Back in 1991 I was fresh out of HS and turned down a 4 year hitch in the US Army.
Fast forward to August, the Ann Arbor Art Fair was fun. Bunch of folks walking around getting $25 fines for smoking joints.
I turn the corner with some of my friends, and I sprint away. I rounded the building first and saw someone burning the American flag. There was a cop standing 20 feet from these guys. I lunge at the person holding it, and proceed to pound him to a bloody pulp.
I get up and walk up to the cop and said, "You gonna arrest me?" The cop replied "Hell no, between you and me, I was waiting for someone to beat the ***** out of him."
To burn a mock soldier is the one way ticket to "get out of the country with all you can carry with two hands and don't return." Same with flag burning.
It is ONLY "free speech", so as long as you do not infringe on the rights of others. They're still pu**ies nonetheless.