I'm English, so this is an outsider's perspective.

The disturbing issue from either point of view has got to be the loss of freedom - it seems to me that both sides are arguing for or against the ban, not because they wish to deface the flag, or because they believe in total state control and censorship of unpatriotic ideas (I hope this is the case, anyway) but rather because both sides feel that their way is the way to protect freedom. I guess that in a seemingly unwinnable argument, this is the best outcome we can hope for?

By the way, colour me liberal, but I get the shivers any time I hear someone talking about their nation as if it was the Fatherland, and saying they want to purge it of undesirables to get it back to its pure state. (Page one of this thread) Just sayin