mr. speaker , i rise today in strong support of house joint resolution 4 , the constitutional amendment to prohibit flag desecration . 
our flag is the strongest symbol of america 's character and values . 
it tells the story of victories won -- and battles lost -- in defending the principles of freedom and democracy . 
these are stories of men and women from all walks of life who put their lives on hold to serve our nation . 
many of those brave americans never returned home from distant battlefields . 
the flag reminds us of the sacrifices they made at gettysburg , san juan hill , iwo jima , normandy beach , korea , da nang , kuwait , afghanistan , iraq and other places where america 's men and women in uniform placed honor and duty above self . 
these americans had a powerful symbol uniting them -- the american flag . 
the american flag belongs to them as it belongs to all of us . 
critics of the amendment say it interferes with freedom of speech . 
they are wrong . 
it does not interfere with freedom of speech . 
americans have access to public television ; they can write letters to the editor to express their beliefs ; they can speak freely at public forums ; they can share their views with listeners by calling into radio stations . 
i meet with constituents everyday in order to best represent their interests in washington . 
americans can stand on the steps of their own city hall or on the steps of our nation 's capitol to demonstrate their cause . 
protecting the american flag from desecration does not deprive any american of the opportunity to speak clearly , openly and freely . 
let us be aware that it is speech , not action , that is protected by the constitution . 
our founding fathers protected free speech and freedom of the press because in a democracy , words are used to debate , persuade and to educate . 
a democracy must protect free and open debate , regardless of how disagreeable some might find the views of others . 
prohibiting flag desecration does not undermine that tradition . 
in 1989 , in the case of texas versus gregory lee johnson , the supreme court ruled that a state flag protection statute was unconstitutional . 
the court was in error . 
it was not the thoughts or opinions expressed by mr. johnson xz4002052 that the texas law restricted but the manner in which he expressed his thoughts and opinions . 
mr. johnson xz4002052 was free to speak his mind without fear of censorship . 
that freedom is guaranteed by the first amendment . 
but desecrating the flag is not speech ; it is action and action is not protected . 
for example , an individual is free to speak about the need for america to conserve its environment , but the individual would not be free to express those thoughts by destroying oil derricks . 
there is la difference between action and speech . 
the proposed amendment would protect the flag from desecration , not from burning . 
as a member of the american legion , i have supervised the disposal of over 7 , 000 unserviceable flags . 
but this burning is done with ceremony and respect . 
this is not flag desecration . 
more than 70 percent of the american people want the opportunity to vote to protect their flag . 
numerous organizations , including the medal of honor recipients for the flag , the american legion , the american war mothers , the american g.i . 
forum , and the african american women 's clergy association all support this amendment . 
all fifty states have passed resolutions calling for constitutional protection for the flag . 
in the last congress , the house of representatives overwhelmingly passed this amendment by a vote of 298 to 125 , and will rightfully pass it again this year . 
mr. speaker , i am proud to be an original cosponsor of h. j. res. 4 and ask that my colleagues join me in supporting this important resolution that means so much to so many . 
