The Mind' s Eye

Vol ume 2 Number 5

NORTH A DA MS STATE COL L EGE
The Mind's Eye is a journal of review and comment
published monthly during the college year
at North Adams, Massachusetts 01247
Apri l 1978
EDI TORI AL B OA RD
W. Anthony Gengarelly
Stephen A. Green
R. Michael Haines
Charles A. Mclsaac
Thomas A. Mulkeen
EDI TOR
Charles A. Mclsaac
W. Ant hony Gengar el l y 3
El l en Schi f f
SKOKI E, I LLI NOI S:
FREEDOM ABUSED OR FREEDOM PRESERVED?
Nazi mar ch on Hi t l er ' s bi r t hday,
an over t i nsul t t o Skoki e' s J ews, i s
pr ot ect ed by t he Amer i can Bi l l of Ri ght s.
NOT I N SKOKI E, NOT I N AMERI CANEVER AGAI N!
The mal evol ence of Nazi sm i s car ved
i n t he st one of hi st or y. No one need ask
hi msel f what t he Nazi s have i n mi nd. Ther e
shoul d be no mar ch i n Skoki e.
Thomas A. Mul keen NORTHERN I RELAND: A PERSPECTI VE
Hi st or i cal backgr ound of t he baf f l i ng,
bl oody conf r ont at i on i n Ul st er .
Fi r st of t wo ar t i cl es.
NOTES
8 CONVERSATI ON AT THE FUNERAL
OF MARTI N LUTHER KI NG
Pr ophet i c j udgment .
DEPARTMENTS
2 The Edi t or ' s Fi l e
DEALI NG WI TH EVI L
The Hi t l er i an myst i que l i ves on
t o bedevi l us.
8 Cont r i but or s
The Mi nd' s Eye wel comes cont r i but i ons. Your r esear ch, comment ,
r ef l ect i ons, r evi ews, l et t er s, poet r y, f i ct i on ar e i nvi t ed.
2
The Edi t or ' s Fi l e
DEALI NG WI TH EVI L
by Char l es A. Mcl saac
On Apr i l 20, 1978, Adol f Hi t l er woul d have
been 89 year s ol d. He di ed t hi r t y- t hr ee
year s ago by hi s own hand at t he age of 57
af t er wr eaki ng i n hi s shor t l i f et i me t he
gr eat est and most myst er i ous havoc of any
man i n t he hi st or y of t he wor l d. He l ed a
gr eat nat i on i nt o mur der ous l unacy,
pr eci pi t at i ng a wor l d war whi ch t ook t he
l i ves of a gener at i on of young men on bot h
si des of t he conf l i ct and whose t ot al
human cost has been cal cul at ed i n t he
or der of 55 mi l l i on dead. Thr ough t he
oper at i ons of hi s i nf amous secr et pol i ce,
t he Gest apo, and t he mor e secr et , el i t e
SS, and t he deat h camps whi ch ar e hi s most
obscene monument , he ext er mi nat ed an
unknown number of r eal and supposed
opponent s of hi s r egi me. The number of
dead exceeded 12 mi l l i on, si x mi l l i on of
whom wer e J ews t wo- t hi r ds of Eur opean
J ewr yki l l ed i n t he at r oci ous Fi nal
Sol ut i on, t he cul mi nat i on of Hi t l er ' s
l i f el ong ant i - Semi t i sm. The at t empt
t ot al l y t o er adi cat e a por t i on of t he
human r ace was a cr i me of unexampl ed
hi st or i cal pr opor t i ons. I t was t he f i r st
t i me i n moder n hi st or y t hat genoci de was
made t hi nkabl e.
Hi t l er was an unmat ched par adi gm of evi l .
I n t he wave of r el i ef whi ch swept over t he
wor l d at t he end of t he war , t her e was a
del usi onar y moment of comf or t i n bel i evi ng
t hat wi t h hi s def eat and deat h we wer e
done wi t h t he evi l t hat l ur ks i n manki nd
and mani f est s i t sel f cont i nual l y at ever y
l evel of soci et y, f r om f ami l i al mur der t o
pol i ce br ut al i t y t o of f i ci al i mpr i sonment
and t or t ur e of pol i t i cal di ssi dent s and t o
t hat ul t i mat e i nsul t t o humani t y, war
bet ween nat i ons. But t he l esson i s
ot her wi se: t hr ee decades of t umul t among
peopl es and of t he menaci ng bui l dup of
end- of - t he- wor l d ar mament s by t he gr eat
power s demonst r at e t hat we have l ear ned
l i t t l e. Nor has i t yet sunk i nt o our
consci ousness t hat our nat i onal honor was
per manent l y t ar ni shed by our degr adi ng
Vi et namese exper i ence.
