The Raven just got back from the gym, and all the "wet stuff" is in the hamper. Now, feeling all virtuous an' stuff, we feel free to enjoy a scotch-and-soda without guilt and review the day's blogging.

At first glance, I notice that Haloscan is doing a great job with the comments. They load ten times as fast and look better. I'm working on color-matching the graphic but that's going to take a day or so. Regarding those comments, yet more tough comment on Klan Klownishness is up from Rayne at Rayne Today and in lieu of a rebuttal, at this point I think that readers are sufficiently armed to make up their own minds. Let me close that out by underscoring the fact that The Raven uses this space routinely to take potshots at Klansmen, Neo-Nazis, and any other related douchebags and is no friend of those who lead unexamined lives.

At the gym I noticed that there are a number of standard types who inhabit the physical training demesne, and I'm starting to categorize them as follows:

The Dumbbell Ding-Dong: Spends all his time working with 210-lb free weights. Body looks goofy.

The Machine Hog: Is always on the machine you want to use. Starts up with the pullover at 1:00 p.m. and stays there until 5:00 at least.

The Librarian: Sits at the Excercycle and works through People and all the other media mags.

The Sherpa: Seems to alternate between trips to the water fountain to fill up water bottle, then carries water bottle all around gym, sipping, yakking, strolling, until bottle is empty. Returns to fountain and repeats process.

The "Talking Head": Like the Sherpa, walks around, yakking with buddies, going "whew!" a lot, doing stuff with towel. Uses no machines or weights.

Mr. Intensity: The opposite of the above. Hits all machines and weights in rotation. Asks for a spot with eye contact only. Buff but not over-sculpted. Responds to "howyadoin?" with a grunt.

The Anatomical Freak: All muscles are visible outside the skin. Frightening. Glows with radiant physical energy and is 'wired' on endorphins. Communicates in monosyllables like, "Mow!" "Umm!" "Yowwa!" "Omma!" and you pretend to understand.

The Sweathog: Never seen in gym proper, apparently inhabits jacuzzi and sauna only. Remains in shower area until towels are soaked, then emerges looking "wrung-out"; a stoic warrior at the end of a tough day.

Bilbo Baggins: Something went wrong in Workoutland. Head is too small for body. Butt is muscular, but huge. Biceps and calves are the size of watermelons, forearms and thighs are sized like coaxial cables. Wears nice workout clothes.

The Sex Goddess: Exquisite body, sexy outfit. The girl from Ipenama—men drool when she walks by. Does 10 minutes on walker and causes hormones in gym to run off the chart.

The Walker: Hopes to be sex goddess someday. Until then, comes in and does 45 minutes on treadmill.

The Comic Book: This puny 98-lb weakling is "Hans und Franz" fodder. Tired of being beaten up and dedicated to becoming Ultra-Buffed. Becomes The Anatomical Freak in six months.

The Technician: Master of workout mags and books, knows how to use weights in ways you never dreamed of. Does "back-wrist curls" with 8-lb dumbbells and then you try it and get carpal.

Signs of the Season

The neighbor came by with a bike, meant as the daughter's Christmas gift and asked if we could hide it in our garage. Of course we accepted and isn't that just adorable? So I'm looking at this thing. Mountain bike design, 18-speed, black lacquered bell. Perfectly oiled. As I wheel it into the "bonus room" (don't ask, it's a Southern thing), I hear the 'snick-snick-snick' of the gears and feel suddenly jealous and uncharitable. Why, when I was her age, we didn't have bikes. I got a pot full of cornstarch mixed with water: "Have fun, boy!" This gal's getting a velocipede built with technology that didn't even exist when I was a tyke. My first bike had solid iron wheels that didn't even turn, fer chrissakes. Kids today don't know how good they have it.

6:15:32 PM       

This is very hard for me to write. I do not want to be in the position of apologizing for, explaining, or defending Ku Klux Klan cross burnings. How much better it would feel to be among the righteous! To be filled with the triumphant glow of moral outrage and self-satisfaction of knowing that Laws have Been Passed that prevent me from ever being offended again. That would be swell. And it would be wrong.

To track this diablogue, start with Jan Hauglands Secular Blasphemy posting, and then the comments attached to it. These led to Rayne's sharp and insightful remarks at Rayne Today. It is with great trepidation that I dare disagree with her, but I'm afraid I did in the comments section of her post. I figured I was doomed right there. To confirm it, the noted wordsmith and intellectual provocateur Rob Salkowitz at Emphasis Added added emphasis to Rayne's argument in his remarks in support of a prohibiting law.

At the risk of over-simplification, let's summarize the case for each point of view. First, we'll posit the case for making cross burning illegal (particularly when in private and on private property) as being roughly in accord with Paul Hinrichs's comment at Jan's page:

A cross-burning is a threat of violence, which is not protected free speech. It can be prosecuted as assault. The legacy of cross-burning is not symbolic. It's message was "next time you'll be hanging from a tree".

There's no other purpose to the (burning) cross, no communication, no particular message. It was intended to cause fear and to terrorize a population.

To buy into this position, then, you must allow the question to be begged that cross-burning is not political expression, not an act of speech, not the product of a point of view, but equivalent to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater. Contrast this with the case for not enacting a law against burning crosses on ones own private property (so qualified because it is prima facie acceptable to prohibit cross burnings on property owned by a third party). Jan's statement is succinct:

If a form of speech is banned because a symbolic expression can be labeled a "threat" even when directed at nobody in particular, I think we're treading on very thin ice.

If the act is only morally offensive, then it is speech by definition. This was discussed here in the Art of Terrorism diablogue among the above-named writers. As a general principle, the person who wants to burn a book is always wrong. The person who wants to dictate which symbols are permissible (and which are not) is always wrong. The person who wishes to prohibit behavior that injures no one is always wrong. Are exceptions to these statements conceivable? Probably. But cross burning is no such exception, provided that it is conducted in private among consenting persons. Ban it, and you accept that any private act that is perceived as unpleasant by another person is potentially a prosecutable offense and for the sake of all deviants and nonconformists I should hope that never comes to pass. If so, then controversial artwork such as that by Mapplethorpe and Serrano will likewise be subject to censorship. Consider the photo of the burning cross on Jan's article. Should that be made illegal? How about the Klan rally in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I have the greatest respect and admiration for Rayne, Rob, and anyone else who has taken a position on this matter, and am quite distressed at presenting an opposing view. I'm so glad that there are people of intelligence and conscience who would like to ensure that symbols and images of hate and intolerance are expunged from our society because that's why our society is worth living in. But to peek over the side of the slippery slope for a moment, what are you going to do when your behavior is no longer considered "expression"?

Constant Comments

We love to get comments here at the Raven. We've also noted that rcs.comments has been laggy, buggy, and utterly untrustworthy. So this morning we flipped over to Haloscan for your convenience. As an unfortunate result, all comments to date have been lost, but we think the added convenience and speed of Haloscan was worth it and hope you agree. Your thoughtful and encouraging comments are a large part of why the Raven is here, and your readership and reflections are deeply appreciated.

12:40:35 PM