Holiday inflames flag debate

WASHINGTON — The American Legion, a baseball player known for saving a flag 30 years ago and a former Miss America walked Capitol Hill Wednesday, calling on senators to vote for a constitutional amendment on flag desecration, while a separate group of veterans urged them to vote against it.

Groups on both sides of the issue used Wednesday's Flag Day holiday as the backdrop to help push their point of view — a day before the Senate Judiciary Committee will take up the amendment. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., plans to bring it to the floor before the end of the month. The amendment could fail by only one vote.

"I think it increases every day," Frist said of the chances of it passing. "There is a new spirit coming across the country, during the last six months, of people coming together around the flag. It is the one thing that pulls all of America together. If we continue to build that momentum we'll be able to pass it."

Frist joined the American Legion and five other Republican senators, including Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah, in calling for the amendment's passage. The bill now has 60 Senate supporters, but needs 67 votes to pass, based on the rules outlined in the Constitution.

Hatch stressed that the amendment itself does not ban burning or otherwise desecrating the U.S. flag, but just allows Congress the power to make a law to do so. A Supreme Court ruling in 1989 said outlawing flag burning was unconstitutional. Hatch said passing the amendment would just put things back to the way they were before the court's decision.

Supporters made the case that passing the amendment will honor veterans, especially those whose coffins the flag has draped after being killed in the line duty.

"It is the very reason our troops are putting their lives on the line right now in the war on terror," said Sen. Jim Bunning, R- Ky. "When you disrespect the flag you are disrespecting our men and women in uniform."

The American Legion invited Chicago Cubs player Rick Monday and the flag he snatched from protesters preparing to burn it on the field at Dodger Stadium in 1976. It was the first time he brought the flag out in public.

"It was wrong 30 years and two months ago, it is wrong today," Monday said at a press conference outside the Senate. "When you desecrate the flag you are disrespecting those who have given, who are currently giving and who will give."

Heather French Henry, Miss America 2000, called on her senator, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to vote for the amendment. McConnell is one of the handful of senators who opposes the amendment, just like Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah.