Among the sentimental treasures I’ve kept from my days in San Francisco is a 25-year-old magazine ad promoting the city’s tourism industry. Created by Goodby Berlin & Silverstein, it features two bearded and mustachioed men, smoking cigarettes, wearing rhinestone encrusted sunglasses, multi-colored ruffled dresses and foot-tall platinum bouffant wigs with huge bows stuck in the hair. The caption of the ad:
“This year, instead of showing your kids where the Bill of Rights was signed, show them why.”
I realize it would pain the members of the Westboro Baptist Church — scheduled to protest today in Terre Haute — but that ad makes me think of them.
No, not because the men in the photo were part of San Francisco’s annual gay Pride Day parade, and the Westboro folks’ official website names sum up their take on homosexuality (and Christianity): godhatesfags.com and godhatesfags.org.
I associate the two men in hilarious public drag with the Westboro faithful — dragging their strange, hateful protest across the United States to military funerals, high schools, theaters and churches — because all of them stand protected under the same noble umbrella.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free expression thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
We hear a lot of talk these days about the sanctity of the Constitution being threatened. But the First Amendment can make the most vociferous constitutionalist start to equivocate. Lines that people would not dream of drawing through other amendments, they want to draw through the First. When public speech offends or outrages, when its content repulses the majority, many Constitutional cheerleaders head for the exits, leaving the First Amendment with few friends.
One of the most pointed examples of this in my lifetime is the planned march by neo Nazis through the streets of Skokie, Ill., in the late 1970s. Skokie was selected, barely 30 years after the liberation of Auschwitz, Dachau and other Nazi concentrations camps, largely because of its high percentage of Jewish residents, many of them Holocaust survivors.
The march never took place in Skokie, but the Chicago suburb was rocked for more than a year by the probability. Philippa Strum’s award-winning book, “When the Nazis Came to Skokie: Freedom for Speech We Hate,” offers a terrific account of the controversy.
Hundreds of elected officials, attorneys, judges, religious and civic leaders and ordinary citizens became embroiled in a protracted battle that produced a 6-3 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of the Nazis. While several heroes emerged, the two I’ve most admired are Burton Joseph and David Goldberger, Jewish attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union, which argued for the Nazis’ First Amendment right to rally in Skokie.
Burton, who died in March, represented the Illinois ACLU and urged the national ACLU to continue to argue the repugnant case. Goldberger, now a professor at Ohio State University, was the lead national attorney. He bore the brunt of impassioned backlash from his fellow Jews and ACLU members who felt the First Amendment line had to be drawn at uniform-wearing, swatiska-bearing, neo Nazis in Skokie.
Goldberger’s client was a disturbed, self-promoting man named Frank Collin, who milked each legal obstacle and ruling for every ounce of publicity. In an interview with Chicago columnist Bob Greene, Collin said he hoped the Jews of Skokie were “terrified” of his party’s rally and parade “because we’re coming to get them again.” Collin also told Greene that the “unfortunate thing” about the Holocaust was not six million dead Jews, “but that there were so many Jewish survivors.”
Typical of most hate mongers, Collin turned out to have a deep, dark secret: His father’s original surname was Cohen; Frank Collin was half Jewish.
That’s not all. In 1980 a Cook County jury found Collin guilty of sexually abusing young boys. He spent three years of a seven-year sentence in prison at the Pontiac Correctional Center.
Talk about your despicable poster child for First Amendment rights. But as Goldberger had argued to his fellow ACLU members three years before, “The Nazis are not the real issue. The Skokie laws [prohibiting the Nazi rally] are the real issue.”
The First Amendment has never been about the worth or legitimacy of the ideas being expressed or of the people expressing them. As the Skokie case illustrated — and as the Supreme Court will hear this week in the case of the Westboro Baptists — the statute does not exist to protect speech and public actions that a majority of reasonable people find agreeable. The First Amendment is about the intrinsic value of free expression, appealing or disgusting.
The revered Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis put it well when he wrote that the authors of the Bill of Rights knew that something far worse than repulsive speech stalks the First Amendment. They knew “that fear breeds repression; that repression breeds hate; that hate menaces stable government; that the path of safety lies in the opportunity to discuss freely supposed grievances and proposed remedies; and that the fitting remedy for evil counsels is good ones.”
Who knows what deep secrets lie within the small band of Kansas Baptists who targeted St. Patrick’s and Bible Baptist churches here today? Why are they obsessed with other people’s sex lives? And how did they ever twist logic to believe that fallen U.S. soldiers are God’s punishment for the nation’s tolerance of lesbians and gays?