Thus i t i s not cur i ous t hat t he Hi t l er i an
myst i que has per dur ed. Evi l r anges over
t he wor l d as i t wi l l , def yi ng our good
i nt ent i ons. On Apr i l 20, under cover of
t he wel l - i nt ent i oned Amer i can Bi l l of
Ri ght s, member s of t he Amer i can Nazi Par t y
wi l l mar ch f or Hi t l er ' s bi r t hday i n
Skoki e, I l l i noi s, a ci t y on t he nor t her n
edge of Chi cago heavi l y popul at ed by
J ews many of t hem sur vi vor s of Hi t l er ' s
deat h camps i n a demonst r at i on of unr e-
const r uct ed ant i - Semi t i sm st aged i n t he
pr esence of Semi t es. The ci t y of Skoki e
has t r i ed t o aver t t hi s unseeml y event by
t he appl i cat i on of or di nances f or bi ddi ng
t he demonst r at i on. The Nazi s went t o
cour t , r epr esent ed by t he Amer i can Ci vi l
Li ber t i es Uni on, and won t he r i ght t o
mar ch on t he gr ounds t hat t he Fi r st
Amendment sanct i ons t hei r f r ee expr essi on
of opi ni on.
Thi s i ssue of t he Mi nd' s Eye i s devot ed i n
consi der abl e par t t o anal yses of t hi s
agoni zed quest i on. Ant hony Gengar el l y,
who t ook hi s l i f e i n hi s hands i n t he
danger ous st r uggl e f or bl ack ci vi l
l i ber t i es i n Mi ssi ssi ppi i n t he mi d- 1960s,
di spassi onat el y pr esent s t he case f or
Fi r st Amendment f r ee speech guar ant ees,
despi t e hi s ut t er r evul si on f r om Nazi sm.
El l en Schi f f cogent l y ar gues t hat t he
mar ch shoul d be st opped because t her e i s
no hi st or i cal or et hi cal quest i on about
t he char act er of Nazi sm: i t i s pur e and
si mpl e evi l and, by i t s deeds, has pr oved
i t sel f t o be a deat h- deal i ng t hr eat t o
ci vi l i zed soci et y.
For hi s own par t , t he edi t or wi shes t he
Nazi s coul d be waved out of exi st ence; t o
bor r ow a phr ase, Nazi s seem not t o have
any r edeemi ng soci al val ue. Woul d i t wer e
t hat si mpl e. Wer e we t o t r y t o out l aw
t hem, woul d i t not be t he mor al equi val ent
of ext er mi nat i on? Ext er mi nat i on does not
wor k. Hi t l er f ai l ed at i t . To our ever -
l ast i ng di scr edi t , we t r i ed somet hi ng of
t he sor t wi t h t he Vi et namese. We l ost .
3
SKOKI E, I LLI NOI S: FREEDOM ABUSED OR FREEDOM PRESERVED?
by W. Ant hony Gengar el l y
On a bal my Oct ober day i n 1963 I st ood on
a cor ner i n Gr eenvi l l e, Mi ssi ssi ppi ,
di st r i but i ng f l i er s whi ch announced a
vot er r egi st r at i on r al l y f or bl ack
ci t i zens t o be hel d t hat eveni ng. The
st r eet was f ul l wi t h a homecomi ng par ade
whi ch f eat ur ed segr egat ed bands and
f l oat s, bl at ant r emi nder s of a cent ur i es-
ol d cast e soci et y. Cl ear l y I di d not f i t
t he pr evai l i ng mood. Bl ack peopl e t ook
my l eaf l et s gr udgi ngl y, qui ckl y f ol ded
and put t hem out of si ght , t hen cont i nued
wat chi ng t he par ade. Wi t h some degr ee of
di f f i cul t y I t r i ed t o i gnor e t he angr y
whi t e f aces ar ound me. I can not r ecal l ,
much t o my good f or t une, havi ng ever been,
bef or e or si nce t hat t i me, so uneasy
and f ear f ul . The host i l e l ooks came f r om
peopl e condi t i oned by f ear and hat r ed of
anyt hi ng or anyone t hat dar ed chal l enge
t he i nt ol er ant pr emi ses of a segr egat ed
syst em of r aci al i nequal i t y. I was
per cei ved as a di sr upt er , a di st ur ber of
t he peace, and a t hr eat t o t he good or der
of t hat qui et sout her n t own.
Many who opposed t he wor k of ci vi l r i ght s
or gani zat i ons dur i ng t he ear l y Si xt i es
cal l ed t hem " communi st i c" and cl ai med
t hey wer e i nci t i ng r aci al hat r ed and
soci al conf l i ct . Vi ewi ng our vot er -
r egi st r at i on t eam f r om t hi s per spect i ve,
t he ci t i zens of Gr eenvi l l e wer e under -
st andabl y di st ur bed by our pr esence and
woul d l i ke t o have si l enced us. But t hey
wer e l aw- abi di ng f ol k i n t hi s par t of t he
st at e and t hey l et us be. What ever
qual ms I have subsequent l y had about
t hr ust i ng my val ues on peopl e who wer e
har dl y r ecept i ve t o t hem have been par t l y
assuaged by t he bel i ef t hat di st ur bi ng a
communi t y' s equi l i br i um i s somet i mes
unavoi dabl e i n or der t o r i ght l y chal l enge
a pr evai l i ng, unj ust consensus. ( I mi ght
add t hat a good many ot her peopl e dur i ng
t hi s t i me made t he case f or r aci al
equal i t y bet t er t han I ; nonet hel ess, i t
was necessar y f or a combi nat i on of
ar gument s t o be made. )
The mi nor i t y' s f r eedom t o pr ot est under
ci r cumst ances wher e t he maj or i t y i s
openl y host i l e i s t her ef or e cr uci al f or
our democr acy and i s guar ant eed by t he
speech- pr ot ect i ve i nt er pr et at i ons of t he
Fi r st Amendment . Wi t hout t he suppor t of
t he l aw of t he l and, I do not t hi nk I
woul d have escaped as I di dunhar med
on t hat mi l d Oct ober af t er noon, nor woul d
t he subsequent t r i umph of t he bl ack ci vi l
r i ght s movement i n 1964- 1965 have been
possi bl e.
