Just ran across this article about John Thune co-sponsoring the so-called Flag Protection amendment in the Senate.  In particular, I found the following sentence somewhat depressing: "When I recently attended the annual meeting of the South Dakota American Legion, I was reminded that their highest legislative priority is the flag amendment."

http://www.dakotavoice.com/200507/Opinion/Regular/20050704_Thune.asp

Help me out here.  Can someone explain to me why the highest priority of the American Legion is protecting the flag?  Not, say, protecting the troops?  Protection the Constitution?  What about veterans (it is, after all, a veterans organization).

This discussion isn't really about protecting the flag.  It's about finding ways to bash anyone who votes against it in the next election cycle.  Let's take a quick look at Thune's history on some other critical issues, for just a moment:

Votes irk disabled veterans:

Concerns by Disabled American Veterans start at the top. James Sursely, national commander, wrote to Thune expressing disappointment in the his vote against an amendment to the 2005 supplemental funding bill of $80 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The amendment would have provided money for health care to those injured while fighting. State DAV Commander Roger Andal said Thune cast three votes against veterans issues in his first 100 days in office. Two dealt with a health care amendment to a supplemental spending bill. The other would have added $2.9 billion to veterans care.

http://www.argusleader.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050428/COLUMNISTS02/504280319/1059/COLUMNISTS 

So here's the deal: new Senator with big conservative credentials.  As a note of interest -- Mr. Thune, like most of his fellows in Congress, is not a veteran.  Votes against veterans time after time in just his first few months in office.  But oh, no, he'll take care of the American Legion's FIRST priority --  protecting the flag from physical desecration, because we all know that is a much bigger problem than the thousands killed and injured in Iraq, and the multi-billion dollar shortfall in funding to care for them when they get home.

I have to confess, I was once a member of the American Legion.  Can I get my money back?