Well, I'm mad as hell again. Why? Because I've got students arguing for limitations again. Oh, yeah, gimme dat old-time Restriction!

"The military I can support because we need that," a student tells me. "But I can't see supporting endowing artists with money so they can create work that I'll find offensive."

Mob-rule. Welcome to democracy--American style. If it ain't fit for mass consumption it ain't worth supporting. Why support freedom of expression in a land theoretically based on freedom if it challenges me with potentially difficult images? Golly, I guess I shouldn't (I CERTAINLY have no intention of thinking deeper than that). Hand me the remote. The argument of the free-market as a way of ascertaining worthy artistic expressions is the argument that only those who actually CONTROL the economy get to say what should be seen. In other words: if the argument is that ARTISTS should have to make it on their own then what you get is artists who aren't concerned with freedom of expression--they're concerned with titillating wealthy elitists.

And for everybody else it seems if the bottom-line is a dollar rather than the expression of an exciting, difficult, challenging viewpoint, it's better to silence the expression and take the frigging dollar. Because I'm CERTAINLY NOT going to give up a fourth of a PENNY to allow some FAGGOT to take pictures of people in bondage.

(In regards to Mapplethorpe: Hey, as America the Land of the Mob, I'll ignore what these beautiful, glossy magazine-ready carefully posed models all encased in RUBBER might actually be saying about the FREE-MARKET's images of what is beautiful! Hey, I'm America! I don't want to think! I don't have to think! I don't need the challenge! If someone feels that way about that then they can say it some other way that won't OFFEND me! They don't have to SHOCK me to make their point--to get my attention. Of course, I'm a nation of people that is constantly looking for the next biggest thrill--the next biggest SHOCK to my senses! My best-selling videos and video games are the most realistically violent because I'm getting a bit desenitized to earlier images of violence! What? Who are you to tell me that I shouldn't appreciate that?! As long as I'M PAYING for it I should be allowed to suck up any bit of hateful, desenitizing, narrow-minded bigotry that I think is cool! THAT's freedom! Beyond it being cool I certainly don't want to be THINK about it! Go to hell--I'm bored with this. Too many words. Hand me the remote).

Decisions in our country aren't based on thought anymore (Jefferson wouldn't stand a chance these days). It's based on greed. I gotta do for me and mine. And I don't want to hear the voices of the minority. Frigging freedom of expression is only free if I LIKE IT and will BUY it!

You think about what we find ACCEPTABLE in our government's use of tax dollars. And you tell me supporting freedom of expression shouldn't be one of them?

My wife was quoted in the Mt. Vernon/Lisbon Sun newspaper saying this: "What the flag means to me is my right to disagree. What upsets me most is they talk about protecting the Constitution, but they are disassembling it piece by piece."

And "they" folks, are YOU.

How many times do you need it screamed at you? WAKE UP!

And yeah, folks, yeah, my lovely bright-eyed beautiful students--I love you.

~Moran
The Ninth Circle
4/28/02