Senate Protects Constitution from Desecration

The amendment to allow Congress to punish those who make unpopular political statements by burning the US flag failed by one vote, gaining 66, not 67. Dianne Feinstein again voted for this silly and un-American rule. The amendment would not have prohibited all flag burning; it only prohibits flag-burning if you have certain unpopular thoughts in mind. It would have remained lawful, fo example, to burn a flag as part of a patriotic (creepy) ceremony of disposing of a worn flag. No word yet on whether the amendment would have prohibited singeing, or burning mock-ups of the US flag (e.g., 12 stripes, 49 stars), or how much of the cloth would have to be destroyed, or how big the flag would have to be, before it became criminal. Still unresolved, also, is whether flag made of flame-proof fabric and flambeed - thus doused in flame, but not consumed, like the Burning Bush -- would be a crime. Or whether it would be a crime to burn the flag if you thought this was honoring the flag, much in the same way cross-burning by the Klan is not intended (by the Klan, anyway) as a desecration of the cross.

The interesting thing is that free speech here was saved by two REPUBLICANS- Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island and... wait for it... Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Old boy has a conscience after all. Either that or the GOP wanted to keep the issue alive as a bloody shirt for the future, and those two drew the short straws.