Last night on The O'Reilly Factor, a show that my father routinely watches, there was a segment on radical leftist protesters. Three incidents were mentioned: the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence interruption of Mass at Most Holy Redeemer Church in San Fransisco on Oct 7, the Codepink confrontation with Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice last Thursday, Oct 24, and the Paul Addis attempted attack on the Grace Cathedral, also in San Fransisco, this past Saturday. There was also another segment posing the idea that "far-left protesters" have become a problem.
For those of you who have not heard, on Oct. 7 two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a well known charity that supports the gay community in San Fransisco, attended Mass at the Most Holy Redeemer Church. This was not just any Mass, however, this was the welcoming Mass for the new Archbishop of San Francisco, Most Rev. George Niederauer, who has been described as a "progressive", giving a much more lax view on many Catholic issues such as homosexuality and sexual offence investigations on other priests.
From what I have been able to find, the two members of Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence that attended the mass were both calm and respectful in their behavior, if not in their dress. There were no outburst, and the two claim that they fully participated in the Mass and felt very welcomed by both the Archbishop and the parishioners. The only issue that seemed to be there was a slight feeling from the parishioners that the flamboyantly arranged nun habits that the two wore were a bit less than respectful, but no mention of that was made during the Mass or during the socializing afterwards. It seems that the only real issue about this whole demonstration has come from the (admittedly slanted) coverage of the event by such personalities as Bill O'Reilly. Sister Edith Myflesh, Current Abbess of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, stated "We are dismayed that a moment of genuine communion during sacred worship is being twisted for political gain by the forces of hatred and dissension." (Sisters Upset Communion Being Turned into Political Issue)
I am not comfortable stating that this was a "dangerous radical-right protest", as Mr. O'Reilly would have us believe. Rather, it seems to be that this was a very peaceful statement. Do I think that it is the best idea to stage any sort of protest inside a church? No. But then, this wasn't really a protest, either. The two Sisters did not pose any sort of agenda while there, even. Perhaps their outfits were a bit less than respectful, but none-the-less, there was no issue caused until the media became involved.
Another situation that I feel has been exagerated by the press is the Codepink confrontation with Condoleezza Rice. A Codepink member, red paint smeared on her hands to represent the blood the organization feels Condoleezza Rice is responsible for, walked up to Secretary Rice, stopping mere inches from her face as she entered the room to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Secretary Rice did not react to the protester, nor to the woman's insistence that Secretary Rice is a "war-criminal". The Codepink protester was immediately removed from the room, along with other Codepink members from the audience. The following videos show parts of the hearing before the confrontation, during and after.
It does not appear to me that this protest was dangerous, however, I will say that I believe the protester should not have gotten so close to Secretary Rice. The same statement, with the same impact, could have been made from a respectable distance. Also, I believe it was at least as inappropriate to interrupt a Capitol Hill hearing to make a statement as it was to interrupt a Mass to do so. Inappropriate or disrespectful as it was, I none-the-less do not agree that it was dangerous. Again, I feel this was a peaceful demonstration, which might have benifited from a little distance between Secretary Rice and the protester.
The last "protest" Mr. O'Reilly made mention of was Paul Addis' attempted attack on the Grace Cathedral. I can't really comment on this, because, surprising as it may be, I haven't been able to find sufficient information about the situation. The most indepth coverage I have been able to find is this article from The San Fransisco Chronicle. From what I have been able to gather, Mr. Addis was apprehended late Saturday night on the steps of Grace Cathedral, with a belt of fireworks and small explosives. Arrested for arson once before, when he set fire to the icon of the annual Burning Man festival four days early, Mr. Addis has not made any statements that would connect his recent activity at Grace Cathedral to any protest group other than a passing mention of it being "his religious right".
