NEWS AND OPINION:
It’s quite an ironic flap: Disarm NYPD, a New York-based anarchist group that burned an American flag in a Brooklyn park earlier this week, ultimately needed the protection of the New York Police Department themselves.
When the anarchists lit Old Glory on fire in a portable barbecue, a group of bikers, military veterans and assorted opponents descended to stop the process. The flag burners were “quickly saved by members of the same police force that they criticize. The protesters were shielded by the cops and escorted out of the park,” the New York Post reported, dismissing the anarchists as “weenies.”
The American Legion also took notice of the incident.
“As a veteran, I am disgusted by it, as I am every time I learn of intentional desecration of the American flag. And it’s more than a little ironic that the flag they are destroying symbolizes the freedom they have to do so, without fear of arrest. This is not free speech. It’s stupid behavior. And it’s an insult to the men and women who gave their lives fighting under the colors of our nation,” says Michael Helm, national commander of the 2.4-million-member organization.
“The physical desecration of the American flag in Brooklyn was an act of cultural terrorism,” says Richard Parker, a Harvard University law professor, economist, Democrat and the chairman of the Citizens Flag Alliance - a coalition of 140 organizations which oppose the 1989 Supreme Court decision ruling flag burning was “symbolic speech” protected by the First Amendment.
“We’ve been told that no one burns the flag anymore. We’ve been told it needs no protection, that its place in the hearts and minds of the American people is secure, that the sentiment it has long evoked, the bonds among us that it has long affirmed, are deep-rooted in our shared culture,” notes Mr. Parker. “But symbols can be redefined. Cultural values can disintegrate. Sometimes it happens so slowly as to be almost unnoticeable. Sometimes, though, it happens quite suddenly. Suddenly, one feels homesick at home. Yet those are the times when our people — rising above a multitude of differences - can be shocked into action, to resist what we see happening, to defend values that bind us together, despite everything. This is such a time.”
OLD GLORY LEGISLATION
Rep. Steve Womack, Arkansas Republican, introduced a joint resolution in January that amends the Constitution to give Congress the power to ban physical desecration of the flag. “I believe it is disgraceful to allow it to be desecrated. Our flag is not only one of the greatest symbols of our nation, it’s one of the most prominent symbols of freedom and democracy in the world. We should be allowed to protect it,” he noted at the time.
To date, a joint resolution supporting the idea has been passed by the House six times, most recently in 2005. Passage in the Senate has fallen just short of the 67 votes required three times, most recently in 2006.
NO PARADE REST FOR PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS
Marching along in a small-town parade on Saturday is the Independence Day activity of choice for 10 presidential hopefuls who are ready for cheerful photo ops and meaningful soundbites. But it’s a crowded field. Some of the rivals are walking in the exact same parades.
In New Hampshire, for example, Jeb Bush, will step to the music in Amherst and Merrimack. Rick Perry is in the same two parades. So is Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic hopeful Lincoln Chafee. Spectators get four-for-the-price of one here.
Sen. Marco Rubio will be in Wolfeboro - the swanky summer home of Mitt Romney - for their big to-do. But Mr. Rubio does not have an exclusive, though. Gov. Chris Christie also will be there. Hillary Clinton, meanwhile, marches with the locals in the towns of Glen and Gorham.
White House hopefuls will also be in Iowa - but without such close encounters. Gov. Bobby Jindal marches in the Urbandale parade, while Sen. Bernie Sanders strides the streets of both Creston and Waukee. Martin O’Malley will walk the parade route in Independence - then attends a big barbecue in a town called Clinton.
AMERICANS STILL BELIEVE IN AMERICA
How proud are Americans of their country? A new Gallup poll finds that 99 percent say they are proud to be an American to one degree or another: 54 percent are “extremely proud,” 27 percent “very proud,” 14 percent “moderately proud” and 4 percent are at least “a little proud.” Republicans appear dominate the sentiment: 68 percent report they are extremely proud to be American, compared to 47 percent of Democrats. An American Enterprise Institute analysis of multiple polls also has some promising news for those who fret the national spirit is in decline.
“A majority of Americans consistently say they are patriotic,” says Karlyn Bowman, who led research revealing that Pew Research Center and National Opinion Research Center polls found two-thirds of Americans said they’re patriotic and “very proud” to be an American. It appears to be an enduring sentiment.
“In a May 2015 CBS News/New York Times survey, 63 percent said things in this country have pretty seriously gotten off track. Despite this criticism, 85 percent said they loved America in a February 2015 Economist/YouGov online survey, and, in a March 2015 Fox News survey, 83 percent said the United States is the best country in the world to live in,” Ms. Bowman says.
A HOLIDAY BOON
“Travelers hitting the road and skies this Fourth of July holiday weekend are expected to spend big. Each American traveling 50 miles or more is projected to spend $378, up 1 percent from 2014,” reports the U.S. Travel Association. Some 42 million Americans will make an Independence Day journey, spending $15.8 billion in the process, up 1.7 percent over last year. The non-profit group also has a warning.
“Every year, we see increased levels of traffic on the roads and in the skies, and while this is great for the economy, at what point will families say it just isn’t worth it anymore?” asks CEO Roger Dow. “Our dilapidated infrastructure is approaching a critical mass where the economy won’t see these holiday bumps in activity anymore, and let me put it in sophisticated policymaking terms for you. That would be bad.”
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: Green Plains, historic 617-acre Chesapeake Bay estate built in 1798, near Williamsburg, Virginia. Two miles of waterfront, Seven bedrooms, six baths, seven fireplaces in 7,000 square foot Georgian brick home. Soaring ceilings, large windows, original woodwork plus five Cape Cod style bungalows, equestrian barn, hay barn with 15 stalls, private 350-foot pier with deep water access to Bay, historic scalloped brick walls dating to 1795, gardens, orchards. “Deeply charming, one-of-a-kind home,” to be sold by auction July 16 through PremiereEstates.com; originally listed at $22 million, now priced at $12 million.
POLL DU JOUR
• 84 percent of Americans support “cutting government spending”; 93 percent of Republicans, 89 percent of independents and 73 percent of Democrats agree.
• 82 percent overall support “no tax increases”; 90 percent of Republicans, 83 percent of independents and 72 percent of Democrats agree.
• 71 percent overall support “less government regulation”; 84 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of independents and 57 percent of Democrats agree.
• 68 percent overall support “deporting more illegal aliens”; 84 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of independents and 51 percent of Democrats agree.
• 47 percent overall support “Obamacare”; 15 percent of Republicans, 44 percent of independents and 78 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Harris Poll of 2,225 U.S. adults conducted May 20-26 and released Thursday.
• Have an optimistic and productive July Fourth; thank you for reading Inside the Beltway.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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