I r oni cal l y, t he ear l y ef f or t s t o advocat e
bl ack r i ght s i n t he mi dst of " enemy
t er r i t or y" wer e guar ded by t he same
const i t ut i onal l i ber t i es now bei ng evoked
i n def ense of a band of Nazi r aci st s who
ar e i n many ways si mi l ar t o t he r edneck
bi got s encount er ed year s ago i n
Mi ssi ssi ppi . Wi t h r egar d t o t he
i mpendi ng Nazi mar ch t hr ough Skoki e,
I l l i noi spl anned as a cel ebr at i on of
Hi t l er ' s bi r t hday, Apr i l 20t he cour t s
so f ar have come down most emphat i cal l y
on t he si de of mi nor i t y r i ght s. A
A r ecent deci si on by U. S. Di st r i ct J udge
Ber nar d M. Decker uphol di ng t he r i ght of
a f ew dozen Nazi s t o demonst r at e i n, and
t hus t o ant agoni ze, a pr edomi nant l y
J ewi sh nei ghbor hood r ef l ect ed bot h si des
of t he quest i on. J udge Decker r egi st er ed
hi s di st ast e of t he Nazi s: " I n r esol vi ng
t hi s case i n f avor of t he pl ai nt i f f s
( t he Nazi Par t y) , t he cour t i s acut el y
awar e of t he ver y gr ave danger s posed by
publ i c di ssemi nat i on of doct r i nes of
r aci al and r el i gi ous hat r ed. " But hi s
concl usi on r ecor ded a l i ber t ar i an
j udgement : " Fr eedom of t hought car r i es
wi t h i t t he f r eedom t o speak f r eel y and
t o publ i cl y assembl e t o expr ess one' s
t hought . "
The i ssue her e i s cer t ai nl y not si mpl e.
Legal l y speaki ng, i t i s a quest i on of
wei ghi ng pot ent i al har m t o t he publ i c
st abi l i t y f r om " opi ni ons . . . we l oat he
and bel i eve f r aught wi t h deat h" over
agai nst t he danger of subver t i ng vi t al
4
const i t ut i onal f r eedoms. Ever si nce t he
passage of t he Espi onage Act i n 1917 i n
t he heat of Wor l d War I , t hi s i ssue of
or der ver sus f r eedom has been ar gued back
and f or t h i n l egal and academi c ci r cl es.
Near l y al l j udges and schol ar s have t r i ed
t o est abl i sh a f ai r del i mi t at i on of t he
di scr et e ar eas pr oper l y bel ongi ng t o
communi t y wel f ar e and i ndi vi dual
expr essi on. The pr obl em al ways i s:
wher e t o dr aw t he l i ne? We do have some
exampl es f r om t he past , but t he most
def i ni t i ve deci si on t o dat e has been t he
1969 Supr eme Cour t decl ar at i on i n
Br andenbur g v. Ohi o. As Pr of essor Ger al d
Gunt her of t he St anf or d Uni ver si t y Law
School has poi nt ed out , t he Br andenbur g
deci si on uphel d and, i n f act , est abl i shed
t wo mut ual l y suppor t i ve speech- pr ot ect i ve
doct r i nes: a) speech whi ch does not
di r ect l y advocat e i l l egal act i on i s
per mi ssi bl e; b) t o be pr oscr i bed by l aw,
speech i nci t i ng i l l egal act i on al so has
t o be put f or war d i n such a manner and
under such ci r cumst ances t hat i t wi l l
obvi ousl y and i mmedi at el y cause an unl aw-
f ul di st ur bance of t he peace and good
or der . I n t he wor ds of t he Supr eme Cour t :
The Const i t ut i onal guar ant ees of f r ee
speech and f r ee pr ess do not per mi t a
St at e t o f or bi d or pr oscr i be advocacy
of t he use of f or ce or l aw vi ol at i on
except wher e such advocacy i s di r ect ed
t o i nci t i ng or pr oduci ng i mmi nent
l awl ess act i on and i s l i kel y t o i nci t e
or pr oduce such act i on.
Thi s i s t he l aw upon whi ch J udge Decker ' s
deci si on i n t he Skoki e case was most
l i kel y based. The j udge has evi dent l y
concl uded t hat t he over t l acer at i on of
J ewi sh peopl e' s psychol ogi cal wounds by a
gr oup of per ver t ed f anat i cs i s not an
i nci t ement t o l aw br eaki ng, even under
pot ent i al l y vol at i l e ci r cumst ances. Thus,
he has set asi de l ocal or di nances f or bi d-
di ng t he mar ch because t hey wer e adj udged
t o be vi ol at i ons of t he Fi r st Amendment .
