Guest

Columnist

June 14 is

Flag Day. It's the day our nation sets aside to pay

special honor to the American flag and its role in our

country's history.

I have been

fortunate to travel extensively in the past nine months.

My travels have taken me across our nation and to several

foreign lands. No matter where I find myself, I can look

out of a window and somewhere in my field of view will be

an American flag. That makes me proud and always brings

me a sense of well being.

Recently I

was in Indianapolis for the dedication of the only

memorial in our nation to recipients of the Medal of

Honor. During the impressive ceremony, the backdrop was a

panorama of American flags held proudly by veterans,

Scouts, members of the military and other patriotic

organizations. During the dedication ceremony, the

president of the Medal of Honor Society, Paul Bucha, told

a crowd of thousands that the American flag was much more

than a mere piece of cloth. Our flag is the hope of the

world and the solemn cover that drapes the caskets of the

nation's fallen heroes.

I find it

ironic that for 10 consecutive Flag Days the American

people have joined together to celebrate the lessons of

"Old Glory" while simultaneously toiling to

return to us the right to protect the American flag from

physical desecration. That protection was stolen from us

The

American people, Congress and the President quickly

reacted to that decision and passed a law - a simple

statute - to protect the American flag. The Supreme

Court overturned that law. In doing so, the court told

Americans a simple statute would not work and the only

way to return protection to the American flag was through

a constitutional amendment.

Today, a

decade later, we are still fighting to regain the

people's right to protect the American flag. Polling over

the decade has remained constant: nearly 80 percent of

Americans favor an amendment. Forty-nine state

legislatures have passed resolutions petitioning Congress

to pass the amendment and send it to the states for

ratification.

Why then

are we still fighting for this right? Why has the House

twice overwhelmingly passed the amendment only to have it

defeated by a few votes in the U.S. Senate? Why do some

senators continue to propose a statute when they know it

won't work?

The answer

seems simple to me: We the people are not holding our

elected officials accountable for their actions. We

believe we elect our lawmakers to represent the majority

of their constituents, but they don't. That the real

tragedy.

Look around

you this Flag Day. Drink in the beauty of "Old

Glory" waving proudly. Remember the grade school

lessons reinforced by the number of stars and stripes.

Remember the story of Francis Scott Key and the writing

of "The Star-Spangled Banner." Recall the scene

of "Old Glory" being raised on Mount Surabachi.

And take pride in the lump in your throat that comes with

the realization that our American flag is much more than

a symbol or a piece of cloth.

On Flag

Day, let's honor "Old Glory" as never before.

Then call our senators and urge them to do the right

thing and vote for a constitutional amendment to return

to us the right to protect our flag. I don't believe

that's too much to ask of every citizen.

[Butch

Miller is the national commander of The American Legion,

the nation's largest wartime veterans organization.

Miller's home is in Woodbridge, Va. You can learn more

about the American flag and flag etiquette by visiting

The American Legion on the Web at www.legion.org. For

information on the flag-protection amendment visit the

Citizens Flag Alliance Website at www.cfainc.org.

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