Note: I wrote the piece below in 2001. It's set in my neighborhood near the Lee Monument and it was published that same year by C-Ville Weekly.
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| My photo (2016) |
Of course, in Richmond, the proper meaning of the words and deeds of Robert E. Lee (1807-1870) is still hotly debated. Lee's presence, in the form of a memorial on Monument Avenue has become a lightning rod of a sort in recent years, on top of being a longtime tourist attraction for Confederacy buffs.
On a pretty morning a few summers ago a curious
commotion was underway about the statue's towering pedestal. About 25 adults were
milling about purposely; some were propping large posters against the statue's base. Upon closer examination the posters proved to be
pro-life propaganda. It was the same sort of designed-to-disgust
material that has been displayed relentlessly by demonstrators outside the Women's
Clinic on the Boulevard for years.
So, why would anti-abortion
activists be rallying in the shadow of a sculpture that
fondly remembers a Confederate general mounted on a horse? Baffled,
this scribbler's curiosity got the best of him.
To get a better
look, I continued walking toward the proceedings. In response to my
inquiry it was explained they were there to picket an “abortionist” with
an office in the medical office building, just across the street.
Well, OK...
Then, with that mission accomplished, the group had opted to take
some keepsake photographs, using the oldest of Monument Avenue's
statues -- it was dedicated in 1890 -- as a backdrop.
Standing
next to identical placards displaying a blown-up depiction of a bloody
fetus -- at first it looked like an under-cooked hamburger that had
fallen off the grill -- they posed with easy smiles, like it could have been a
company picnic, or maybe a class reunion.
On a one-to-ten scale, in the
Absurd Postmodern Juxtapositions category, this business was easily a
nine. Old General Lee, whose view on the abortion issue is not widely known, did not flinch.
A year or two before this morning a group of a
similar ilk had set itself up on the grassy, tree-lined median strip, a
half-block to the east. On this occasion they were there to use the
funeral of Associate Supreme Court Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., at Grace
Covenant Presbyterian Church, to suit their purpose. Along with a large
contingent of the working press and dozens of uniformed police officers,
they waited for the funeral underway to end.
Inside the church
Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist delivered the eulogy, “...[Powell]
was the very embodiment of judicial temperament; receptive to the ideas
of his colleagues, fair to the parties to the case, but ultimately
relying on his own seasoned judgment.”
Outside the church the
eager TV crews had their cameras and microphones at the ready. The
patient cops had their night sticks and side arms close at hand. The
lathered up news-makers brandished their oozing fetus signs
citing Powell as a “murderer.”
When Powell’s family, friends and
Supreme Court colleagues came outside, following the service, they had
no choice but to notice the demonstration before them. Lenses zoomed in
to focus on their stunned reactions.
As a longtime admirer of
Lewis Powell, when I saw that one of the ranting pro-lifers was wearing a
clerical collar, my curiosity got the best of me then, too. So I walked
over to ask him something like -- was he really a man of the cloth, or
was it just a shirt?
Taking umbrage, he fired back at me
something about Powell having killed millions of babies. I had to assume
he was referring to Powell’s role in the famous Roe vs. Wade decision.
Asked what that had to do with forcing the dead judge’s family to look at
his gross placard, the sweaty zealot huffed and puffed. Instead of
answering the question he repeated the same blustery charge against
Powell.
There you have it -- free speech isn’t always pretty. In
practice, the first amendment means we all have to take turns putting up
with people who seem twisted, even mean-spirited, to us.
It’s difficult
to imagine the demonstrators at Powell’s funeral changed any minds on
the abortion issue by creating such a disturbing sight in the middle of
the street. No, I’d say they were chiefly interested in venting their
collective spleen and dealing out some harsh payback. They weren’t there to
persuade. They were there to punish and strike fear in the hearts of
anyone who dares to rub them the wrong way.
Still, in our
optimistic and open society, we are supposed to be obliged to allow for
such venting. Let’s not forget that popular speech has never needed much
protection at any time in history.
OK, that’s the price of free
speech. Pose however you like next to the equestrian statue. Wear funny costumes and bring props, if you like.
Short of what might constitute an assault, it’s your right. Lee won’t
flinch, even if I do.
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