Accor di ng t o t he deci si on, t he Nazi demon-
st r at i on does not br eak t he l aw, but any
at t empt t o pr event or di sr upt such
act i vi t y, however r epr ehensi bl e, does.
When t he dat e f or t he mar ch ar r i ves, one
can onl y hope t hat J udge Decker ' s di scer n-
ment of t he si t uat i on' s pot ent i al i t i es has
been accur at e and hi s j udgment cor r espond-
i ngl y val i d i n t er ms of Fi r st Amendment
guar ant ees measur ed agai nst t he Skoki e
communi t y' s wel f ar e.
Despi t e our obvi ous mi sgi vi ng about t he
def ense of advocacy whi ch embr aces
pol i t i cal obsceni t i es, wi t hout br oad
const i t ut i onal speech pr ot ect i on t he
advancement of good and j ust causes i n
t he f ace of a host i l e maj or i t y i s al so
i mper i l ed. We cannot , i t seems, have i t
bot h ways. Of t en, we must r i sk one t hi ng
t o save somet hi ng el se. Thus, t he l egal
det er mi nat i ons may be cor r ect i n t he
Skoki e case when t hey t el l us not t o
compr omi se const i t ut i onal l i ber t i es, even
t o j ust i f i abl y accommodat e an out r aged
communi t y. Cer t ai nl y, t he ci vi l r i ght s
act i vi t y f i f t een year s ago woul d have
been abr upt l y cut shor t i f l ocal cont r ol
had been al l owed t o det er mi ne who coul d
or coul d not speak f r eel y. Yet , t he
obvi ous i mmor al i t y of t he i mpendi ng Nazi
demonst r at i on hur t s and out r ages us. I t
must be t he bet t er par t of absur di t y t hat
a cel ebr at i on of t he Hol ocaust wi l l most
l i kel y pr oceed under pr ot ect i on of t he
l aw, whi l e a har ml ess pr ocessi on of nude
f i gur es down t he same st r eet s mi ght ver y
wel l be di sal l owed on t he gr ounds of
i ndecent exposur e. Nonet hel ess, what has
t o be di scer ned i n ever y case i nvol vi ng
f r ee speech i s t he r eal t hr eat t o our
democr at i c val ues and r epubl i can syst em.
I s i t t he demonst r at i on of a f ew dozen
r ecogni zed l unat i cs assembl ed f or a
bi zar r e t r i but e t o t he Hi t l er i an devi l ?
Or i s i t t he under st andabl e and wel l
i nt ent i oned desi r e t o out f l ank t he
Const i t ut i on as a speech- pr ot ect i ve
document i n or der t o si l ence t hem? For
t hose i mpal ed on t he hor ns of t hi s
di l emma, t he concl udi ng wor ds i n J udge
Decker ' s deci si on may pr ovi de some smal l
consol at i on: " The abi l i t y of t he Amer i can
soci et y t o t ol er at e t he advocacy even of
t he hat ef ul doct r i ne espoused by t he
pl ai nt i f f s wi t hout abandoni ng i t s
commi t ment t o f r ee speech and assembl y i s
per haps t he best pr ot ect i on we have
agai nst t he est abl i shment of any Nazi -
t ype r egi me i n t he count r y. " Advocat es
of pol i t i cal t er r or i n Amer i can soci et y,
i f gi ven enough r ope, have a pr et t y good
r ecor d of hangi ng t hemsel ves.
5
NOT I N SKOKI E, NOT I N AMERI CANEVER AGAI N!
by El l en Schi f f
" Dur i ng t he Second Wor l d War , Sol
Gol dst ei n l i ved i n Li t huani a, wher e Nazi s
t hr ew hi s mot her down a wel l wi t h 50
ot her women and bur i ed t hem al i ve i n
gr avel . Today he l i ves i n Skoki e,
I l l i noi s, wher e on Apr i l 20 Nazi s wear i ng
br own shi r t s and swast i kas wi l l
demonst r at e t o cel ebr at e Hi t l er ' s
bi r t hday. " So Geor ge F. Wi l l began a
r ecent ar t i cl e ent i t l ed " Nazi s and t he
Fi r st Amendment . "
Si nce si xt y per cent of Skoki e' s 70, 000
r esi dent s ar e J ews, and 7, 000 of t hese
ar e deat h camp sur vi vor s, t hi s l at est
mani f est at i on of a Nat i onal i st Soci al i st
gr oup i s, char act er i st i cal l y, nei t her
devi ous nor ambi guous. I t woul d be
r eassur i ng t o f i nd evi dence of t he same
ki nd of cl ear t hi nki ng and st eadf ast ness
t o pr of essed goal s on t he par t of t hose
ul t r al i ber al s who ar e wagi ng a successf ul
campai gn i n behal f of t he Nazi s'
const i t ut i onal r i ght t o publ i c di spl ays
l i ke t he one pl anned f or Skoki e.
The pr er ogat i ve of any gr oup t o
di ssemi nat e i t s doct r i ne i s, of cour se,
guar ant eed by t he Fi r st Amendment . The
sense of t hat amendment i s t o ensur e a
soci et y whi ch dr aws i t s st r engt h f r om t he
f r ee exchange of conf l i ct i ng i deas. A
cor ol l ar y of t he posi t i on t hat al l i deas
ar e wel come cont ender s i n a democr at i c
f or um i s t he af f i r mat i on t hat any of
t hese i deas has t he r i ght t o pr evai l .
Ar e t he suppor t er s of t he Nazi s' f r anchi se
t o f r ee speech pr epar ed t o accept t he
possi bi l i t y of Nazi pr edomi nance?
Those who def end t he Nat i onal Soci al i st s'
t i t l e t o have t hei r say because t hey f eel
secur e t hat t he Nazi posi t i on i s t oo
ext r eme t o gai n enough adher ent s t o pose
any t hr eat t o t hi s count r y cannot have
been payi ng at t ent i on t o hi st or y.
" Hi t l er , " Lucy Dawi dowi cz r emi nds us,
" came t o power l egal l y, expl oi t i ng t he
l et t er of t he l aw t o subver t t he l aw.
Sensi bl e peopl e wer e sur e t hat Hi t l er
coul d not l ast l ong, t hat decency,
r at i onal i t y, and pol i t i cal or der woul d
mus t r eas s er t t hemsel ves. " For what
r eason shoul d we f i nd t he Uni t ed St at es
di f f er ent , or i mper vi ous?
The Fi r st Amendment has wor ked so wel l
f or so l ong i n saf eguar di ng t he gener al
wel f ar e t hat i t mi ght seem r easonabl e t o
expect i t t o be r el i abl e i n exposi ng t he
Nazi s f or what t hey ar e. Such a
hypot hesi s i s based on t he assumpt i on
t hat t he Nazi s ar e no di f f er ent f r om any
ot her zeal ous f act i on bent on advanci ng
i t s cause. Not hi ng coul d be f ur t her f r om
t he t r ut h.
Suppor t er s of unr est r i ct ed f r ee speech
r i ght l y poi nt out t hat t he r i val r y of
i deas guar ant eed by t he Fi r st Amendment
i s cer t ai n t o di st ur b, ant agoni ze and
of f end peopl e. Br ui sed i nt el l ect s and
def eat ed i deal s not wi t hst andi ng, t he
wi nner i s supposed t o be t he gener al
wel f ar e. The ci vi l r i ght s movement
pr ovi des a r eady exampl e. Her e a mi nor i t y
of ci t i zens exer ci sed t hei r Fi r st
Amendment t i t l e t o chal l enge a syst em
whi ch deni ed t he const i t ut i onal r i ght s of
ot her ci t i zens t o var i ous l i ber t i es,
per sonal f r eedoms and i ndi vi dual di gni t y.
I t i s next t o i mpossi bl e t o dr aw a
par al l el bet ween t he goal s of t he ci vi l
r i ght s cr usader s and t hose of t he
Amer i can Nazi Par t y. The Nazi s do not
pr of ess t he sl i ght est i nt er est i n t he
mor al appl i cat i on of t he l aw of t he l and
whi ch, i r oni cal l y, i s cur r ent l y bei ng
i nvoked t o pr ot ect t hem. They woul d
dest r oy t hat l aw. Nor ar e t hey, at l east
at t he moment , concer ned wi t h r ef or mi ng
publ i c opi ni on. Wer e t hat t hei r goal ,
t hey woul d st age t hei r demonst r at i on i n
Washi ngt on or Ber kel ey or i n Har var d
Squar e.
The Skoki e demonst r at i on i s naked
t er r or i sm. I t f l aunt s t he r i ght of t he
best i al t o t or ment vi ct i ms. I t f eeds t he
appet i t es of onl ooker s who r evel i n
6
bi got r y t hey dar e not pr ocl ai m qui t e so
bl at ant l y. How does t he gr ant i ng of
const i t ut i onal pr ot ect i on f or har asser s
t o pl ague hapl ess ci t i zens conf or m t o t he
" r i ght of t he peopl e peaceabl y t o
assembl e" expl i ci t i n t he Fi r st Amendment ,
or t o t he mor al i t y and gener al wel f ar e
i mpl i ci t i n i t ?
I n t he conf l i ct now swi r l i ng about t he
Skoki e i ssue, t he di f f er ence bet ween t he
Nazi s and ot her ext r emi st s who br eed
hat r ed and f oment per secut i on has been al l
t oo easi l y gl ossed over . For exampl e,
when Pr esi dent Car t er was asked at hi s
J anuar y 30 pr ess conf er ence i f he pl anned
t o i nt er f er e at Skoki e, he r epl i ed
l aconi cal l y, " Ther e' s no need t o. We
have t hi s same sor t of si t uat i on wi t h t he
Ku Kl ux Kl an. " Such an equat i on i s
ast oni shi ngl y nai ve. Nazi sm has r i chl y
ear ned t he r i ght t o be r egar ded as uni que.
The Hol ocaust i s an i ncommensur abl e
exampl e of r adi cal evi l . To compar e Nazi s
t o ot her f anat i cs i s t o under est i mat e t he
f or mer i n a most danger ous manner .
