting problem . 
keep in mind the constitution has only been amended 17 times since the bill of rights was passed in 1791 . 
this is the same constitution that eventually outlawed slavery , gave blacks and women the right to vote , and guaranteed freedom of speech and freedom of religion . 
amending the constitution is a very serious matter . 
i do not think we should allow a few obnoxious attention-seekers to push us into a corner , especially since no one is burning the flag now without an amendment . 
i agree with secretary powell , who when he served as chairman of the joint chief of staffs , wrote , `` it was a mistake to amend the constitution , that great shield of democracy to hamper a few miscreants. '' when i think of the flag , i think about the courageous men and women who have died defending it and the families they left behind . 
what they were defending was the constitution of the united states and the rights it guarantees as embodied by the flag . 
i love the flag for all it represents , but i love the constitution even more . 
the constitution is not just a symbol , it is the very principles on which our nation was founded . 
i urge my colleagues to vote against this resolution . 
