While the symbol of our nation is incredibly important, our allegiance to it should not overshadow the actual rights and freedoms that it represents. Banning and/ or making it illegal to burn the flag desecrates the flag more so than actually burning it. I will take my rights over a symbol any day and that decision should not be hard to make. And of course a president shouldn't be able to pardon themselves of a crime. The fact that this had yet to be an issue speaks volumes to the state of our contemporary political state of affairs.