The t hr eat posed by t he Nazi s at Skoki e
f ar exceeds a ni ght mar e f or Amer i can and
wor l d J ewr y. Per haps t he most
consequent i al aspect of Skoki e i s t he
chal l enge i t hur l s at publ i c awar eness.
Can we have f or got t en t hat t he Nazi
l eader s br ought t o t r i al at Nur ember g
wer e char ged, not wi t h ant i - Semi t i c
per secut i on, but wi t h t r ansgr essi ons of
i nt er nat i onal l aw and wi t h cr i mes agai nst
humani t y? Less t han hal f of t he mor e
t han 12 mi l l i on ext er mi nat ed by t he Nazi s
wer e J ews. The ot her s wer e Cat hol i cs,
Pr ot est ant s, l i ber al s, communi st s,
gyps i es peopl e of any st r i pe who wer e
consi der ed di spensabl e.
The Amer i can Ci vi l Li ber t i es Uni on,
wi t hout whose suppor t t he Skoki e
demonst r at i on coul d not mat er i al i ze, and
l i ber al s who shar e t he Uni on' s vi ews
mi ght do wel l t o bor r ow a Nazi pr ocedur e
and t o t hi nk t hei r posi t i on t hr ough t o
i t s l ogi cal concl usi on. Those who woul d
encour age, or even t ol er at e, pr opagat i on
of Nazi i deol ogy i n t he Uni t ed St at es had
best be pr epar ed t o t ake t hei r chances i n
a count r y whi ch cel ebr at es Hi t l er ' s
bi r t hday i nst ead of t he Four t h of J ul y.
NORTHERN I RELAND: A PERSPECTI VE
by Thomas A. Mul keen
Thi ngs t hought out t oo l ong can
be no l onger t hought , f or beaut y
di es of beaut y, wor t h of wor t h,
and anci ent l i neament s ar e
bl ot t ed out , i r r at i onal st r eams
of bl ood ar e st ai ni ng Ear t h.
W. B. Yeat s
I somet i mes l ook at my l i t t l e gr and-
daught er Ber nar di ne and I t hi nk, wel l
I somet i mes t hi nk, i f she' l l ever
under st and? My son- i n- l aw Ber nar d
Wat t was ki l l ed on But l er St r eet on
Febr uar y 5, ki l l ed by Br i t i sh
sol di er s. Ber nar di ne' s t he daught er
he has never seen. And my son
J oe, J r . , oh Lor d, ki l l ed by sol di er s
t oo. . . .
J oe Par ker r ecent l y r el eased
f r om an i nt er nment camp i n
Nor t her n I r el and
Br i t i sh l eader s hi st or i cal l y have seen
I r el and as a count r y whi ch mi ght t hr eat en
Engl and' s saf et y wer e i t al l owed t he
f r eedom t o f al l i nt o unf r i endl y hands.
To secur e t he i sl and, t he Br i t i sh r oot ed
an al i en Pr ot est ant soci et y i n Ul st er and
f or ced t he nat i ve Cel t i c popul at i on t o
set t l e i n t he spar se and bar r en l ands of
west er n I r el and. Dur i ng t he seven hundr ed
year s of Br i t i sh r ul e most of I r el and' s
t r adi t i onal Cel t i c l i f e was cr ushed, and
whol e gener at i ons of Cat hol i cs f ought f or
sur vi val agai nst t he har shness of t he
l and and t he oppr essi on of t he Engl i sh.
The pl ant at i on of Ul st er segr egat ed a
pr edomi nant l y Pr ot est ant i ndust r i al
nor t heast f r om an over whel mi ngl y r ur al
Cat hol i c sout h. ( The wor ds " Pr ot est ant "
and " Cat hol i c" ar e used t hr oughout t hi s
essay i n t he sense i n whi ch t hey ar e used
and under st ood i n Nor t her n I r el and,
r oughl y t o char act er i ze t he maj or i t y and
mi nor i t y communi t i es t her e. ) As a r esul t ,
t he t wo par t s of I r el and evol ved i n
7
di f f er ent cul t ur al and r el i gi ous
di r ect i ons. Gl adst one' s al l i ance wi t h
Par nel l and hi s i nt r oduct i on of home r ul e
l egi sl at i on i n 1886 and 1893 was bi t t er l y
opposed i n nor t her n I r el and. The vast
maj or i t y of Pr ot est ant s i n t he nor t h
bel i eved t hat sel f - gover nment i n a uni t ed
I r el and, i n whi ch t hey woul d al ways be a
mi nor i t y, woul d menace t hei r r el i gi on,
way of l i f e, and economi c i nt er est s.
When t he t hi r d home r ul e bi l l was
i nt r oduced i n 1912 i t s opponent s i n Ul st er
wer e or gani zed f or r esi st ance. A
vol unt eer f or ce was r ai sed f or pol i t i cal
and mi l i t ar y ser vi ce,
a pr ovi si onal gover nment was f or med, and
a consi gnment of ar ms was br ought over
f r om Ger many. Onl y t he out br eak of Wor l d
War I pr event ed ci vi l war i n I r el and.
