Outlawing the burning of Americas flag will hurt patriotism

Thank you Tom for taking this debate. I would first like to say, I did not mean to be fallacious, only enticing. For if I were to start out with my proof you might have never decided to take up this debate when you can see my argument falls clear within the limits I placed in round one. As for supplying that proof you are completely right, I do have provide my claim with support first for you to have something to knock down. And now that you have accepted this debate I can not hold it back. I have been a member of a boy scout troop for several years now and there is something we practice in patriotism to our country. http://www.scoutingbear.com... http://www.usscouts.org... http://www.kiwanisyouthpark.org... these flag retirement ceremonies clearly falls in the definition I gave for this debate of burning a flag. How on earth can anyone accuse us boy scouts of being anything less than exemplary patriotism? Part of the scout oath is duty to our country. http://www.scouting.org... outlawing burning flags keeps us from venerating our nations flag properly in there disposal. The first time I participated in a flag retirement ceremony I was told one of the reasons we do this is so that none may ever see our flag in a garbage dump. If we are not allowed to burn them this outcome will occur. As an Assistant Scoutmaster in my troop, I have observed new scouts half-hearted raise the flag in the opening ceremony. But after flag day when we had a flag retirement ceremony scheduled led by a navy veteran, they show much better patriotism now. Its almost as if they understand now the solemn way of saying the pledge of allegiance now. One of our past presidents said "boy do we need scouts"; if you make illegal these retirement ceremonies this will only hurt the patriotism of our scouts. The pledge of allegiance remains for them just something they have to do. With more parents coming along who try treating scouts like a baby sitting service and do not participate in it themselves this new generation is certainly not going to grow real patriotism at home. And when scouts is something this nation needs, it cannot be good when those scouts do not grow in patriotism at all. there are more scouts in my troop that show pride for the Dixie flag then there is for the American flag. To often is flag burning debated about in ignorance of these retirement ceremonies. this method of burning a flag is a show of patriotism for our country. Where you to start messing with this form of freedom speech it will no doubt make it very easy for one loon to convince the people waving "don't tread on me" flags at all the fox news tea parties that it is time for the south to rise again. redirecting our patriotism away from our country to a non-existent country is most certainly going to be harmful to our patriotism for the country that is real, America. So there you go Tom; you now have something to prove is not the case. outlawing flag retirement ceremonies would in fact not be harmful to patriotism would count as your negative burden. Or proving that the retirement ceremonies in fact does not qualify under my definitions of burning a flag, although I believe I was careful enough to make sure that it does count as flag burning in my definition. So have at it!