The U.S. flag, and the Constitution it represents

07/04/2006

Growing up, I recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of each school day. I also learned our national anthem, and I still sing along, hand over heart, when the occasion offers. The flag is an powerful symbol of America, so I treat it with respect, and I would never consider burning one in protest.

But every time I sing the national anthem, I’m reminded that only the last few words actually have anything to say about America. Everything else is about the flag. And in spite of having said the pledge thousands of times, I really have no idea what it means to pledge my allegiance to a flag. (Wouldn’t “I pledge allegiance to the United States of America” be much more straightforward?) The flag is a very stirring and inspirational symbol, but it’s only a symbol. The flag derives its strength from America, not the other way around.

The flag-burners themselves understand this. They don’t imagine they’re doing any material damage to America; they know it’s just a gesture. And while I don’t find the gesture very helpful in terms of encouraging a dialog, our courts have said that it’s protected by the first amendment.

Which brings us to the Constitution—the real source of America’s strength. The Constitution is full of expressions like, “The right of the people . shall not be infringed,"The rights of the people ... shall not be violated,” and “Congress shall make no law ...” Almost every article or amendment does one of two things: either it restricts the powers of the government, or it guarantees the rights of the individual. The Constitution is not about restricting the rights of the individual, and it’s not appropriate to change that just because you don’t like the rulings coming out of the current crop of judges. If you do, you diminish the Constitution, and you diminish America.

The flag is a powerful symbol precisely because we’re willing to put it out there on the ramparts and let people shoot rockets at it all night. Ironically, if we prohibit flag-burning, the flag will lose a lot of its power, and it won’t be worth burning anymore. Or defending.

DAVID CARPENTER, MINNEAPOLIS
Reprinted from the Star Tribune