A List Of Senators Who Voted To Criminalize Flag Burning – SIT DOWN Before Reading (VIDEO)

By
Matthew Taylor
-

Flag burning is in the news, thanks to yet another seemingly impromptu tweet by President-elect Donald Trump. His words reek of a petulant autocrat in the making. Although it’s impossible to determine what exactly might have prompted the tweet, it wasn’t necessarily apropos of nothing.

After all, there has been a media kerfuffle about Hampshire College’s decision to leave their campus flag at half-mast after the election.

When the campus flag was subsequently burned—presumably as a protest against Trump—the college stirred up even more controversy by removing the flag altogether.

Again, it’s impossible to determine what is going on in Trump’s head. He is impulsive, capricious, and bereft of any coherent set of core values. But either way, his minor tantrum has brought flag burning even more prominently into the national discourse…

And inspired us to revisit a very odd moment in recent American history.

The Flag Desecration Amendment

Back in 2006, Congress voted on a Constitutional amendment that would ban any sort of desecration of the American flag. It passed in the House of Representatives, yet the U.S. Senate rejected the proposed amendment by a single vote.

The ACLU explains how a proposed Constitutional amendment becomes law:

“A two-thirds majority of those present in both the Senate and the House must vote for the amendment. Three-quarters of the states must then vote to ratify the amendment. Every state in the U.S. has passed a resolution supporting the flag desecration constitutional amendment leaving little doubt that it would be ratified if passed by Congress.”

So, flag burning was almost made illegal in 2006. This would have been a very odd amendment, not quite fitting in with ending slavery or giving women the right to vote. Of course, it is quite possible to disagree with burning the flag while still being wary of ratifying an amendment making it illegal.

As Sen. Russel Feingold (D-Wis.) explained at the time:

“[Congress must] defend the right of all Americans to express their views about their government, however hateful or spiteful or disrespectful those views may be.”

Exactly. Congress should not be determining which freedoms of expression are and are not permissible. Particularly with the current Republican-dominated Congress, we should be opposed to any efforts to turn these legislators into morality police.

The Surprising Senate Votes

But the way that current senators voted on the proposed amendment is a bit surprising. Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has been a champion of progressive causes and an outspoken critic of Trump.

Yet he actually voted in favor of the amendment.

And Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has been one of the biggest obstructionists working against President Barack Obama, voted against the amendment. It is a bit disconcerting for many Liberals to see these unexpected positions.

Below, you can see what current U.S. senators who voted in 2006 decided.

And here, you can see the list of every senator who voted and whether they said ‘yay’ or ‘nay.’ It may be a relief for some Liberals to see that Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Vice President Joe Biden all voted against the flag desecration amendment.

When these types of issues arise, we must ask ourselves an urgent question. What would the consequences have been for flag burning if the amendment had been ratified, and would those have been appropriate for the act?

Referring back to Trump’s tweet, he proposed “loss of citizenship” or even a “year in jail.”

Regardless of your feelings about the dignity and symbolic importance of the American flag, is it right to take the step toward punishing U.S. citizens for expressing dissent?

Watch this video clip for more on Trump’s views on flag burning:

Featured Image: Screenshot Of YouTube Video. 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR