The actions of a few mar the work of so many
by Pete Cunningham
*As printed February March 5, 2008 in The Homer Index   

In my seven months with the Index, never have the streets of Homer been as ugly as they looked Friday. The downtown renovations look great, the banners are beautiful and - despite how annoying it has long since become - the snow continues to have an air of serenity to it. Much like a single drop of arsenic can poison the village well, however, the actions of two idiots managed to sully otherwise peaceful surroundings.

While picking up an ad at a local business, I came across two morons who were carrying a swastika emblazoned Nazi flag. By carrying I don’t mean it was in their pockets. These shames of the human race had the audacity to display this symbol of hate and oppression in plain sight; asking bystanders if they liked the flag.

When asked to put the flag away, the simpletons snickered.When it was done in a more hostile tone, their true character - or lack there of - was revealed, as they scrambled to hide the anti-Semitic banner and denied ownership of it. The boys looked to be about 15 or 16, and have presumably been smoking whatever crack they’ve managed not to slip through for the entirety of that time.

Soon after leaving the store, Dumb and Dumber were waving the flag in the middle of Burgess Street, oblivious to the fact that in their hands sat the mark of one of the lowest points in human history. I’d be lying if I told you swerving in their direction didn’t seem like an attractive option, and commend anybody who resisted this same temptation. On a similar note … kudos to anyone who didn’t.

According to the first amendment, such ignoramuses have a right to do what they did, no matter how offensive. One of the few downfalls of the freedom of expression is that it allows the broadcasting of intelligent thought while simultaneously facilitating the exact opposite.

In the spirit of this amendment, I’d like to invite these individuals down to the Index for an exclusive interview. Perhaps a front page feature will be in order about how they’ve managed to survive life despite a collective IQ of 27. Or maybe we’ll just run a picture of them with their flag on the inside pages? I’m sure proclaiming themselves to be supporters of the Arian Nation should make them all sorts of new friends. Of course, these requests are likely in vain, as these two will never read this column. This is, of course, assuming that the ability to read has eluded these two along with every other form of thought or comprehension.

Just how pathetic these individuals must be is not the worst part of this whole ordeal. The tragedy lies in the possibility that someone who was visiting the area may have seen these two in the streets. Perhaps some visitors had heard of the new improvements to Main Street, so they made a trip to town. Maybe someone from Bellevue or Albion was here to watch the district finals. Can you imagine someone’s first impression of the area if they had the misfortune of having Tweedledee and Tweedledum as their welcoming committee?

The people of Homer are constantly working for the betterment of the village, yet some individuals insist on dragging its image through the mud. It’s maddening that the hard work of so many can at times be marred by the idiocy of a few. Congratulations to those of you who handle your freedom of speech with responsibility, and shame on those two and anyone like them who cowardly hide behind it.