What we do know is, the Westboro bunch’s ugly perversion of Christian principles is a prime example of something profoundly beautiful in this country — the right to freely express ourselves. That this right puts them in the close company of two mustachioed guys in ruffled dresses and bouffant wigs is sweet American icing on the cake.
Stephanie Salter can be reached at (812) 231-4229 or stephanie.salter@tribstar.com.
Stephanie Salter
Related Photos
-
Tribune-Star columnist Stephanie Salter.
Discussion
STEPHANIE SALTER: Different & The Same: What drag queens and Westboro Baptists have in common
- Stephanie Salter
-
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: The more things change, the more they … change
What the late, great Pittsburgh Pirates slugger knew, so knew the ancient philosopher, Heraclitus, the Buddha and Andy Warhol.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Making room for the least among us — and their kin
Christmas. Quiet time. Down time. Not exactly the kind of day most folks tend to contemplate their fellow Americans behind bars. And yet, the United States leads the world in percentage of population in jail or prison, far ahead of second-place Russia. About 2.3 million people — nearly one in 100 adults — are incarcerated in this country.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Carols for the worn, weary and wigged out
For those who are agog and aglow with “the season” — you who start bouncing and humming in Toys R Us at the intro guitar notes of “Jingle Bell Rock” — better search elsewhere for a soul mate.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Times change. Things disappear. Toilet paper here to stay
You may have seen an email going around with “Nine Things That Will Disappear in Our Lifetime.”
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: What I learned on election day
When I identified myself as a volunteer for the non-incumbent mayoral candidate, the woman on the other end of the line cut me off. “Save your breath, dear,” she said.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Of politics, protests, coupons and e-wishes
It’s roundup time again, that periodic hunting down and herding together of items that have but one thing in common: They grabbed me.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: ‘Understandable’ not the same as ‘wise’
Because I’m not running for office and don’t plan to, I figure I am free to publicly question the designation of some 30 stretches of city streets as “memorial ways” for police and firefighters killed on the job.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Where have all the protest songs gone?
A telling moment came during the annual Eugene V. Debs award banquet late last month, when the career protest singer and songwriter, Anne Feeney, implored a huge Hulman Center audience to join her for the refrain of “We Shall Not Be Moved.”
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: It’s business as usual, but what does it cost to stay angry?
As painful and profoundly sad as the 10th anniversary of 9/11 has been, I found the actual day a balm.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: The unfortunate bottom line … St. Ann’s will close
Ever since word came down that St. Ann Church and Parish have less than a year to live, there’s been much invoking of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’ five stages of grief.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: The Economy: One complex, thorny, bedeviling issue
No matter how much time and energy I spend trying to understand the Hydra we blithely call “The Economy,” I often worry that its mystery will forever elude me.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Thinking, now and then, about now and then
I am lying, poolside, in a plastic chaise lounge, listening to pop music and watching water droplets dry on my skin.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Thousands of things she would have missed
For several years, until she received an official information packet in the mail, my mother planned to donate her body to medical research.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Marriage? There’s an app for that ... but it’s tricky
As I watched all the happy people celebrating passage of New York’s same-sex marriage law, I couldn’t help but project to a time when Indiana adopts a similar statute.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Back in the saddle — with the usual burr under it
I really didn’t expect to be gone nearly six months, but then, that’s par for the course these days: What I expect to happen and what actually occurs are often about 180 degrees apart.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: On the other hand … we’ll have a lot fewer leaves to rake
Editor’s Note: Former Tribune-Star Assistant Editor Stephanie Salter’s column resumes today in freelance form and will appear on this page every other Sunday.
TERRE HAUTE — My neighbor, Andy, had just lowered the bamboo blinds on his front porch when we heard a mournful sound. -
Memorable victories
This was about as much fun as a doubleheader split could get for Rose-Hulman’s baseball team.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Another batch of my status-quo-defending misinformation on schools
The day after state schools chief Tony Bennett responded to my three-column education series, a longtime friend and veteran teacher called.
“I just read the superintendent’s rebuttal in the Tribune-Star,” my friend said. “All I can conclude from it is that you are a dumbass. Welcome to the club. Anybody who doesn’t buy into his vision of education reform is considered a dumbass.” -
Stephanie Salter: One person’s roundup of significant folks lost in 2010
Every late December, as I comb through lists of notable deaths, I swear I will never repeat the process. It takes days of Internet research, mostly because I get distracted by looking up people about whom I know nothing.
