Even though I may not understand the reasons behind some forms of expression, I am a firm believer in the Constitutional right to free expression. Thus, the act of desecrating our country’s flag I cannot condemn in so far as it is free expression.

On the evening of Jan. 29, during the Recess performance that preceded the David Spade show at the Smith Center, the U.S. flag repeatedly was dragged on the floor and finally left to lie on the floor, only to be picked up almost as an afterthought. I believe that what was done was wrong and that those who did it showed utter contempt for what the flag represents.

The flag of the United States represents many different things to many different people. To me, it represents our people and the principles embodied in our Constitution. Americans have spilled their blood by the thousands to defend the Constitution and the people of the United States. They did so believing the flag they followed embodied all for which they fought. Therefore, in deference alone to the dead, the flag should be shown proper respect.

In addition, I believe that the flag represents such Constitutional rights as free expression. It represents the very rights that those who desecrate it are expressing.

I have lived a good portion of my life overseas in several countries and I have visited many more. From my own experience, I can assert that in no other country I have visited does the national flag hold so much symbolism as it does here. Drive through any American city and you will see our flag everywhere, on gas stations, car dealerships, sports arenas, malls, banks, restaurants, houses, etc. The flag is part of the essence of what it means to be American. It is the people’s flag, not the government’s.

Lastly, I am foreign-born (naturalized), of parents who were French and Turkish, yet I have come to love that which makes America unique. And for me, all that America is is embodied in our flag. Our Constitution, our varied culture, our history, our failings, our moments of glory, essentially all those things which identify us as Americans are in our flag.

To see the flag desecrated is like a gratuitous blow to my heart. I can not fathom why any American would want to harm it, and I take serious offense with those who dishonored it in the skit.-The writer is a sophomore majoring in international affairs.