Of all the methods of political protest, burning the American flag is by far the most effective. Especially if you are a maggot-infested hippie trying to change minds, burning a flag is an expression much more thoughtful than mere words. Given that your goal is to change the minds of the people most opposed to you — say, veterans of the armed forces — burning the symbol for which they gave up at least two or four years, and in some cases a limb or an eye, is an effective way of instantly changing minds.