I am interested to know where Mr. O'Reilly got the information that this was intended to be some sort of leftist protest. I am sure that his research team is much more thorough and experienced in dragging up the hidden details of a story than I am, but if this were some sort of protest, one would think it would have been covered in at least one of the local news sources as one. And yet, there has still yet to be any mention of a connection between the attempted arson and any agenda, left or right.
Do I think that Paul Addis is dangerous, that his actions were dangerous? Yes. Do I think that this lends to the theory that protesting in America has become increasingly dangerous? No.
I cannot claim that Mr. O'Rielly only mentioned the extremists on the left last night. There was also a segment covering the Westboro Baptist Church Law suit (The Baltimore Sun), however, I was unable to find a video or transcript of this segment on his webpage. Albert Snyder, father of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq, brought a law suit against Westboro Baptist Church after the Arkansas based church protested at his son's funeral, holding signs that read things such as "God hates your tears" and "Thank God for dead soldiers". Unanimously, the jury found in favor of Mr. Snyder, setting a $10.9 million verdict against the church, the first successful civil claim against Westboro to date. Headed by Pastor Fred Phelps, the Westboro Baptist Church has a long history of such disrespectful, tasteless and extreme protesting, especially at funerals, going back as far as 1998, when they protested at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man who was brutally beaten to death in Laramie, WY.
Do I believe that protests such as the ones held by Westboro Baptist Church are dangerous? Yes. They are dangerous not only because the spread a message of hate- something we cannot really stop because we all enjoy the right to free speech in this country- but also because of the truly grotesque fashion in which they are held. Can you image the pain that the loved ones must feel when they look up at these funerals and see these people? That causes a pain that no one should have to suffer. I wouldn't suggest protesting at Fred Phelps funeral, either. It's just plain wrong. It is not the time or place. A funeral is the place for grieving and support, not for political or religious protesting.
Do I think that the protests in America are getting out of hand, becoming unlawful or dangerous? In general, no, I do not. There are a few groups and individuals, on both ends of the spectrum, that have taken things too far, that need to be reigned in, but on the large scale I personally believe that there should be more people that will stand up for what they believe, weather I agree with them or not.
So, here is what I think: If you feel that radical protesters in America are becoming an issue, get out there and get your voice heard! Let the world know how you feel and why you feel it, and do so in a way that other people can look up to. Show the world that protesting doesn't have to become a nasty subculture in our society, but can, and should, be a great asset.
Perhaps, together, respectfully, we can make a difference in the way the world thinks. Maybe if we try, we can change something for the better.
~Swanky
Links in this entry:
The O'Reilly Factor: http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly
Article: O'Reilly 'Talking Points Memo' on radical protesters transcript: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307612,00.html
Article: O'Rielly Segment "Far-Left Protestors Causing Problems" transcript: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307677,00.html
Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: http://thesisters.org
Article: "Sisters Upset Communion Being Turned into Political Issue": http://thesisters.org/MHR_Release.html
Archbishop of San Francisco, Most Rev. George Niederauer: http://www.sfarchdiocese.org/archbishop.html
Codepink: http://www.codepink4peace.org
Article: "Rice Accosted By Anti-War Protester": http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/10/24/national/main3402772.shtml
Video: Playlist of CodePink confrontation with Condoleezza Rice: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=AD791FDD3E0AFC35
Atricle: "Burning Man suspect held in Grace Cathedral arson attempt": http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/30/BAGJT2QQB.DTL&tsp=1
The San Fransisco Chronicle: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle
Article: "Reversal likely in protest verdict": http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/carroll/bal-te.md.westboro02nov02,0,4500443.story
The Baltimore Sun: http://www.baltimoresun.com
Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder: http://www.matthewsnyder.org/
Westboro Baptist Church: http://www.godhatesamerica.com
Pastor Fred Phelps: http://www.godhatesamerica.com/ghfmir/main/phelpsbio.html
Matthew Shepard: http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageNavigator/Matthews%20Place/Learn/Matthews%20Story/Learn_MS_Matthews_Life
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