January 26, 2006
Leave the graffiti to young lovers
I am a huge fan of well orchestrated civil disobedience; the more off-beat the better. Nevertheless I was surprised when Mike Ferner was arrested for defacing highway overpasses with anti-war messages. I don’t know Mr. Ferner personally, but the activity in question seemed out of place for a man of his social standing.
What did he hope to accomplish? It’s not as if a presidential motorcade was scheduled to pass by. The Blade let Mr. Ferner explain his philosophy in the Jan. 21 Saturday Essay. Comparing this civil disobedience to young lovers spray-painting a declaration of their eternal love and devotion for each other is an apples-oranges kind of thing.
When asked what prompted his civil rebellion, his response was: images, images, images, images — images of the lame, the blind, the crippled. Yeah, Mike, we get it. War is hell.
So his blood boils with indignation. Here the simile comparing his actions to those of young lovers may be apropos; neither entity can imagine anyone else ever felling such deep passion.
To leave Iraq now would be a mistake. Imagine the adrenaline rush our withdrawal would give the insurgents. They would certainly view our pull-out as a victory; America the Great Satan has been slain, fueling the belief they are chosen by God to purge the world of infidels. We can help democracy take root in Iraq today, or our grandsons can try tomorrow.
Do my beliefs give me the right to spray paint, “Stay the Course” on public property?
Overpass fascias do not belong to you or me; they belong to us. They are not our personal billboards. Let’s leave the graffiti to the young lovers.