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Bright Eyes has crossed a line and the result is more than just unsightly, it's extremely troubling. Sure, what he's done is perfectly legal--the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prevents the government from espousing any religion, it doesn't prevent the religious from espousing political beliefs--but I fear his statue and words mark the fading to black of The Era of Pompous Asses and the premiere of a remake of The Inquisition--a mega-production called Dawn of the Deranged. Soon, I suppose, we'll all be arguing over whether Jesus' face should appear on a twenty-dollar bill.
America is no more or less ordained by God than any other country in the world. So, where is the outrage? Both the mainstream and the gay media let this story go over two weeks ago. Why are we shying away? If there was ever a time for the gay media to make some noise and demand support from mainstream journalists, this is it. Bright Eyes' is an equal-opportunity offender and his agenda wouldn't be any more obvious if he spray painted the words “THEOCRACY NOW!” in big red letters on his Lady's robe. What gives?
Have we become so desensitized to the antics of fanatical Christians that we just roll our eyes and move on to stories about TomKat, the war and online sexual predators? Would we be more interested in Bright Eyes' agenda if Chris Hansen of Dateline caught him talking dirty to Lady Liberty? What if Bright Eyes' Lady held not a cross above her head, but a six-pack of Mike's Hard Lemonade? Cradled a box of condoms? Would that get Hansen's attention? The nation's?
Of course it would.
And just imagine what the gay and lesbian community would have to deal with if a gay-welcoming church in San Francisco, Massachusetts, or any other state in the country erected its own giant version of Lady Liberty waving a rainbow flag and clutching the Constitution. We wouldn't hear the end of how “offensive” and “un-American” that is.
Our nation's priorities are obviously and completely screwed up. So, too, are our leaders'. Where are all those senators who last month were trying to pass an amendment banning flag desecration? Like our flag, the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of our nation's freedom. Where the heck is Bill Frist? Hello? Senator? Memphis is in Tennessee, you know. That's your state. What say you?
Silence.
Frist hasn't said a word about what Bright Eyes has done to Lady Liberty. Not one sound bite, not even a press release. Interesting, I think, because he sure had a lot to say about desecrating a symbol of liberty in a speech he made last month:
“America is a nation founded on principles. Our flag … is a physical symbol of our values--of our liberty, justice, independence, and equality. It commands our loyalty. And to countless people around the world, [it] represents the highest of human ideals: freedom … Whether inside or outside our borders desecrating the American flag is an act of aggression, not constructive speech.”
Bill, Bill, Bill, you hypocrite! This is no time for pandering. You should be mad as hell, not complacent. You and every elected official--in and outside of Tennessee; republican or democrat; Christian or non-Christian--who hasn't had the guts to speak out against the "Christianization'' of Lady Liberty is a coward.
Good God, let's wise up! Let's once and for all agree that the founding fathers were not only profoundly cognizant of God, but also, and more importantly, painfully and experientially aware of a church's--any church's--ability to suffocate man's liberty, and of man's thirst for power and his ability to denigrate his brother in the name of God.
Alton R. Williams is our framers' worst nightmare. He's a sociopath, serving to disconnect our nation at its very seam. We're all citizens of a great and free nation formed by men of reason, hope, and, yes, faith; we're not extras in a science fiction movie.
Kim Ficera is the author of Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: An Unconventional Life Uncensored. Her bi-weekly column Don't Quote Me is dedicated to all the folks in and out of Hollywood who talk without thinking or who don't know when to stop talking. Email her at kim@kimficera.com.
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