[Graymatter]

A ban would just make it harder to identify the jerks who think the US flag should be burned. Besides, they'd only start burning it symbolically. What if it's one white star on a blue background, and a couple of red/white stripes? A symbol of the symbol.
Prohibitions have been known to start fads that would never have cropped up if there hadn't been a ban.
Flag burning is political speech and nothing's more 1A-protected than political speech. We'd do more damage to 1A by a ban on flag burning, than the burners could ever do to Old Glory.

[JCEccles]

A man could just as easily stand naked in full public view on his front porch and urinate on his dog, named "Uncle Sam," and claim it was political speech.

Except it wouldn't stop him frombeing prosecuted, would it?

Burning a flag in public is akin to dropping your pants and urinating in public. It's obscene, uncouth, wrong, and it isn't made acceptable by shouting "Thus to the United States flag!" as you dribble.

[markoman]

I have less of a problem with someone who burns the flag in protest,than I have with someone who is ignorant of it's importance and leaves it lying on the ground.
The irony of this is, the person who desecrates the flag in protest and the person who revere's the flag are both aware of
it's significance.

[Jet Jaguar]

What if it's one white star on a blue background, and a couple of red/white stripes?

That would be the flag of Texas. Already protected.

Just try burning one there.

[CharlesWayneCT]

I agree with your assessment.