acroyear | from the editorial pages... (Reply)

John and Jerry - New York Times (Paul Krugman):

But if you choose to make common cause with religious extremists, you are accepting some responsibility for their extremism. By welcoming Mr. Falwell and people like him as members of their party, Republicans are saying that it's O.K. — not necessarily correct, but O.K. — to declare that 9/11 was America's punishment for its tolerance of abortion and homosexuality, that Islam is a terrorist religion, and that Jews can't go to heaven. And voters should judge the Republican Party accordingly.

As for Mr. McCain: his denunciation of Mr. Falwell and Mr. Robertson six years ago helped give him a reputation as a moderate on social issues. Now that he has made up with Mr. Falwell and endorsed South Dakota's ban on abortion even in the case of rape or incest, only two conclusions are possible: either he isn't a social moderate after all, or he's a cynical political opportunist.

Anthony Kennedy Is Ready for His Close-Up - New York Times:

With Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement, there is a new swing justice in town. If the court's two newest members, Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel Alito Jr., turn out to be as conservative as expected, Justice Kennedy will be at the center of a deeply divided court. That means that until its membership changes again, he is likely often, although certainly not always, to have the final word on such deeply divisive issues as abortion, affirmative action and campaign finance.

Playing to the Puritans - New York Times:

Like in Fulton, Mo., where three members of a local church objected to the high school's fall production of the musical "Grease," even though one of them hadn't even seen it. In a response that would have made Joe McCarthy proud, Mark Enderle, the school superintendent, then proceeded to overturn the choice of "The Crucible," Arthur Miller's indictment of McCarthyism, as the spring play.

Instead, the students in Fulton just finished performing "A Midsummer Night's Dream," that wholesome frolic about youthful rebellion, pagan magic and bestiality. As Dr. Enderle told Wendy DeVore, the drama teacher, her actors "shouldn't do anything on stage that would get a kid in trouble if he did it in a classroom."

Next up, "Algebra! The Musical."

On second thought, one thing that will certainly get a student into trouble in a Fulton classroom is not reading "The Crucible," which is part of the 11th grade curriculum. I guess, like school prayer, reading "The Crucible" is something that has to be done silently.

Morally, "Grease" does seem pretty indefensible — after all, its message is that if girls dress like tramps, boys will like them. Moreover, it portrays teenagers smoking, drinking, swearing and having sex — in other words, reality. But "Grease" has also been one of the most performed high school musicals of the past 25 years, and it is shown regularly on ABC Family channel, which is also the home of Pat Robertson's "700 Club."

What's clear is that some folks in Fulton hope that by protesting "Grease" they can push back community standards to the very era the musical satirizes. Those who object to "Grease" and "The Crucible" seem to think these shows are the theatrical equivalent of sun exposure or asbestos — something we thought was harmless but turned out to be lethal.

[...]

My high school castmates [in the author's own productions of the same two plays] have become productive, respectable members of society — raising children, paying taxes and, yes, occasionally still singing "Summer Nights" into their hairbrushes. I'm not sure what Fulton fears for its children, but it sounds as if some people won't be satisfied until we're all living like Puritans.
Just like "The Crucible."

Needlesstosay, I've had it with McCain.