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 )  for his stand on this issue and for giving me this time to express my views .  