Research - Rehabilitation - Re-Employment

Sgt. Shaft 03/11/2002

Dear Sgt. Shaft:
It is both rare and wonderful to have someone in the media who raised his hand and swore to protect and defend our Constitution who is doing just that.

Every American who loves our incomparable Constitution, flag wavers as well as flag burners, should be outraged by the Supreme Court decision, which called flag burning speech. That decision defiled our sacred Constitution and no American should stand still for that. Your January 21 column makes clear that flag desecration is not "speech," and that those who say it is are polluting our Constitution. The U.S. House of Representatives agrees with you.

In the House debate on the flag, John Murtha, PA, made it clear that this was not a debate about free speech as did Richard Gephardt, MO, who condemned those who seek to distort our Constitution while cloaking themselves in a disguise of free speech. Bob Goodlatte, VA, destroyed the argument of those who bawl that the flag amendment will change the Bill of Rights. Bill Pascrell, NJ, warned that the Supreme Court made a mistake, is not absolute, and we should never kowtow to any other branch of government regardless of their decision.

James Madison, who wrote the First Amendment and condemned flag desecration, said, "It is universally admitted that a well-instructed people alone can be permanently free." Any one who says burning the American flag is speech is not properly instructing our children.

The Senate refuses to allow the people to be heard on this issue. Those in the Senate who shout that flag burning is speech trample on the free speech rights of their colleagues by refusing to allow them to vote on the flag amendment. They are obstructing the voice of their fellow Senators to speak on behalf of the people's right to protect their flag. Those Senators need to hear from grassroots America.

I was in Vermont for the victory celebration when, after 12 years, Vermont united the United States in petitioning the Congress to allow the people to decide on flag protection. Over 80 percent of the Vermont Legislature believes that Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy should stop censoring their voice and the voice of all Americans, as he did in the 106th Congress, and allow a vote on the flag amendment in the 107th Congress. Vermont united all the states on the flag. It is now time for the Senate to unite with the House and allow the people to decide.

I was also in New York on Pearl Harbor Day, the birthday of the greatest generation of the 20th century. We were invited there to represent the CFA in a rally for the flag-protection amendment. We met with union members and American Indian Chiefs from the Sioux and Mohegan tribes at a construction site. One could make a good argument that few groups in America have been as poorly treated as our laborers and our Indians, but in the history of the labor movement there has never been an instance of flag desecration. Over a thousand hard-working, hardhat American laborers took their lunch hour to join with their union leaders and veterans organizations to demand their Senators, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer, listen to the people on our flag. I have not seen more enthusiasm for our efforts on behalf of Old Glory.

In this same city, on September 11, 2001, we saw the birth of the greatest generation of the 21st century. The citizens of New York set an example of patriotism and heroism that is unmatched since WWII. The true lesson of 9-11 is not that there is evil in the world, but that there is good in America. On that day patriotism was reborn in America, and only patriotism will preserve our Constitution and ensure our future. The legacy of the people of New York on 9-11, on behalf of patriotism, will stand side by side with the most defining moments of our history.

In this time of national heartbreak, disaster and chaos, they turned the people back to the symbol of patriotism, Old Glory. No other symbol, nothing, means as much to Americans as the red, white and blue of the Star-Spangled Banner. And there is no other symbol that more brilliantly shows our resolve to crush those who would dare attack us. One can only hope that Senators Clinton and Schumer, who profess to be working for the people, will not turn a hard heart to the hardhat workers of that great city. If for no other reason, we should protect our flag in memory of the victims and heroes of 9-11, and to show our determination to destroy the terrorists.

Patrick H. Brady
Major General, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Chairman of the Board, Citizens Flag Alliance

Dear General Brady:
As we have seen from the tragedy of September 11, pictures of the coffins of the victims of September 11 were not covered with newspapers, TV or radio, nor pictures of Peter Jennings, Mary McGrory, or Don Imus; they were covered by the sacred symbol of our country, our flag. Free speech does not include the burning of Old Glory or other forms of desecration. Senators Sarbanes and Mikulski of Maryland, along with other U.S Senate opponents of the flag amendment, should pay a visit to the Star Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore, MD. The Flag House is dedicated to the story of Mary Young Pickersgill who made the enormous 30 x 42-foot Star-Spangled Banner that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that became our National Anthem. Mary Pickersgill's flag still survives and now hangs at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Information about the Flag House and tours of nearby Fort McHenry and the War of 1812 Museum is available by calling 410-837-1793, or online at www.flaghouse.org.

Senators, let’s roll. Pass the flag amendment.

Send letters to Sgt. Shaft, c/o John Fales, P.O. Box 65900, Washington, D.C. 20035-5900; fax to 301-622-3330; call 202-462-4430 or email sgtshaft@bavf.org.

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