Flag burning and free expression
Non-citizens who burn the flag should not be permitted to remain on American soil.
The United States Flag Code has specific instructions for the retirement of a worn-out American flag:
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.
A ban on flag desecration would not be a blanket ban on flag burning, unless the U.S. Flag Code is rewritten and an alternate means of retiring a flag is established. The push to ban "flag burning," then, is a ban on expression of a specific political sentiment, not a ban on burning the flag.
The emotional push to criminalize flag burning gained new support after pro-Hamas protesters burned the American flag during a visit by Israel's Prime Minister. It was indeed a repulsive display, but we need to be careful not to pass laws - or worse, an amendment to the U.S. Constitution - criminalizing a specific form of political expression.
This does not mean there is nothing we can do. Non-citizens who burn the flag should not be permitted to remain on American soil. Non-citizens who openly support terrorists and war criminals who kidnap, torture, rape and murder American citizens (or the citizens of our allies) should not be allowed to remain on American soil. This is not right-wing political correctness. This is a matter of national security. If you are a guest on our soil you will respect the country or you will not be permitted to remain.
But burning the American flag is an expression of strong opposition to American policy. We may not like how that is done, but if we truly respect free speech we must not use the criminal justice system to punish American citizens (not foreign nationals) for speech we find repulsive. Putting criminal penalties on American citizens for political speech is the same logic that Leftists use when they claim that politically incorrect speech is "violence." Republicans should not embrace the same positions as the Leftists we allegedly oppose.