Word: dissents
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...foreign policy with 535 voices hollering in the background," complained a senior White House official, echoing Reagan's complaint. It seems the President has forgotten that he was one of these voices of dissent only four years ago. And, more importantly, the statement illustrates two problematic elements in the Reagan world view. First, foreign policy should not be "run"; rather, it must be formulated with consideration to various perspectives, national and global, and to long term implications. Furthermore, in a democracy, foreign policy formulation must occur against a backdrop of opinion from a minimum of 535 people and, ideally, with...
...think you would disclose still more ambiguities if your third book were to deal with silence. Merely to show the implications of some primitive distinctions would be helpful; for example, to distinguish between the silence that gives consent and the silence that is the product of the fear to dissent--or the silence that comes when one cannot find words with which to express the emotion of release from some oppressive affliction and the silence that makes one an accomplice to such oppression...
...Santa Claus and reindeer. Why not find some good will in the symbols rather than governmental sponsorship of a religion? The majority opinion contends that "The display engenders a friendly community spirit of good will in keeping with the season." But good will at what price? As the dissent points out, Pawtucket may have a valid "secular reason" (good will and increased retail sales) for setting up the display, but are life-sized figures of Jesus. Mary, Joseph, angels, shepherds, kings and animals the only way to encourage such secular motives? Equally effective would have been the merry Santa scene...
...Pawtucket, the city government does seem to come out endorsing a particular religious belief rather than a spirit of good will. "Those who believe in the message of the Nativity receive the unique and exclusive benefit of public recognition and approval of their views," Justice Brennan writes in his dissent. "The effect on the minority religious groups, as well as on those who many reject all religion, is to convey the message that their views are not similarly worthy of public recognition nor entitled to public support." Burger argues that the creche is "passive," but the point is that...
WHATEVER THE rhetoric, whatever the legal "reasoning," the producers never had much of a chance in court and most of them knew that. In fact, many were even surprised at the closeness of the decision and the lengthy Blackmun dissent which out-paged the majority opinion...