u235

Amazingly enough democracy actually prevailed, at least my interpretation of democracy. But it didn't prevail by any significant amount. In fact this act if preservation only survived by one vote. What am I referring to? The "desecration of the flag" amendment. By a vote of 66 to 34 America retained her liberty to expression - which in my mind means that the symbol of our nation and what it stands for cannot be infused in an object but exists in the minds of her people.

Americans are what make this America, not a symbol, not a place, not even (imho) the written copies of the Declaration of Independence. Even if you removed all copies today 'We, the People' would be able to re-create it from memory, from heart, from instinct.

Any senator or politician that believes that we need a constitutional amendment to protect our ideals from "desecration" is purely pandering because they know, that a flag doesn't represent who we are (unlike, say our actions which patently show what we stand for). 30 democrats, 3 republicans and 1 independent proved themselves to be ~truly American yesterday. They defended our bill of rights, and provided safekeeping for the ideal that the transfer of ideas, through speech, graphics and writings, though actions, assembly and demonstration remains available to all.

It's pathetic that not all senators can get away from the urge to pose like prima donna's for the press. The bile-inducing toadying and sycophantic behavior in the name of patriotism has risen to an all-time high in the face of increasingly skeptical sentiment from the public. As a thinking member of american society it's been hard and harder to swallow the red/white and blue pabulum that keeps getting shoved down our throat.

There is a silver lining however. Those that remember the restrictions and incursions on liberty from the 50's are getting fewer and fewer. There are generations from the 70's to the 90's who had no idea that ideological witch hunts could exist here... until recently. Will it generate a backlash like the 60's? It's hard to say. But most of the time the pendulum does swing both ways.