pnArt

(Disclaimer:  I’m not in an artist’s co-op and I have no position on House 3686 – “AN ACT RELATIVE TO ELIGIBILITY FOR COOPERATIVE HOUSING CORPORATIONS” )

Recently Arts League of Lowell members received a missive from Artists Under The Dome (AUD) regarding a piece of state legislation deemed by them to be a threat to artists’ co-ops, exhorting Massachusetts artists to take a stand against this legislation. But the message didn’t explain what the threat was; instead it provided a link to the bill. I read the bill but couldn’t figure out the issue so I emailed AUD.

I told them they should have spelled it out for those of us not following this topic or who are not skilled at reading legislative language. I suggested that they should have had the message reviewed by someone familiar with communicating with the general public.

I received a response from the organization assuring me that it had been reviewed by their lawyer and political advisor. I pointed out that those people were, no doubt, familiar with the issue and with reading legislatese so they were not good choices for assessing whether the rest of us could “get it”.

In response the AUD contact said the most remarkable thing I’ve ever heard in a political discussion: “Again thank you for taking the time to email - if you gave me your phone number I would tell you WHY we sent out what we did due to legal reasons- which can not be put in writing.”

Now, silly me, I was under the impression that one reason why we have free speech in the US is so we can discuss political matters. And that opinions about the merits or lack thereof of legislation is not only protected speech, but encouraged. Yet here we have an organization allegedly representing Massachusetts artists in the rough and tumble world of Beacon Hill politics that doesn’t even have the courage of their convictions to put in writing why they object to a bill! They say they’re going to bat for us but apparently their attorney has advised them to take a base on balls because if they swing the bat they might hit something!

Imagine if historical figures felt that way -   “We don’t like the Stamp Act but on the advice of our attorneys we can’t say why” or “Slavery doesn’t agree with me but my lawyer says I shouldn’t get too specific about it”.

The Cowardly Lion reflected:

What makes a King out of a slave?

What makes the flag on the mast to wave?

What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist or the dusky dusk?

What makes the muskrat guard his musk?

. . . Good questions. Just don’t ask Artists Under The Dome.