A threat greater than the homosexuals

Dr. Benjamin A. Soria
Superintendent, Yakima County School District

Dear Dr. Soria,

I know you're going to catch a lot of heat for canceling A. C. Davis High's production of The Laramie Project. Godless promoters of tolerance will certainly point out that there is nothing in the script that anyone would find offensive, but that is a lie. The play is a brutal indictment of one of our most effective tools for enforcing cultural conformity--the use of violence against those who would corrupt our culture by acting on their in-born attraction to those of their own gender. The Laramie Project demeans our long tradition of encouraging homophobia. It flings mud upon the Jackboots of Righteousness we've shined so lovingly for generations. What could be more offensive than that?

But the play is the least of the problems emanating from A.C. Davis High School. The greatest threat to our values stands in the school's courtyard. I'm referring to the statue of the Yakima County School District's most infamous student, Justice William O. Douglas Jr. Its presence mocks every value in which we believe. To stand before it is to stand before some demonic apparition whose long-ago-uttered words continue to reverberate off the courtyard's walls. Indeed, Douglas seems to speak through his bronzed likeness, reminding us:

Literature should not be suppressed merely because it offends the moral code of the censor.

and

Free speech is not to be regulated like diseased cattle and impure butter. The audience that hissed yesterday may applaud today, even for the same performance.

and most importantly,

As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there's a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.

The statue represents a bygone era, a time when men like William O' Douglas were cheered for such hedonistic ideas as the right to voice unpopular ideas and to be the person you are rather than who others compel you to be. As such, the statue must be brought down. It must be brought down in a very public way through a well-managed photo op involving flags, military vehicles, and cheering crowds of patriots. That way, the citizens of Yakima will know that the dark days of Justice Douglas' mockery are finally behind us.

I'd be glad to help in any way I can.

Heterosexually yours,

Gen. JC Christian, patriot

Note to readers: I hope you'll join me in writing Dr. Soria.

Update: Here's a site created by the Davis students who are protesting the decision.