The Nation : Texas Enacts Flag Law to Counter Court

Texas Gov. Bill Clements signed a bill establishing a new state flag desecration law to replace the one thrown out by the Supreme Court. The measure, similar to one pending in Congress, makes it a crime to desecrate the American flag and does not include language that the Supreme Court found objectionable when it ruled in June that flag burning was a protected form of free speech. The new Texas law also makes it a crime to desecrate the state flag. President Bush has argued that the court’s ruling cannot be overturned with a simple bill, either at the state or federal level, contending that a constitutional amendment is needed to give the states and the Congress the power to draft bills against flag desecration. The Texas Legislature has also passed a resolution urging Congress to approve the constitutional change.