It's a pity that Mark Steyn's such a swamp-feeding blowhard, because he writes so marvelously well. Take his lavish column on the flag-burning amendment, which expounds on the "I'm okay with dissent; I just think actual dissenters should be rounded up and shot!" theme beloved by right-wingers everywhere. (His version: "I'm okay with dissent, because it helps identify the traitors in our midst more easily!") Vile stuff, but his opposition to the amendment itself can't be improved: "A flag has to be worth torching. When a flag gets burned, that's not a sign of its weakness but of its strength."

Also note that for all intents and purposes, it's impossible to ban flag-torching. Seriously.