The Scenes: Newspaperland, UC, Madison Road, and Sitwells

Newspaperland

Last night I found out I was mentioned in the CityBeat "Best of Cincinnati 2006" edition.

The mention is nice, but it overlooks that I often go to generic events that are either supported or criticized by both democrats and republicans, and that sometimes I just go where the people are.

UC

UC's Tangeman University Center, Saturday a.m., hosting the Ohio College Republican Federation's 2006 State Convention.

At 7:30, it was pretty quiet, but the first two very nattily dressed students (suites, ties, and polished shoes), arrived shortly after I did.

All in all I'd guess they got a dozen or so attendees, and all were well-spoken and very clean cut.

One fellow who came out to take some cell phone calls refused my offered business card. "I don't need that, I'm in the army," he said. I said the army didn't choose to go to war. He said he supported the decision. I said he should do his duty and that I hoped he'd stay out of harms way.

Madison Road

Then on the way home I found myself listening to an NPR story about hate crimes in some town on Long Island.

Just then, on Madison in O'Bryonville, I was following a beamer SUV with a GWB sticker.

I had no problem with the first two stickers, but the one with the symbol for Islam stuck in the middle of ACLU offended me.

That juxtaposition of a religious symbol and a civil rights organization struck me as confrontational hate speech, no different than if the swastica, pentangle, crucifix, or hammer and sickle were used in that situation by someone who obviously hated Jewish people, Wiccans, Christians, or communists. That sticker proclaimed hated. This fellows back window said, in effect, that he hated all Muslims and the Islamic religion, the he hatred all civil libertarians, and that in his head he equated terrorism with defense of the constitution and defense of freedom of religion. I had to stop and say something.

I got in front of this bozo at the next light, got out of my car, and went to his window. He rolled it down a bit and I said "That ACLU sticker amounts to hate speech, and you ought to be ashamed of yourself for having it." He said "Hate speech, what about all your stickers?" I said "you mean 'freedom of religion means freedom of religion,' or 'honor vets - wage peace'?" He said "What about 'Killing one person is murder, killing 1000 people is foreign policy'?" (That one is below the area shown in the following picture.) I said "What about that is hate speech? That's just fact, the war is based on lies."

At this point the light changed and the guy took off. We were going normally down Madison, and he pulled into a bakery parking lot. I went by, but then I though, "I'd like to have a picture of that guy's stickers for my website. If he's there still after I go around the block, I'll snap a photo." "Who knows," I thought, "maybe he'll be inside getting coffee and a donut and we can sit down and talk."

To my surprise, when I got around the block (having gone down all the way to Hyde Park Square and back), his SUV was in the first spot in the lot, and he was still in it. I parked next to him, got out, and took a picture of his stickers.

I walked to the front of his van to give him a business card, and he took my picture with his phone. Seemed fair, so I took his photo, too.

I tried to hand him my card, but from that point on he refused to acknowledge me. I told him through his window that I thought he was a hateful individual. I could see we were not going to have any chance of a conversation, so I put my card under his windshield and left.

I can only hope our interaction causes him to think carefully about the messages he sends with his bumper stickers. I know I do, and I know I've taken some off in response to feedback from sincere people who pointed out when something I had might be misconstrued.

NOTE (added April 3): Four dear friends have pointed out to me that, even though I was right to see the misused ACLU-Islam sticker as hate speech, I was wrong to get out of my car and confront the driver of the other vehicle. That person could easily have had a gun and, if sufficiently provoked, could have shot me on the spot. Also, my action could have frightened the poor fellow, causing him to purchase and carry a gun and eventually shoot someone else, all because I didn't want to let the bumper sticker go unchallenged. Also, hateful though that sticker may be, the ACLU would almost certainly stand up for the fellow's right to display it as protected speech. I stand, sit, and drive corrected.

Sitwells

Leah and I joined a few fellow activists to discuss what we might do to mark the visit of president alfred e. neuman bush on Monday. I'll have limited time, but I'll be around with my sign. The others will be there, too.

Ray, Leah, Sally, Atia, Rebecca, and Joe

More fun later,

Ray

Written April 1, 2006; Updated April 2 and 3, 2006