EDITORIAL : THE HOUSE OVERREACTS AMENDMENT AGAINST FLAG BURNING IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN THE ACT ITSELF.

People who burn or deface the American flag - and thankfully it doesn't happen often - to make some sort of a statement are contemptible.

It's also obvious that those who dishonor Old Glory in public are trying to provoke official overreaction so they can represent themselves as martyrs to whatever anti-American or crackpot causes they advocate.

Well, we don't believe the flag burners deserve the publicity or sympathy they are trying to generate with their sleazy tactics. And that's the least of the reasons why we oppose a proposed amendment to the Constitution that would permit Congress to pass legislation to outlaw defacing the flag. Such a law would play into the flag burners' hands.

Even more important than that practical consideration, however, is the legal danger inherent in the proposed amendment approved Thursday by the House of Representatives.

Congress is considering amending the Constitution - the Senate has yet to act - in order to get around a rock-solid 1989 decision by the Supreme Court holding that a law prohibiting defacement of the flag violated the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The First Amendment, the cornerstone of the Bill of Rights, protects free speech, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and ``the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.''

Those are values Americans must cherish and defend if they hope to retain their freedom. The proposed flag-burning amendment, which must be passed by two-thirds majorities in both houses of Congress and be ratified by three-fourths of the states if it is to go into effect, would clearly weaken the right of free expression.

And once started, where would this tinkering stop?

This concern isn't academic. Efforts also have been made to gut the First Amendment to allow Congress to set heavy-handed spending and contribution limits on federal campaigns. One such amendment was rejected by the Senate in March after Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pointed out that it ``would grant Congress the power to shut everybody up.''

The campaign amendment richly deserved the fate it received. But it and other assaults on freedom of expression might pick up momentum once a precedent is set for dismembering the First Amendment. That's the danger posed by the flag-burning amendment.

The First Amendment, which has served the nation well for more than 200 years, is the people's first line of defense against tyranny. There is no need to weaken it just to permit Congress to punish some nuts who make more enemies than allies whenever they burn Old Glory.