Monday, June 27, 2005

The Battle For Ground Zero, Part IV

This particular editorial puts the current kerfuffle over the Drawing Center and IFC into free speech terms. Even if the Governor demands that the IFC maintain a neutral political tone, it would be impossible to keep it out on free speech grounds.
Gov. Pataki — despite his assurances to the contrary Friday, and despite what some newspaper editorialists may choose to believe — couldn't keep "Piss Flag" out of the Drawing Center even if he wanted to, even if he were still in office.

Defenders of trash, and compliant judges, would surely block any effort to "censor" works.

Similarly, "scholars" like, say, Ward Churchill — the nut who compared World Trade Center workers to Nazis — won't be easily stopped from gaining a forum at the International Freedom Center (IFC), also planned for the site.

Maybe these cynical showmen deserve that forum.

But not at Ground Zero.

And the only way to make absolutely certain that such vulgarity remains far from that hallowed ground is to ban these groups altogether, right at the start.
Further, the editorial notes that one way to stop this nonsense from going forth at Ground Zero is to hit the IFC, cultural components and Memorial planning in the pocketbook - charitable donations will help fund the construction and operation of those facilities - so conditional giving, such as a condition that you will provide X dollars only if the IFC and Drawing Center are not part of WTC plans - may prove to be a strong incentive to drop those groups from the project.

In that way, memorial funding will continue without interruption, and the message will be targeted specifically at the offensive IFC and Drawing Center. The LMDC and Governor will take the hint when millions are locked up because of those two groups' continued involvment.

UPDATE:
LGF highlights a NYT article that attacks Gov. Pataki for going after the Drawing Center and IFC. LGF provides some of the 'art' that the Drawing Center would be able to display at the WTC.

Technorati: World Trade Center, WTC, Pataki

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