The First Amendment is a wonderful privilege, as most people certainly would agree. What people seem to have difficulty with is figuring out just what exactly it means. In Tianamen square, students cannot peacefully protest their government, and in the United States they can.

But many, including President George Bush would like to amend the constitution to exclude freedom to burn the American flag, which is a known act of political protest.

Just what is the American flag? Is it freedom? Is it life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

The flag is a symbol—a concrete image that represents a concept.

The burning of the flag is a message. To most, it is an offensive message. We do not agree with or support the burning of the flag, but what we do support and agree with is the right to do so.

The problem with the First Amendment is the same thing that makes it so wonderful—it is open-ended. What offends one person might not offend another, and that’s one important reason for the freedom of speech. For most, it comes down to “freedom of speech is great, except for offending what I believe in.”

This is a weak and contradicting statement. Yet, this is the argument so many use when supporting a legal ban on burning the flag. In other words, American patriots want this ban, Christians want another ban, minorities want another ban … the list goes on.

Finally, Bush’s attempt to fight for this constitutional amendment will mean time, money and energy. People need to spend more time, money and energy fighting for their First Amendment rights before its too late.

We don’t want to end up like the students in Tiananmen Square.