-
Stephanie Salter: I've got some really good news for some of you guys
Of all the sentences I’ve imagined writing in my long, moss-covered newspaper career, this is not one of them: I am quitting my job to get married.
-
Stephanie Salter: A little history of mandated intermingling among U.S. troops
Back in July 1948, when President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, predictions for its effect on the U.S. military were dire. Sen. Richard Brevard Russell Jr. of Georgia echoed the sentiments of millions of Americans in an address from the Senate floor.
-
Stephanie Salter: Another wronged woman becomes the nation’s paper doll
A few hours after the death of Elizabeth Edwards last week, the creepy, contemporary American ritual of vicarious grieving began in cyberspace.
“You are with your son now. Rest in peace.” -
Stephanie Salter: You’ve heard from me — now, listen to the teachers
As e-mail from Indiana teachers and principals continues to pour into my box, the portrait of this beleaguered group grows more poignant each day.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: Have you heard Indiana’s schools are failing? It’s a lie
In Gov. Mitch Daniels’ recent state budget PowerPoint, he put up a comparison chart: The percentage of Indiana public school students who’ve attained an advanced level of math achievement versus “the world.” Hoosiers lag behind the national average, trailing such states as Massachusetts, Oregon and New York, and such nations as Poland and Latvia.
-
Stephanie Salter: Bashing teachers in the name of education reform
As I read the Tribune-Star’s recent Page 1 news packages about the governor’s push for education reform, I kept seeing faces.
-
Stephanie Salter: After the turkey and before the pie, a round of giving thanks
As my colleague Alicia Morgan wrote last week, there is no downside to taking time out now and then to list and truly appreciate our blessings.
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: A story of just one corporate lobby ‘investing in advocacy’
For those of you who know in your marrow that the president’s attempt to overhaul the U.S. health care system proves his socialist agenda, take the day off. What reporter Drew Armstrong of Bloomberg News shared this past week will be of no interest to you.
-
Stephanie Salter: Inside today’s grab bag …: Stamps, bands and GOP $$$
It’s time for another roundup of items, little ideas that can’t grow big enough for a whole column, but just won’t go away from my field of focus.
-
Stephanie Salter: Can’t make a decision? Consult strangers on the ’Net
A day after I heard screenwriter and director Nora Ephron talking on NPR about that moment in the aging process when you realize you are no longer cut out to be au courant, that moment arrived for me.
-
Stephanie Salter: The years may pass, but a friend will always ride shotgun
I should have known there would be a first-aid kit. Susan provided for every contingency.
How like her to have tucked a 106-piece, American Medical Association-approved kit under the passenger seat of her Honda Accord. How like me not to have discovered it until I was deep cleaning the car to get it ready to sell. - More Stephanie Salter Headlines
-
STEPHANIE SALTER: The more things change, the more they … change
Jodi Arias: Death Penalty Would Cause More Pain
Looking for Love? Take the Prague Metro
Raw: Costa Rica Volcano Roars to Life
Today in History May 22
Raw: Students Clash With Police in Chile
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
First Person: Baby Falcons on a New York Bridge
Oklahoma: Images of Devastation, Reunion
Crews Race to Find Survivors of Okla. Twister
Tim Cook Defends Apple's Tax Accounting
Police Ram House to End Hostage Standoff
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Families Begin Returning to Their Homes in Moore
Reunited Dad, Son: 'We Just Praise God'
Lawyer: Feds Investigating Susan Powell Case
Protests Outside Cincinnati IRS Office
Moore, Okla. City of Reunions, Tears After Storm
Raw: Aerial View of Moore Tornado Damage
Slow Pokes: Acupuncture Helps Sick Turtles
Former Rep. Weiner Running for New York Mayor
DWTS Crowns a Winner
Crowd Chants '¡Si, Se Puede!' After Passage of Immigration Bill
Demi Moore a Rocks Bikini at Harry Morton's Family House
Anthony Weiner: I'm running for New York City mayor
Kate Middleton's Dress Flies Up
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
The Hangover Baby All Grown Up
Olivia Munn Flaunts Her Bikini Bod
Britney Spears Under Fire Once Again For Being A Bad Mom
Arias Tells Jury What She'd Do if She Gets Life
The all-new Xbox One
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
Nidal Hasan paid $278K while awaiting trial
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
