As I was perusing my mint-issue copy of the U.S. Code, (Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8, "Respect For Flag") I came across the following instructions:
The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.
So as we hear all the time in the media, burning a flag to make a political or personal statement is bad. Really bad. It's one of the worst things you can do, just slightly above flamenco dancing in a basket of kittens. Technically it's not illegal, but boy don't let any of those old guys down at the V.F.W. see you doing it, or they'll be wearing your hippie ears on their charm bracelets. But burning it to dispose of it is acceptable and even encouraged.
So to recap, burning the flag is terrible. Unless of course you burn it, and then it's cool. Clear?
It is the spirit in which the flag is being burned. If it is being burned as a message of destroying American ideals or in opposition of American ideals, it is an act of aggression & dishonorable. If it is done in a way of respectful way, as in a funeral service style, it is honoring. When an American flag is being retired due to damage or some other reason, there is a proper service that is supposed to be performed. It is a service to honor what the flag represents.
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