If you really believed the American flag to be sacred, you would treat it with the same reverence which
orthodox Jews show toward the Tetragrammaton,
YHWH (which they refuse to pronounce, even when
it's translated into English as 'God'). You would
think the flag is so full of extraordinary power that
touching it would lead to your immediate destruction
and even gazing at it would render you totally blind.
[You say you can still see? O ye of little faith!]