I offer the following in response to Ben Godar’s free speech ramblings of July 8. The flag protection amendment does not limit free speech in any way.

The proposed amendment would not prevent anyone from saying anything.

By the same token, First Amendment freedoms are not absolute.

Until two recent, very narrow 5-4 decisions by the Supreme Court in Texas v. Johnson and in United States v. Eichman, punishing flag desecration had been viewed as compatible with both the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment.

Amending the Constitution is difficult, as it should be. Two-thirds of both chambers of Congress and a majority vote of three-quarters of the fifty state legislatures is not easy to obtain.

But Article V provides a process for amending the Constitution, and it should be utilized in those rare cases where public consensus can be established for such a change.

The flag amendment does not of itself change the Constitution, it simply takes the protection of the flag away from the courts and returns it to the American people.

The Supreme Court has forced the people to accept flag desecration.

Those who favor the right of the people to protect their flag are not trying to force the people to accept flag protection, or even respect the flag; we are simply trying to force the government to let the people decide.

Michael D. Buss

Alumnus

Assistant director

The American Legion