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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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111389
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11138900.045
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1990-09-19
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NATION, Page 41American NotesPROTESTSMore Fuel for The Fire
Until last month, when Congress restored its cachet by making
it a criminal offense, flag burning had virtually gone out of style
as a means of radical protest. Now desecrating the Stars and
Stripes has become a bit of a fad. Last week four demonstrators
staged a torching on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Among the
participants: Gregory Lee Johnson, whose conviction for setting
fire to a flag at the 1984 Republican Convention led to a Supreme
Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of the practice. Said
Johnson: "We're back."
The burning was designed to produce a quick challenge to the
Flag Protection Act of 1989, passed by Congress last month amid an
orgy of jingoistic rhetoric. If the Supreme Court strikes down the
law on constitutional grounds, as seems likely, Congress might be
stampeded into approving an anti-flag burning amendment urged by
President Bush. It might be wiser to turn down the heat.