AMERICAN FLAG'S A SYMBOL, NOT AN IDOL.

Byline: CHRIS WEINKOPF

THERE'S something unseemly about banning flag burning, let alone amending the Constitution to make a ban possible. And the unseemliness extends beyond the obvious concerns over freedom of expression.

Now, I love the flag. One flies on our front porch, not just on Fourth of July weekend, but year-round. I'm appalled by those who would burn the flag, as well as by those who do the intellectual equivalent by buying into the pernicious blame-America-first ideology.

Yet a flag-burning amendment, like the one the U.S. Senate narrowly rejected last week, takes us to the opposite extreme. Instead of profaning Old Glory, we make an idol out of it.

I say this not as some ACLU-type of anti-religionist, but as someone who -- like many of the legislators who backed the flag-burning amendment -- thinks of myself as both a Christian and a conservative.

But consider the oddly religious tone of last week's debate: The amendment would have permitted Congress to outlaw ``desecration'' of the flag. This was necessary, supporters said, because the flag is ``sacred,'' a ``venerated object,'' according to the Texas flag-burning statute that the Supreme Court struck down nearly two decades ago.

Desecration? Sacred? Venerated? These are words usually reserved for the divine, for holy books, churches and synagogues. And while the amendment's backers surely don't intend to make the flag an object of worship, such language sounds eerily like secular-statist religiosity.

Yes, the flag is a powerful, proud image, a great symbol of a great nation. But no, it's not ``sacred,'' like, say the cross, a consecrated communion host, scrolls of the Torah -- sacred scripture.

Not even objects that truly are sacred enjoy the sort of protection that the amendment's supporters want to extend to the flag. No one, for example, proposes a ban on ``Piss Christ.'' America's traditional support of free expression is so broad that we tolerate even the most vile and profane artistic and political expression, rather than give politicians the authority to decide what sort of commentary is acceptable and what isn't.

The net effect of a flag-burning amendment would be to elevate the Stars and Stripes to not just the level of the holy, but even higher. The flag would be the most sacred symbol of all, the lone exception to the First Amendment's protections of unfettered political speech.

I love the flag, but not that way.

When Muslim fanatics screamed for punishment and retribution over inflammatory Muhammad cartoons, we in the West collectively said, relax. Their hurt and offense were valid, but not their wrath. Living peacefully in a civilized world means putting up with those who would scorn, defile and mock even the things we hold most dear.

Surely the flag is no exception.

As it stands, flag burning is a very rare phenomenon in the U.S. There was just one reported case of it in all of last year, which suggests that this isn't exactly an overwhelming public concern.

That's because even though flag burning is legal, most people realize that destroying the nation's most beloved symbol is no way to win support for one's cause. Which is to say, there are already powerful cultural incentives in place to dissuade flag burning.

Unlike laws, these incentives don't have the effect of making flag burning a form of ``civil disobedience,'' whose practitioners can then claim they're victims when they're sent to jail. And unlike censorship, these incentives don't run afoul of the proper role of government in a free society.

A law that allows for the burning of some flags, but not America's, or a law that permits burning a flag to properly dispose of it, but not to make a political statement, clearly discriminates on the basis of political content. This is exactly the sort of meddling the First Amendment is supposed to prevent -- which is why amending the First Amendment is a prerequisite for banning flag burning.

But the flag doesn't need its would-be protectors' protection.

The flag will continue to fly, and fly proudly, as long as the country remains true to the ideals the flag represents.

Old Glory must remain the symbol of America's highest values, not the idol to which we sacrifice them.