A wedge with a dull blade

June 13, 2005

I mentioned last Thursday that I expect a constitutional amendment to “protect” the flag to work its way onto the Republican front burner very soon, in part to help direct attention away from their faltering agenda and in part because it’s a vote-getting wedge issue.

Or is it? I was very surprised by the results of a new national poll showing nearly 2-to-1 opposition to a flag-burning amendment.

The number of Americans who oppose a constitutional amendment that would give Congress the power to punish flag-burning as protest is up sharply from 2004, according to a survey released today by the First Amendment Center. […]

“This issue involves one of the nation’s most fundamental First Amendment guarantees, the right of free speech; and what many consider the most-venerated symbol of our nation, honored each year on Flag Day, June 14,” said Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center.

“I have no doubt that most Americans want the flag to be protected and respected, but clearly more Americans seem to be having second thoughts about using a constitutional amendment to deal with the issue of flag desecration, and about the impact such a dramatic move would have on free speech,” he said.

I figured this must be the result of a poorly worded question. Surely, respondents misunderstood and meant to say they support an amendment, right? I checked the wording and it seems legit. I just don’t understand it.

Here was the question, as asked:

Some people feel that the U.S. Constitution should be amended to make it illegal to burn or desecrate the American flag as a form of political dissent. Others say that the U.S. Constitution should not be amended to specifically prohibit flag burning or desecration. Do you think the U.S. Constitution should or should not be amended to prohibit burning or desecrating the American flag?

In 2004, in response to the same poll question, 45% said the Constitution “should be amended.” That number has dropped to 35%. In 2004, a bare majority (53%) opposed the amendment, which has now grown to 63%. In fact, the First Amendment Center has been asking the same question every year since 1997 and opposition to a flag amendment is now higher than it’s ever been.

What’s more, when those who support an amendment are told that “it would be the first time any of the freedoms in the First Amendment have been amended,” support drops even lower.

So, what’s happened to cause this drop in support? With Republican dominance at the federal level and a massive foreign war underway, I assumed support for this amendment would be overwhelming. Is it possible that the public has finally figured out that this is a cheap stunt and that there are more important issues for Congress to take on?

Maybe so. This was supposed to be a failsafe for the GOP. Indeed, it was something of an implicit threat to congressional Dems (“If you’re not careful, we’ll bring a flag burning bill to the floor”). Apparently, this is a wedge with a dull blade.

I’ve also noticed lately that many of the Repug types who used to heap scorn on the likes of Abbie Hoffman and his Youth International Party (Yippies, sigh) for wearing the flag as clothing are now showing off their obese forms in similar style, though rather less tastefully.

  • If accurate, this is welcome news and yet one more straw in the wind that points to the possibility that Americans are finally “waking up and smelling the coffee,” so to speak.

    I’m sure this won’t stop the flag zealots, however.

  • What is it with Americans and flags? I’m Canadian, I’ve lived in the US for nearly 20 years, and I just don’t get it. No one else seems quite so obsessed about symbolic patterned fabric…

    Though it’s reassuring to see the results on this poll, that’s for sure.

  • Farmgirl’s comment is a telling one. Nobody on the planet gets as worked up about their flag as Americans do, as near as I can tell. Many people in Japan, for example, have not liked the idea of a national flag at all because for them it was more of an idea pushed on them from the outside rather than from internal tradition.

    (And, yes, I know the Japanese love flags and banners of all kinds, but the idea of a single national insignia was never a part of Japanese cultural identity until the era of Admiral Perry and his Black Ships which brought in Western cultural trademarks which over time Japan felt constrained to emulate.)

    We need only remember that when Bush submitted his first budget to Congress, he had it delivered literally wrapped in an American flag so that anyone who might have spoken against it or even questioned it could have been branded a traitor right then and there. I felt then, and still do, that using it in that manner was a far greater desecration than anything else imaginable, including burning it in a political demonstration.

    And then there was the grandstanding stunt of having the flag that flew over the Twin Towers paraded around the Atlanta Olympics opening event, as if anyone in the world needed additional reminding of that tragic atrocity.

    With so much power, money and influence at stake, the ruthless and amoral will use any tool to win, even our most cherished national symbol. And that, my friends, is why the American attitude to their flag is so much more emotionally charged than just about any other country on earth.

    Back to you in the studio……

  • Maybe more and more people are thinking the Iraq war is a disater, the draft might come, I might need to protest the war, some flag burning might be required

  • And then there was the grandstanding stunt of having the flag that flew over the Twin Towers paraded around the Atlanta Olympics opening event, as if anyone in the world needed additional reminding of that tragic atrocity

    Is it just me, or does the timing mentioned above seem not quite right…is he thinking of the Salt Lake City Olympics opening event, or am I missing something?

  • As I’ve mentioned before, I generally don’t do more than one post in a given topic but if I make a factual error I won’t hesitate to own up to it. My apologies to the good people of Atlanta, and I hope someone will step forward with the correct attribution for the sake of future generations. Good catch, Edo.

  • I definitely don’t have deep knowledge of the mechanics of amending the constitution, but I’ve been under the impression for a long time that once the process is started, the whole enchilada becomes fair game for screwing around with.

    The poll numbers for congress are skimming the treetops these days and I would hope that many citizens are increasingly wary about letting our fine politicians have their way with our national owners manual.

    When folks are wiping BB-Q sauce off their grinning faces on the 4th of July with Stars and Bars printed napkins, is a flag burning amendment to the constitution really worth opening Pandora’s Box for? Whatever the reason, I welcome their reluctance.

  • These guys never stop fighting the Vietnam war.

    Bizarre. Why a Constitutional amendment NOW to stop a form of protest that hasn’t happened in any significant way in over 30 years? Doesn’t this seem like locking the barn door after the horse is gone? The tremendously late timing of this says something to me… but I’m not sure what exactly.

    Is this just a way to distract seniors from the Social Security mess? Who the hell else would have a hard-on for flag-burners, except for the people who actually were outraged by it 30 years ago when it was going on?

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