Resolved: American governments should not legislate against burning American flags in protest.

Since my opponent is upholding the Pro in this debate, it makes sense that he has the burden of proof. The case must also be prima facie. Voters should not necessarily vote upon the attacks of the Con, but rather whether the Pro can provide recent and applicable arguments against legislating against the burning of American flags, a symbol of both history and world freedom. For my opponent I give the following attacks. In response to my opponents Contention one, I offer the following: My opponent has forgotten a very important part of the Constitution, and that being treason is punishable by death. While I agree with my opponent that American civil liberties are important and must be upheld in the most reasonable ways, flag burning is not one of those ways. Now I must comment on the fact that I also agree with your source Mr. Volokh, only to the extent that the Framers were writing in a 18th century common-law legal system. This leads to the point that death over the treason that is flag burning is extreme. Most Americans would agree the punishment of death for flag burning violates the 8th Amendment, and an appropriate punishment should be decided upon. Thus legislation should begin against those that desecrate the flag to be deemed with an appropriate consequence. One can see that the Constitution would not protect those that burn the flag by any means. There are many ways one can protest the United States government without burning the symbol behind it. In no way are the most common forms of protest or speech restricted. The symbol stands for more than just current policies but a history, a people, and a great nation that stands for freedom. In response to my opponents final contention: Prohibitions against flag desecration has definite practicality. With modern times and globalization, the media will largely publicize the American people that act out against its government giving them their largely pointless "15 minutes of fame" and in the process hurting our global image and undermining our soldiers involved in foreign wars. Much like the Occupy movement brought our nation into temporary dishevel. A metaphor to make clear the full argument is that of the sun and the stars. Imagine stars are faithful United States citizens, and the sun a group that takes pleasure in wronging a great nation's symbol. Although at night many see the stars, in the day the media sheds its light upon the rabble rousers known as the sun. Relatively quickly one can no longer see the citizens that make this nation great. Making the United States seem weak and not supportive of foreign policy even if it is an incorrect perception will undermine the nation as a whole. The next point is in the offense even if perhaps it was covered in previous attacks on my opponents contentions: The United States government should legislate against the burning of the American flag for principle alone. It is not in a nation's best interest to allow desecration of its most prized symbol. The nation should not allow this for it is like allowing a disrespectful heretic into the Catholic mass. On pure principle, the people that burn a cherished symbol should at the very least be fined, thus saving money on additional police forces that my opponent believed would occur, and generating city revenue upon those that want little do do with the American government and society.