"We can imagine no more appropriate response to burning a flag than waving one's own, no better way to counter a flag-burner's message than by saluting the flag that burns, no surer means of preserving the dignity even of the flag that burned than by according its remains a respectful burial. We do not consecrate the flag by punishing its desecration, for in doing so we dilute the freedom that this cherished emblem represents." Justice Brennan.
Texas v. Johnson 491 US 397, 109 S.Ct. 2533, 105 L.Ed.2d 342 (1989)