Not About the Bacon (Brothers)
P3252554
Originally uploaded by KierDuros.
Tuesday night, I cut out of work a little early to meet a few people for an event.
That event was First Freedom First's All You Ever Wanted to Know About Separation of Church and State... but were afraid to ask. Most people who see it will be seeing it tonight. I was one of the lucky ones to be there for the taping of the show.
The list of celebrities on hand--both in person and via video messages--was good. Not as spectacular as what some organizations pull together, but for a first event, the First Freedom crew did a pretty good job. The "big name" that everyone will recognize was Kevin Bacon who, along with his brother and the rest of the band, livened things up with some solid tunes.
Jack Klugman (one of my personal favorites) was also on hand and Dan Lauria and Wendie Malick (who did most of their appearing in video bits) were in the audience. Peter Coyote (who's voice most will probably recognize before his face) played host.
The real stars, though, were the people he played host to. People who have stood up, sometimes at great personal risk, for what they believe in. People who fought for the basic protections laid out in the First Amendment.
In a nutshell (for those who don't follow the link above):
Invited guests include Bryan and Christy Rehm (who fought creationism in Dover, Pa. science classes), Matthew LaClair (a New Jersey high schooler who exposed religious indoctrination at his school), Roberta Stewart (an Afghanistan War widow who fought for equal rights for Wiccan veterans), Dr. Susan Wicklund (who wears a bullet-proof vest to provide reproductive services in underserved areas) the Rev. Madison Shockley (pastor and reproductive rights advocate) David and Ryan Altoon (who oppose fundamentalist proselytism at U.S. military academies) Melinda “Lindy” Maddox (who successfully sued Alabama “Commandments” Judge Roy Moore) and Susan Jacoby (author of The Age of American Unreason).
I was proud to be in the same room with these people.
If you don't know their stories--and I'm sure most don't--take some time and look them up. Read about what they've gone through and, if you have even a basic understanding about how wide-spread some of the problems are, be appalled that we've all let things get this bad.
There is a separation between Church and State for a reason. There is a guarantee of freedom of religion for a reason. There is a promise of free speech for a reason.
Our Founding Fathers knew these things were important. That's why the first thing done after the Constitution was ratified was to amend it with our Bill of Rights. If you don't know them--especially that first one--you need to learn it forward and backward.
If we do not vigilantly defend those rights, they will be taken from us. In some places, they're already slipping into vague memory.
Last night, I was reminded of this. I was also entertained and amazed.
And, as a completely added bonus, I'm appearing tonight (along my friend Autumn) on movie screens around the country. Just as part of the audience, though.
This time. :)
