An alternative view, by Mitch Albom
His column on the subject of political speech among performers being connected to censorship in inappropriate venues says it better than I possibly could. A quote from the column, the whole of which can be accessed through the link in the citation, below:
Mr. Petroskey [Dale Petroskey, President of the Baseball Hall of Fame-- MA], who worked under Ronald Reagan as a White House assistant press secretary, apparently sees Robbins and Sarandon as unworthy of an appearance in Cooperstown, a place that, over the years, has enshrined drunks, racists, drug addicts and adulterers. . . .
First of all, it's the Baseball Hall of Fame, not the Pentagon. Petroskey's political views are no more appropriate there than Sarandon's and Robbins'. Who is this guy? Who decided the Hall of Fame's position on the Middle East?
Albom, Mitch. "The Lunacy of Misguided Patriotism." Detroit Free Press 13 Apr. 2003. Online: www.freep.com. Accessed 20 Apr. 2003.
We all, as private citizens, have a perfect right to select who we will support through our words and with our money and activities. We don't have the right to censor public performances based on our personal disagreement with the personal views of some of the principle performers, as long as the performers maintain their professional demeanor at the time and place of the performance.
In the meantime, Bull Durham is on TV upstairs. My son, who is conservative in his outlook and agrees with neither Robbins nor Sarandon, is having a great time watching a great movie.
Regards--
Mary Anne