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- <text id=89TT2852>
- <title>
- Oct. 30, 1989: American Notes:Constitution
- </title>
- <history>
- TIME--The Weekly Newsmagazine--1989
- Oct. 30, 1989 San Francisco Earthquake
- </history>
- <article>
- <source>Time Magazine</source>
- <hdr>
- NATION, Page 59
- American Notes
- CONSTITUTION
- Cooler Heads Win Out
- </hdr><body>
- <p> The First Amendment, untouched for 198 years, is safe
- again. Ever since the Supreme Court ruled last summer that
- burning the flag was a form of political protest that was
- protected by the free-speech amendment, lawmakers have been
- posturing and pontificating on the issue. No one could forget
- that Michael Dukakis during last year's presidential campaign
- was outflagged by George Bush. The patriotic grandstanding was
- led by the President, who traveled across the Potomac to the Iwo
- Jima Memorial -- cameras in hot pursuit -- to denounce the
- ruling and demand a constitutional amendment. But when the
- proposal came to the Senate floor last week, cooler heads
- prevailed. Two Republicans who originally supported the
- amendment, John Danforth of Missouri and Warren Rudman of New
- Hampshire, changed their mind, giving others the courage to
- follow. The amendment, which needed a two-thirds majority, or
- 67 votes, got just 51.
- </p>
-
- </body></article>
- </text>
-
-