That’s not to say that the American flag isn’t an important symbol. As Penn Jillette admitted in the clip, the American flag is but a piece of cloth, but one that “is nothing but meaning”. The inherent symbolism of the American flag does represent the country the freedoms we enjoy. Or rather, the freedoms we have left. Regardless, the flag is a symbol which is why burning it is such a meaningful act. It’s also a freedom that’s quite rare compared to nearly every other country in the world that prohibits flag desecration. Only the U.S. and a handful of other states in the Anglosphere protect their citizens’ rights to burn their flags.
In the United States, the right to burn the flag is protected by the 1st Amendment of the Bill of Rights. It is the piece of paper “that means more to us than any other piece of paper in the world”. That amendment disallows the abridgment of speech by the government. That means the government cannot pass a law that would prohibit the people from burning the American flag for example. Therefore, when Penn and Teller burned an American flag in the White House it was their Constitutionally protected right to do so.
Furthermore, just because Penn and Teller burned an American flag does not mean they did it maliciously. They performed that trick on West Wing “in celebration of the very freedoms that allow us to burn a flag”. Even though others might burn the flag specifically to protest the government, that does not make their act any less of a celebration of their rights.
As Penn Jillette says after he burned the American flag “even though the flag is gone, the Bill of Rights remains”. Those that seek to outlaw flag burning should appreciate that message and reconsider their reasoning.