Carol, apparently you did not read the last sentence...I said THEY (flag burners) had a RIGHT to protest.

And yes, it is just a piece of cloth....but you should read more about symbolism...to many, it is not the cloth but what it represents....

It has been a LONG time, but in grade school AND high school, every morning, we did the PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG.

WHY? For what purpose I ask you? To teach us to memorize?

I don't know your age but have you ever heard of SURIBACHI

A volcanic hill on the island of Iwo Jima.
It is famous for the dramatic photograph of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on its summit on February 23, 1945, after the island was captured from the Japanese.

It was just a little piece of cloth....why the big deal?

One of the two most famous photos of the era and it now stands as a monument in Washington, D.C.

You mention freedom of speech and freedom of expression....exactly two of the things the flag "represents"