Disrespecting the country by overprotecting the flag

News that a constitutional amendment banning flag desecration (including burning, and who knows what else) has passed the House came as a surprise. An unwelcome surprise. What with all the attention devoted to the Senate these days, the House has been up to mischief. This sort of thing is more an annoyance than a serious national issue, but it does erode respect for the constitution and ultimately the country, in an attempt to protect that flag. Its a misguided move that demonstrates that political theater is trumps all other considerations in Washington these days. A sad embarrassment.

A great country like ours ought to be above this silliness. Its the trumped up dictators that throw people in prison for insulting the government. In the old Iraq, I imagine that defacing a photo of Saddam could get one in serious trouble. We like to think were more mature about things. We scoff at peoples who riot over the rumored desecration of a book. As a Christian, I know that idolatry is a serious sin, and I know why. When you place your affections on the symbol, you lose sight of the thing it represents. We should know that brave men (and now women) have fought and died for generations for a great country, and have sworn to uphold the constitution upon which it is founded. We use the flag, and other symbols that represent the nation as convenient stand-ins for the bigger and more abstract concept of "nation", but let's not get confused about what is the symbol and what it the real root idea. The silver cross I wear around my neck is not sacred. Its a personal reminder of that which is truly sacred. Similarly the flag pin on my lapel is not a sacred thing, but a reminder of the sacred thing.

Now symbols can be quite powerful. Humans are uniquely symbolic thinkers. The use of symbols and abstraction is a great safety valve for a "civilized" society. Someone who disliked my can deface my picture. I'm insulted, sure, but better off than if they had expressed their displeasure directly on my face. I'd rather be hanged in effigy that hanged in reality. Symbolic conflict is a good thing, a way to express hard feelings without bloodshed. I don't like to see the flag dishonored, but it does help identify who to dislike. Anyone foolish enough to burn a US flag, especially here at home, will deserve the scorn they receive, and the country will be harmed not one bit. There are other symbols for the US, of course. People deface pictures of the President, or Uncle Sam all the time. They might take a map of the country and write something rude on it. All are angry statements directed at the country, but these symbols lack the emotional power of the flag, and the Anti-Americans know it. So the burn a flag whenever the camera show up. Pass an amendment and I guarantee that you will see many more flags burning. They will burn them and dare us to do something about it. The best revenge is to ignore them. Anyone burning a flag has nothing useful to say to the American people. Don't give them the satisfaction of knowing how much they've hurt you.

And yes, this sort of amendment trivializes the Constitution, something beautiful in its relative brevity and power. The constitution is not a symbol, its much more than that, and genuinely worthy of our respect and love. Ought we not take more care in fiddling with it? The Constitution is not some toy for politicians looking for good photo ops. It matters and will continue to matter as long as there is a United States. This amendment would stand as an embarrassment to our age.

Finally, trying to legislate respect (again, sounds like something a Saddam would do, no?) ultimately cheapens the genuine respect that loyal citizens and patriots offer the country. Today, Americans salute their flag and treat it with respect because they love their country, not because the cops are watching. When everyone is forced to pay respects to the flag, much of that "respect" will be cynical, disingenuous show. How does that strengthen the country? It doesn't. We become yet another emotionally insecure power that must use the police to round up a show of patriotism. They're quite common.

We'll see if the Senate has the courage to defend our Constitution against the inanity of the House. If it somehow passes the Senate ("courage" not being a word I would associate with the Senate in general these days) we can pray the States are sensible to leave it alone.