Four t i mes i n t he l ast cent ur y of r ul e
f r om London, I r el and has been t he scene of
r ebel l i ons by nat i onal i st s seeki ng t o
l i ber at e t he i sl and f r om Br i t i sh
domi nat i on. Mi l i t ant I r i sh nat i onal i st s
r ej ect ed home r ul e and t he l eader shi p of
t he I r i sh par l i ament ar y par t y. Dur i ng
Wor l d War I t hey changed t he pol i t i cal
si t uat i on i n I r el and. I n t he 1916 Ri si ng
and t he year s of st r i f e t hat f ol l owed
moder n I r el and was bor n. The Angl o- I r i sh
t r eat y of 1921 par t i t i oned t he count r y.
The t went y- si x sout her n count i es wer e
gr ant ed t hei r i ndependence, whi l e Nor t her n
I r el and was f or med t o save t he st r at egi c
Br i t i sh posi t i on i n I r el and. Under
par t i t i on Pr ot est ant s wer e gi ven t he
l ar gest ar ea t hey coul d cont r ol , t he si x
nor t heast count i es. Today, af t er t en
year s of r enewed vi ol ence, i t i s evi dent
t hat par t i t i on shel ved but di d not sol ve
Br i t ai n' s " I r i sh Pr obl em. " The end of
par t i t i on became t he excl usi ve ai m of
I r i sh f or ei gn pol i cy, whi l e a whol e
gener at i on of I r i sh ci t i zens gr ew up ami d
t he " myt hs" of t he East er Ri si ng. Ther e
was al ways t he const ant r emi nder t hat t he
obj ect f or whi ch t he men of 1916
sacr i f i ced t hei r l i ves, a f r ee and uni t ed
I r el and, had st i l l not been achi eved.
The set t l ement of 1921 dr ew t he bor der i n
such a way as t o i ncl ude wi t hi n Nor t her n
I r el and a subst ant i al Cat hol i c mi nor i t y
whose member s became, and r emai ned, an
oppr essed peopl e under an unsympat het i c
gover nment . For f i f t y year s t he
Pr ot est ant Uni oni st Par t y hel d absol ut e
power . Unt i l t he end i t s r ecor d was
mar ked by ext r eme pr ej udi ce agai nst Roman
Cat hol i cs. Ther e was di scr i mi nat i on i n
j obs and housi ng. Cat hol i cs wer e
i nt er ned wi t hout t r i al and abused by t he
Pr ot est ant - cont r ol l ed pol i ce. The bel i ef
of Pr ot est ant s t hat t he Cat hol i c mi nor i t y
was a t hr eat t o t he whol e set t l ement of
1921 gave t hem a cohesi veness t hat enabl ed
t hei r l eader s t o r et ai n power t hr ough a
syst em of pol i t i cal and economi c
i nj ust i ce. The Br i t i sh gover nment ,
mi ndf ul of i t s st r at egi c i nt er est , l ef t
Nor t her n I r el and t o i t s own devi ces.
Af t er al most f i f t y year s, t hi s unsuper -
vi sed ascendancy was chal l enged by t he
Cat hol i c ci vi l r i ght s movement and t he
r esur gence of t he I . R. A. Lat e i n t he
1960s t he ci vi l r i ght s movement at t empt ed
t o wi n equal r i ght s f or Cat hol i cs t hr ough
peacef ul demonst r at i on. The Pr ot est ant
r esponse was br ut al and vi ol ent . Mar ches
wer e i nt er r upt ed and Cat hol i cs wer e beat en
whi l e t he pol i ce st ood by. Obl i ged t o
pay at t ent i on agai n, t he Br i t i sh t r i ed t o
i nt r oduce gr adual r ef or ms t hr ough t hei r
Pr ot est ant agent , t he Nor t her n gover nment .
They f ai l ed. The r esul t was sect ar i an
r i ot i ng. I n August 1969 Br i t i sh t r oops
i nt er vened i n Bel f ast and Der r y t o
separ at e t he t wo communi t i es. A f ur t her
ser i es of r ef or ms i mposed f r om Engl and
agai n f ai l ed t o gi ve Cat hol i cs a r eal
shar e i n power or st at us. As t he pr omi sed
r ef or ms f el l shor t and t he vi ol ence
mount ed, t he Br i t i sh Ar my became t he
guar di an of t he exi st i ng Pr ot est ant
pol i t i cal st r uct ur e. The l ong- dor mant
I r i sh Republ i can Ar my saw i t s chance and
r eappear ed. A br ut al ur ban guer r i l l a war
bet ween t he I . R. A. and t he Br i t i sh Ar my
was t he r esul t . I nnocent men, women, and
chi l dr en wer e ki l l ed, t he vi ct i ms of
st r ay bul l et s and vi ci ous bombs. The
i nt er nment of Cat hol i cs wi t hout t r i al and
t he t or t ur e of I . R. A. suspect s ser ved t o
i ncr ease t he vi ol ence and al i enat e t he
whol e mi nor i t y communi t y.
