Burning what the Flag stands for

The House of Reps just passed an amendment to the Constitution outlawing desecration of the flag by burning it in protest. It has yet to get through the Senate.
As conservative as I am, and as high in regard as I hold the flag of the United States and what it stands for, the true meaning of the flag is what it symbolizes. It symbolizes a country where the rights of the individual tend to outweigh the rights of the government to regulate them.
Do I respect people who think that burning the flag is a constructive method of protest? No. But outlawing it, seems to me, is against what the first amendment was about.
As much as I rant about the Democrats and how reactionary and irrational they can be, the Republicans can be just as reactionary. Michael Totten agrees.

Instapundit notes that Volokh posted last year on why an amendment on flag burning is a terrible idea.