Tim Robbins/Susan Sarandon

[SicilianMother@xxxxxxx]

First, for all of you who remember the story of my Who-hating dad, it seems
after almost 3 decades, he has decided that he likes them!  When I come over
lately, he thows on the DVD from NY that one of my fav. listers got for
me........swwweeeettttt!!!!!

Jo

Oh, also this.......

The First Amendment must get awfully tired. It is in the news these days more
than it was in 1789!

It is in the news most recently because actor Tim Robbins believes it is
under attack, and that much of the fire has been directed at him.

A little background: Robbins and his companion, actress Susan Sarandon, were
stars of Bull Durham, widely considered to be one of the best movies ever
made about baseball. The National Baseball Hall of Fame, in Cooperstown,
N.Y., was planning to observe the fifteenth anniversary of the movie's
release later this month, and had invited Robbins and Sarandon to take part.
They accepted. They were looking forward to it, they said. They wanted to
show the Hall to their kids.

Then, a few days ago, their invitation was canceled. In fact, the whole Bull
Durham celebration was canceled. Dale Petroskey, president of the Hall of
Fame and a former aide to President Ronald Reagan, said he was afraid Robbins
and Sarandon would politicize the event. Robbins and Sarandon, you see, are
among Hollywood's most outspoken foes of the war in Iraq in particular and
the Bush administration in general.

"A chill wind is blowing in this nation," Robbins said in response to
Petroskey's decision, and went on to claim his First Amendment rights are
under siege.

Back to the foreground: Strictly speaking, Robbins is wrong. The withdrawn
invitation has nothing to do with the First Amendment. As the Rocky Mountain
News put it in Thursday's edition, "If George W. Bush had lobbied for the
cancellation of Robbins' appearance, the actor might have a point. But the
First Amendment merely guarantees that the government won't stifle your
speech; it does not require private citizens to praise and honor you if you
spout unpopular views. Indeed, it's their First Amendment right to revile you
b even if you're a Hollywood star who assumes that praise and honor are his
birthright."

True. But ...

Although Petroskey was well within his rights to cancel the invitation, he
should not have done it the way he did. It was he, not Robbins, who
politicized the event. It was he, not Robbins, who gave both Robbins and the
media a chance to run the poor First Amendment ragged one more time. And it
was he, not Robbins, who brought embarrassment to the Hall of Fame.

All of which could have been so very easily avoided.

It was prudent of Petroskey to worry about Robbins and Sarandon. They are not
only celebrities with a cause, they are celebrities outspoken about their
cause, panting for a forum. But rather than worrying and then acting, what he
should have done was worry and then pick up the phone.

He should have called Robbins and Sarandon. He should have said, "Hey, Tim,
Suse. This is baseball we're talking about up here, not politics. Do I have
your word you won't say anything about the war or the president? Cross your
heart? 'Cause if you don't, the deal's off."

Robbins has since insisted that he would have crossed his heart. In fact, he
has insisted one of the principal attractions of the Bull Durham festivities
was the respite they would have provided from politics. He was eager to get
away from controversy, he said. He wanted to get back to baseball, if only
for a few days.

Petroskey seemed to realize his mistake on Friday, when he issued a statement
saying he was sorry he failed to call Robbins and Sarandon before canceling
theB celebration.

In an open letter to the 28,000 people who called or sent a letter or e-mail
to the Hall, according to an Associated Press report, Petroskey blamed
himself for bringing politics into the shrine.

"I inadvertently did exactly what I was trying to avoid," he wrote. "With the
advantage of hindsight, it is clear I should have handled the matter
differently."

It would have been nice if Petroskey had thought to avoid controversy rather
than create it.

It would have been nice if the First Amendment had gotten a little time off.

Friday, April 18, 2003
By Eric Burns

 What a workout the First Amendment gets in this country. Someone is always
claiming it protects his right to say or do anything he wants to do or say.
Someone else is always claiming her First Amendment rights have been violated
by fascists and totalitarians and all sorts of other evildoers.


    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,84563,00.html