In Denver, Colorado, a woman hung a wreath on her home in the shape of a peace sign. Sounds like a lovely idea because we all want peace on earth, don't you think? Well, I thought so, too.
Apparently, however, this woman is living in a neighborhood where people have a totally skewed view of reality and where free speech is endangered. Because some of her neighbors filed a grievance with the homeowner's association demanding the removal of the wreath because THEY perceived it as (a) sending an anti-Iraq message or (b) being some kind of satanic symbol. The association, open-minded peace-lovers that they are (can you hear the sarcasm dripping from my words?) then sent her a letter telling her that if she didn't remove it, they'd fine her $25 a day. (The association has now apparently recanted this demand and apologized to the homeowner.)
First of all, on the satanic implications: did those people completely MISS the 60s? How could you live in America and NOT know a peace sign for what it is? It's as well-known a symbol of that era as the yellow smiley face. So whatever bible-thumpers thought a peace sign was a reference to the anti-Christ should take a refresher course in 1960's history because they're WAY off-base.
Now, is a peace sign also a sign of being against a war? Well, it might be. Anti-war (or should we say, "pro-peace") marchers have been using the peace sign for forty years. So, yes, there could be some truth to that, although this homeowner claims it wasn't about THAT in her mind, at least. She just thought the peace theme was appropriately spiritual for the holidays.
But more to the point, what if it WAS this person's way of stating her beliefs about the war in Iraq? Does being against the war necessarily mean you DON'T care about our troops and their lives? I think it's just the opposite - those of us who want the war to end and our troops brought home feel that way not only because we don't agree with why we're there, but because we do NOT want to see more soldiers lose their lives for a cause that no longer seems just and a fight we can't seem to win, at least not the way we're going about it. My mother spent the larger part of her nursing career working with Vietnam veterans in a VA hospital and believe me, she could tell you stories about how messed up these poor guys were after having to fight in a war that was a no-win situation. I don't want us to have another generation of young men and women who will come back like the Vietnam generation because of what they saw and did over there in Iraq. And I don't want another family to lose a son or a daughter. So why is it considered "anti-troops" for us to say: "Enough is enough. Bring 'em home."
Last time I looked, the U.S. Constitution still protects freedom of speech and expression but it seems that more and more, Americans want to live in a sanitized world where no one is allowed to do or say anything that might be even remotely offensive to others, and never does that seem more petty and small-minded than at the holidays. Schools and businesses and communities are arguing over whether or not they can decorate with Christmas trees or Hanukah symbols. You can't say "Merry Christmas", you say "Happy Holidays" in case the person you're well-wishing isn't a practicing Christian.
Evelyn Beatrice Hall (1868-1919) wrote: "I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it". (Some, including Bartleby attribute the quote to Voltaire but no one can place it to any of his specific works. Seems Hall, in her book The Friends of Voltaire [1906] was paraphrasing something Voltaire DID write in his Essay on Tolerance: "Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.") Regardless of who said it, it is a perspective I, too, share. If freedom of expression is truly "free" then we need to allow people to say the unpopular thing, rant about the government when they don't like what it's doing, post a sign or a bumper sticker or wear a slogan on a T-shirt without condemning the person for his or her opinions. Free speech doesn't come with the disclaimer: "You can say what you please only if the rest of us agree with it."
I'm glad this woman will be able to keep her wreath up without having to pay some hefty fines. But it's sad commentary on America that she even had to defend it in the first place.
When did peace become offensive?
