From the good folks at Veterans for Common Sense:
Yesterday, the House passed H.J.Res.10, supporting a constitutional amendment banning the "desecration" of the Flag. Passing with only 8 votes more than the 2/3 required, the proposed ban will be considered by the Senate following the Fourth of July recess.
http://www.veteransforcommonsense.org/index.cfm?Page=Article&ID=3680
Despite this apparent setback, the fight against the passage of the amendment is nowhere near finished. Five times prior to yesterday, such an amendment has been passed in the House, only to be defeated in the Senate.
We cannot allow the First Amendment to be used as a tool for political gain. We urgently need your help to let Congress know how you feel about this amendment. Contact your Senators and urge them to oppose setting a precedent for changing the First Amendment and the Bill of Rights.
Click here to find your Senators' contact information: http://www.senate.gov
Want to know how your Representative voted? Click here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll296.xml
While I personally detest flagburning and won't participate in such activity myself, I do understand its power as an instrument of political speech and dissent, as do a thousand fellow veterans who co-signed this letter with me to the House. Those voting for this proposed amendment can't seem to grok the difference between the symbolism and the pretty colored fabric. Don't let these chickenshit clowns turn this act of political defiance into a federal offense. Tell your Senator to honor his oath of office to protect the Constitution, which includes the Bill of Rights.
The First Amendment does not exist to protect only political speech with which we agree, but especially that of a dissenting minority.