ACLU Applauds Freedom Forum’s Flag Amendment Debate, Urges Senate to Reject First-Ever Restriction on Freedom of Speech (6/6/2006)
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: media@dcaclu.org
 WASHINGTON - The American Civil Liberties
Union today praised the First Amendment Center for hosting a lively and
thoughtful debate on the proposed Constitutional amendment to outlaw flag
desecration. The Senate is expected
to hold a vote on the proposal during the last week of
June.
“This year, unlike many
other years since its introduction in 1990, the amendment is perilously close to
passage,” said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative
Office. “We are one vote away from losing a crucial battle to protect freedom of
speech. This cannot and must not
happen. Congress should follow the
example of the First Amendment Center by having an engaged and thorough debate
on this amendment.”
Speakers at the event
included Adrian Cronauer, Director of the Citizens’ Flag Alliance, James H.
Warner, a former POW and domestic policy advisor to Ronald Reagan and Robert
Corn-Revere, an attorney who addressed the legal ramifications of the
amendment.
The ACLU noted that this
event could not have come at a better time and that any vote to amend our
nation’s founding document deserves a vibrant and public debate. Opposition to the flag desecration
amendment remains broad and diverse.
In addition to the ACLU, many individuals and organizations including
Veterans Defending the Bill of Rights, the American Bar Association, the
Institute for Justice, People for the American Way and Veterans for Peace have
also spoken out against the proposed amendment.
The Flag “Desecration”
Amendment would limit the First Amendment to allow Congress to criminalize any
physical alteration of the American flag.
It would be the first change ever to the Constitution restricting basic
freedoms and one that has been consistently rejected by Congress since
proponents began pushing the measure in the late 1980s.
“Too many lawmakers are
willing to play politics with the Constitution,” said Terri Ann Schroeder, ACLU
Senior Lobbyist. “Amending the Bill
of Rights is a heavy and momentous step that should not be taken for the wrong
reasons. It is imperative that our
lawmakers realize the weight of their decisions on this vote. The Senate should stand firm in its
resistance to this unprecedented and unwise amendment.”
For
more on the ACLU’s work against the flag amendment, go
to:
http://www.aclu.org/flag
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