Charles Levendosky

Charles Levendosky is the editor of the Casper (Wyoming) Star-Tribune editorial page and a noted columnist on First Amendment issues. In the following viewpoint, Levendosky argues that burning the American flag is a form of political speech, and as such, is protected under the First Amendment. Prohibiting flag burning, he contends, risks turning the flag into a symbol more sacred than any religious icon and the United States into a dictatorship.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in Texas v. Johnson, as cited by the author?
2. What was Ivan Warner’s response to an assertion by a North Vietnamese officer that his cause was wrong because some Americans were protesting the war?
3. How would a flag be treated compared to some religious symbol...