Desecrating the Constitution

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

This letter appeared in the Advocate (Baton Rouge, Louisiana) on 23 December 1999.

This item may be cited as M. R. Franks, Letter to the Editor: Desecrating the Constitution, Baton Rouge Advocate, December 23, 1999, at 6B.

Dear Editor:

In his Dec. 10 letter, Jim Crane misconstrues what I said. I did not "criticize what the flag stands for." I leave that to those who would trample upon freedom. I have never advocated flag burning.

Approaching the constitutional issue with reason rather than raw emotion, I nonetheless share Mr. Crane's love of our country and, yes, our flag.

My position simply is that we cannot compel patriotism. What our veterans died for is not a piece of cloth but a Constitution, one that includes the very freedom of expression Mr. Crane would deny to those with whom he disagrees.

While I disagree with those who would desecrate our flag (not many have done so lately--it's certainly no pressing national problem), I will not desecrate our Constitution to prohibit them from doing so. Our Senate has more important business that needs to be taken care of.

M. R. Franks, associate professor of law
Southern University
2 Swan St.
Baton Rouge

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