On a Sunday af t er noon i n J anuar y 1972
t hi r t een ci vi l i ans wer e shot t o deat h by
Br i t i sh t r oops dur i ng a ci vi l r i ght s
mar ch. " Bl oody Sunday" conf r ont ed Br i t i sh
8
mi ni st er s wi t h t he r eal i mpl i cat i ons of
t hei r pol i cy i n Nor t her n I r el and. Young
sol di er s t r ai ned t o be br ut al cannot
al ways act wi t h r est r ai nt . I t f i nal l y
became obvi ous t o t he Br i t i sh t hat a f r esh
begi nni ng had t o be made. That Mar ch,
Pr i me Mi ni st er Edwar d Heat h r ose i n t he
House of Commons t o announce t hat he had
suspended l ocal gover nment i n Nor t her n
I r el and. He ef f ect i vel y decl ar ed
unsuper vi sed Br i t i sh r ul e i n Ul st er a
f ai l ur e and announced t hat hencef or t h
Br i t ai n woul d exer ci se compl et e pol i t i cal
cont r ol over t he pr ovi nce. Heat h al so
pr ocl ai med t hat Cat hol i cs wer e t o have an
act i ve, per manent , and guar ant eed r ol e i n
t he l i f e and publ i c af f ai r s of Nor t her n
I r el and.
Gi ven t he hi st or y of Nor t her n I r el and,
London' s assumpt i on of di r ect r ul e over
t he scar r ed and bl oody pr ovi nce mer el y
pr omi sed t hat mor e Br i t i sh l i ves and money
woul d be spent t her e wi t h l i t t l e assur ance
of peace. Ever y at t empt t o f i nd a power -
shar i ng f or mul a has been pr eceded by a
campai gn of assassi nat i on, bl oodshed, and
vi ol ence t hat has f or ced t he peopl e of
bot h communi t i es t o l i ve i n an
i nt ensi f yi ng cycl e of mut ual f ear and
t er r or . Ext r emi st s f r om bot h communi t i es
have demonst r at ed an i mmense power t o
dest r oy pol i t i cal sol ut i ons and t o i nhi bi t
cooper at i on bet ween moder at e Cat hol i c and
Pr ot est ant l eader s. Mi l i t ant Pr ot est ant s,
pr ompt ed by t he f ear t hat power - shar i ng
was t he f i r st st ep t owar d event ual uni on
wi t h t he Republ i c, have been openl y
host i l e t o Br i t i sh pol i cy. Li ke t he
I . R. A. t hey ar e ar med and openl y engaged
i n a campai gn of vi ol ence and t er r or . I n
t he spr i ng of 1974 t hey or gani zed a
gener al st r i ke whi ch cr i ppl ed t he economy
of Nor t her n I r el and. The I . R. A. i n t ur n
has decl ar ed war on t he Br i t i sh i ni t i at i ve
and l aunched a bl oody campai gn of vi ol ence
and t er r or . Si x year s af t er t he Br i t i sh
announced t hei r new i ni t i at i veand
not wi t hst andi ng t he awar d of t he Nobel
Peace Pr i ze t o t wo I r i sh women i n 1977
peace seems as f ar of f as ever .
Per haps t her e i s no hope of a sol ut i on.
So many sad and t r agi c event s i n t he
cour se of f our cent ur i es have dr i ven
di scor d so deep i nt o t he body pol i t i c t hat
accommodat i on may pr ove i mpossi bl e. For
i n Nor t her n I r el and t her e seems t o be no
f ut ur e" onl y t he past happeni ng over and
over agai n. "
Thi s i s t he f i r st of t wo ar t i cl es.
The concl udi ng i nst al l ment wi l l r evi ew
t he evol ut i on of t he at t i t ude of t he
gover nment of t he Republ i c of I r el and
t owar d Nor t her n I r el and.
CONVERSATI ON AT THE FUNERAL
OF MARTI N LUTHER KI NG
Ten year s ago a bl ack Texan and a whi t e
nor t her ner st ood among t he pensi ve
t housands who wai t ed f or Mar t i n Lut her
Ki ng' s body t o be br ought f r om t he
Ebenezer Bapt i st Chur ch. They spoke.
Bl ack: Mi nd i f I ask you why you came t o
t hi s?
Whi t e: Wel l , because I t hi nk t hat Mar t i n
Lut her Ki ng was t he gr eat est man i n t he
count r yat l east , I can' t t hi nk of a
bet t er oneand I had t o come her e t o do
t he gr i ef . Why' d you come?
Bl ack: Same r eason.
Whi t e: Who' s goi ng t o t ake hi s pl ace?
Bl ack: Nobody. Ther e j ust i sn' t anybody.
I t ' l l t ake year s t o gr ow anot her one.
CAM
Cont r i but or s
W. Ant hony Gengar el l y, Assi st ant Pr of essor
of Hi st or y, i s wr i t i ng a book on t he
post - Wor l d War I Red Scar e.
El l en Schi f f , Pr of essor of Fr ench and
Compar at i ve Li t er at ur e, has par t i cul ar
i nt er est s i n cont empor ar y dr ama and et hni c
l i t er at ur e.
Char l es A. Mcl saac i s Di r ect or of Li br ar y
Ser vi ces.
Thomas A. Mul keen, Pr of essor of Educat i on,
di d hi s doct or al wor k i n I r i sh hi st or y.