the flag amendment
Burning an American flag has often been a source for debate and it has been proposed to make the practice illegal through an amendment. In order for this Flag Amendment to be considered, according to the U.S. Constitution, it must be proposed by two-thirds vote of each house of Congress or by the national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the state. To become part of the Constitution, the amendment must be ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states or by the conventions in three-fourths of the states. The framers of the Constitution purposely made it hard to put through an amendment for certain rational reasons. After reading several current issues on whether the Flag Amendment should be passed or not, I am standing strong on my belief that I feel the Flag Amendment is unnecessary. I am not one to say that I think it is morally right to burn the flag, but I think that it should be allowed for several reasons. Such reasons are for the disposal of an old worn-out flag, and for protesting the government. As stated by the U.S. Constitution in the first amendment, "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech...and to petition the Government for a redress of grievanc
Those who favor the proposed amendment say they do so in honor of the flag, but in proposing to unravel the First Amendment, they desecrate what the flag represents, and what millions of Americans have died to defend. When protesters are rallying against the U. People who do not support the Flag Amendment and those afraid of disposing their flags "properly" would fear being prosecuted through the amendment and thus trigger an impulsive wave of flag burning to demonstrate their protest against the Flag Amendment. Yelling "Fire" in a movie theater is illegal because it threatens the safety of others but burning a flag does not. To dispose of an old flag, one has to burn it, because any other form of disposal, like putting it in the trash, would be a sign of discourtesy. " I believe that if the Flag Amendment were to be passed then the government would make the flag the sole trademark of the State, making it available for use only by the government. However, according to the National Issues Forum Why A Flag Amendment? written by Jamin Raskin, Raskin points out that "there is no epidemic of flag-burning in the country, nor has the country experienced any loss of patriotism or respect for Old Glory. The word "flag" according to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary means "a piece of cloth or fabric of distinctive design that is used as a symbol, or decoration. Furthermore, Congress does not need the Amendment to safeguard the flag that flies above public property or the Capitol building. The ultimate expression of democracy is the right to challenge its very existence and that right should extend to burning its ultimate symbol, the American flag. To say that the flag is the sacred object of America would only trigger more protest, and the possibility of flag burning.
Common topics in this essay:
Flag Amendment,
Yelling Fire,
Founding Fathers,
Collegiate Dictionary,
Congress Amendment,
flag amendment,
United Congress,
Raskin Raskin,
Glory Amendment,
Burning American,
Ralph Lauren,
burn flag,
flag amendment passed,
amendment passed,
merriam-webster collegiate dictionary,
constitution amendment,
object america,
flag sacred,
sacred object,
flag brand name,
flag brand,
according merriam-webster collegiate,
brand name,
sacred object america,
protect flag,
|
Acceptance Essays
