don's report archive

by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.

Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

WARSAW, Poland, 1/25/05 -- A court ruled that Jerzy Urban, founder and publisher of a satirical weekly magazine, insulted the pope when he wrote a story that made fun of the pontiff's frailty. In Poland, insulting the pope is illegal (see below). Mr. Urban was convicted and fined $6,500.

I believe that if a bill that made insulting the pope illegal were introduced in Congress today, it would be enacted by the Republican majorities and signed by the president. I also believe that it would soon be ruled unconstitutional by the courts.
 
In semi-theocratic Poland, the people do not enjoy the kind of free speech safeguards we associate with non-dictatorships. Americans ought to be ever thankful for and protective of the First Amendment. It protects us from the faithful and others not as committed to freedom of speech as they are to their "family values." The First Amendment gives us the precious right, if we choose to assert it, to criticize the pope or any public official or other big shot. In my opinion, the following words should be put to music and played at sporting venues and other occasions in lieu of the warlike and hard-to-sing Star Spangled Banner:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. 

I have no idea what kind of melody would fit as accompaniment to these words, but Paul Simon or somebody could probably come up with something.
 
In Poland, the judge who fined Mr. Urban ruled that he "went beyond the limits of admissible criticism," creating "a scandal for ridiculing the church." Wow. How many of us, in this ascendant era of the Religious Right, not to mention era of lunatic, anti-democratic Islamic fundamentalism, would face fines under such a law? Given such a legal system, I'm afraid I might be guilty now and then of "going beyond admissible limits of criticism." How could I write about Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell or our Pastor-In-Chief and NOT get fined? Guess I won't be moving to Poland anytime soon.  
 
The law cited in the Polish case bans "publicly insulting foreign heads of state." The pope heads the Vatican, recognized in the former Communist country of Poland (and elsewhere, including the US) as an independent state. This in itself is a ludicrous situation, in my opinion. Why does the Vatican alone (and thus the pope) enjoy the perks and status of nationhood? Why not give the top Islamic cleric similar (fair and balanced) recognition as head of state? Why not the top holy father, pontiff or grand wizard of the Protestants--and let's not discriminate against the head Hindu, Buddhist, Wiccan, Zoroastrian and so on.

OK, maybe they don't have a mini army with bad costumes, a big plaza and opulent buildings and a single leader with a pointy hat and all the trappings of Vaticanhood, but how relevant is all that? Let's be an equal opportunity country in the way we treat all these heads of religious "states." With all these new independent religion-based heads of state, we may even have to expand the UN a bit, but that's not too great a price to pay for being "fair and balanced," like Foxx News. Just be careful what you say about these new heads of state--if you're in Poland. 
 
Getting back to Mr. Urban, he explained that his objective in being satirical was because he thought the church and the pope ought not to be above criticism. Well, tell that to Tadeusz Pieronek, a Polish Roman Catholic bishop. This official Vatican spokesman said the verdict "should be a warning to those who would like to act in a similar fashion!" To drive home the point, he added, "You can't behave in such a way." He meant--in Poland. I think.
 
Curiously, the law used to prosecute Mr. Urban puts Poland, a European Union member for almost a year, in violation of the EU's charter mandating press freedoms.
 
What might this Polish disgrace suggest to wellness seekers in America, where people can still lampoon the pope, the president, the poobah or any other public figure, even Donald Trump, without fear of fines or imprisonment? Any ideas about that?

I think it means, among other things, that freedom is a fragile treasure in every society, including our own. Those of us who seek to create high quality lives in a wellness environment should remember the freedoms Franklin D. Roosevelt said were worth fighting for. These freedoms--freedom of speech and expression, freedom of (and from) worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear, are worth protecting everyday, in little ways as applied to events and circumstances small in nature, as well as in monumental cases, such as threats from abroad that led President Roosevelt to express these words about four freedoms.

So, be grateful you can still call the pope, the president and/or any other head of state or poobah "a poophead," or whatever you like. Just don't do it if you're in Poland, or at Harvard or in other situations where a climate of political correctness might override the first of Roosevelt's cherished four freedoms, namely, freedom of speech and expression. 

Be well, and always look on the bright and free side of life.

(Note: This essay will be filed in the archives in the MENTAL DOMAIN under the skill area of mental health. Additional articles related to this theme may be found there.)

(Ed. Note: Views expressed in this and other columns are those of the author and not necessarily those of the SeekWellness Editorial Board.)

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