Sunday, May 25, 2003
0 commentsCousin Clarence, Come Home...
An interesting history day (with lessons for today): It is the 78th anniversary of the indictment of John T. Scopes in Dayton, TN for the crime of being a science teacher—and, from most accounts I've seen over the years, a reasonably good one. While we may smile and shake our heads at its absurdity in this day and age, this marks a High Holy Day for the Neo-con movement of our own era.
Particularly in light of the efforts of the Neo-cons to take over every aspect of what we, as a people and as a society, can think and do.
Despite our sophisticated mindset that "it can't happen here; not these days," school censorship remains just as large a problem today as it was in 1925.
Those who would turn back the clock to return us to a safe, uncomplicated, ignorant and very white male world order have reached for and gained immense power in our country. And they are now looking to our young and impressionable as a means of fortifying and continuing their entrenched hold on local and national policy positions.
I take great pride in being related to the famous defense attorney Clarence Darrow (my grandmother's first cousin). His fierce pride in the potential of humanity serves as a stirring example to those of us who feel that, of course, we have evolved past hate by now, certainly. Only to find, too late, that we were wrong.
Unfortunately, hate and small-mindedness are with us always, in many shifting guises. They must be fought every day with all of the courage and intelligence that were the hallmarks of Darrow's fight%#8212;for what little sanity is left in all of us.
Oh, to have a leader like cousin Clarence around today...
Get Angry! Write your elected officials, today!
posted by Gotham 7:26 PM
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