In a Tuesday speech at Fort Bragg, President Donald Trump declared that “people that burn the American flag should go to jail for one year,” something Trump proceeded to state he is working with United States senators to bring about.
Twenty-two years ago this month, members of the United States House of Representatives were debating on the House floor whether they should approve H. J. Res. 4, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have empowered the Congress to “prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States.” During the debate, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) argued that the proposed constitutional amendment, which he described as “very unnecessary and very dangerous,” should be rejected. Paul said the attempt to “force values on people” through the proposed constitutional amendment was inconsistent with respect for liberty. “Values in a free society,” Paul stated, “are done voluntarily, not through coercion and certainly not by the law.” The law, Paul further noted, is backed by guns.
After the debate on the House floor, a vote by House members approved H. J. Res. 4. The Senate, however, did not end up voting on it.
Watch Paul’s House floor speech here:
