I've heard many suggestions that RNC protesters dress in business/formal attire, act nonviolently, and try to look and behave as "normal" (i.e. non-radical) as possible, in order to give the protests resonance (and relevance) for the millions of undecided Americans who will have the images delivered to them on TV and in newspapers.
What better way to do this - and to reclaim patriotism for the left - than to bring a lot of American flags. The dKos logo on the upper left has always resonated with me as an emblem of patriotism and defiance - in fact, it defines patriotism by the very act of defiance. Let's bring this image to the streets en masse.
When you burn a flag to protest the President, you are giving the President sole ownership of the flag. You are doing exactly what they want. When Clinton was President, did you see right-wing extremists burn the flag or wave it in defiance? Of course they didn't burn the flag. They would never think of giving that up. Since the Cold War, they have claimed - and continue to claim - patriotism for themselves, and no one else. Let's take it back, for once and for all. Don't burn, desecrate, write on, or disrespect the flag. Wave it proudly, for what it represents to you, and what it represents for the future. We need to wed our ideology as strongly to our patriotism as the right has.
So bring as many flags as possible to the RNC protests, and wave them proudly. Take your flag back, and take your country back. We are the true patriots, not the zealots and bigots and warmongerers and fundamentalists, and we need to make that as clear as daylight.