Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Department of Doctrine (2)
I found the wire-service story below somewhere on the Web earlier today, and succeeded in copying-and-pasting it to a text file shortly before my computer crashed. Unfortunately, I didn't save the address of the article itself. Let me know if you find it and I'll update the post in order to give proper attribution.
In the meantime, here's the text.
Less than two weeks ago, Alfredo de Darque was nominated by President Bush to be the nation's first Secretary of Doctrine. Now, after a speedy Senate confirmation, Secretary de Darque has already taken up his first challenge: a sweeping, end-to-end transformation in the way Americans may treat all national symbols.
Working with what he terms his "peers" in Congress, de Darque has submitted a follow-up to HR 1974 1H, the Flag Protection Act of 2005. That bill was approved by the full House on June 23 and forwarded to the Senate for their consideration. No formal action has yet been taken on that House bill. However, in April, 56 Senators co-sponsored joint resolution (SJ Res 12), proposing an Amendment to the US Constitution "authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."
In a telephone interview, Secretary de Darque said, "The President and I applaud Congress's efforts to protect our flag. We simply feel that they have not gone far enough."
According to de Darque, legislation being drafted by his staff would protect the following national symbols:
De Darque said that images of US Presidents would not be covered by the proposed act, "unless they overstepped the bounds of good taste." For instance, an editorial cartoon may depict President Bush riding a horse. However, exaggerating the size of the President's ears or mocking his manner of speaking would "push the envelope," de Darque said, crossing "the line between satire and desecration."
The legislation defines desecration as "defacement, destruction, mischaracterization, theft, or interment" of any of the protected symbols "for purposes other than originally intended." As an example, de Darque said, "The Statue of Liberty could certainly be used as a beacon to freedom-loving peoples all across the world. Applying it to stationery for organizations whose stated purpose is to foster immigration would be a violation." When in doubt, de Darque said, the "originally intended" purpose would be defined by his department staff.
Violations of any of the proposed act's protection clauses would be subject to prison terms of up to five years, and/or fines not to exceed $25,000.
In the meantime, here's the text.
Less than two weeks ago, Alfredo de Darque was nominated by President Bush to be the nation's first Secretary of Doctrine. Now, after a speedy Senate confirmation, Secretary de Darque has already taken up his first challenge: a sweeping, end-to-end transformation in the way Americans may treat all national symbols.
Working with what he terms his "peers" in Congress, de Darque has submitted a follow-up to HR 1974 1H, the Flag Protection Act of 2005. That bill was approved by the full House on June 23 and forwarded to the Senate for their consideration. No formal action has yet been taken on that House bill. However, in April, 56 Senators co-sponsored joint resolution (SJ Res 12), proposing an Amendment to the US Constitution "authorizing Congress to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States."
In a telephone interview, Secretary de Darque said, "The President and I applaud Congress's efforts to protect our flag. We simply feel that they have not gone far enough."
According to de Darque, legislation being drafted by his staff would protect the following national symbols:
- the US flag
- the bald eagle (graphic representations only, not the actual birds)
- the Great Seal of the United States of America, including "sub-symbols" such as the pyramid and the giant eye
- depictions of Presidents and other persons appearing on US currency and national monuments
- logos of various national athletic associations, including the NFL, the NBA, NASCAR, and Major League Baseball (among others)
- logos of certain private enterprises "recognized internationally for their assocation with the United States of America," such as the Coca-Cola Corporation, Wal-Mart, and General Motors (protection for all private logos to be paid for by the trademark owner)
- uniforms of US servicemen
- the Statue of Liberty
- historic documents, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution (not counting the Bill of Rights), and the First Lady's humorous remarks at the April 30 White House Correspondents Association dinner
- the dollar sign ($)
De Darque said that images of US Presidents would not be covered by the proposed act, "unless they overstepped the bounds of good taste." For instance, an editorial cartoon may depict President Bush riding a horse. However, exaggerating the size of the President's ears or mocking his manner of speaking would "push the envelope," de Darque said, crossing "the line between satire and desecration."
The legislation defines desecration as "defacement, destruction, mischaracterization, theft, or interment" of any of the protected symbols "for purposes other than originally intended." As an example, de Darque said, "The Statue of Liberty could certainly be used as a beacon to freedom-loving peoples all across the world. Applying it to stationery for organizations whose stated purpose is to foster immigration would be a violation." When in doubt, de Darque said, the "originally intended" purpose would be defined by his department staff.
Violations of any of the proposed act's protection clauses would be subject to prison terms of up to five years, and/or fines not to exceed $25,000.
