Congressman Cole Votes to Protect Flag

Washington, D.C. – Today Congressman Tom Cole voted for H.J. Res. 10, which proposes an amendment to the Constitution that would authorize Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.

"Americans of all ages are troubled when the American flag is not respected. It is not only the physical act that is appalling, it is the fact that purposefully destroying the flag runs counter to the ideals of our great nation that people have given their lives for centuries to protect," Congressman Cole said. "The flag is a symbol of what we stand for as a nation and as a people. It is an enduring symbol of liberty, democracy and justice--all things in which we hold dear."

"The flag is the symbol of the nation that allows peaceful dissent to all its people. It should never be desecrated by dissentients, who use the very freedom the flag represents to voice their views," Congressman Cole declared.

In 1989 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that burning the U.S. flag, as part of a political demonstration, was expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment. Since then neither states nor the federal government have been able to prohibit the desecration of the flag.

In order to be enacted into law, H.J. Res. 10 will also have to be adopted by a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate, and then ratified by three-fourths of America's state legislatures.

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