[Cerek the Barbaric]

Originally posted by Grojlach: I'm sorry if you misunderstood my purpose with that prediction in my first post, but I was in no way trying to implicate that the mall was right with their decision, because I don't think they were. It was more a response to the cynic way Cerek seemed to be presenting the news (it looked like a slightly bitter reproach with those who criticised the mall to me) than it was a reply to the news itself. Sorry.

Did I seem bitter, Groj? If so, it's because I AM! Primarily because the bulk of the criticism I've seen from those defending Stephen Downs' right to wear his shirt were NOT directed at the mall - they were directed at the security guard. Robert Williams has been called everything from "overzealous" to "Rambo" by those who disagree with his actions...yet there is NO EVIDENCE AT ALL to support those accusations. And while many people have said they were sorry to hear about Robert Williams being fired...that apology has consistently been followed by something along the lines of "But the charges shouldn't have been brought against Stephen Downs in the first place" (which once again implies that Williams acted inappropriately).

I also can't help but wonder how staunchly Stephen Downs' First Amendment rights would have been defended if he had gotten a T-shirt made that said "NUKE IRAQ". I have a strong feeling that many of those currently supporting Stephen Downs would have been on the other side of the fence and would be saying "Yeah, he has a right to own that T-shirt...but the mall certainly had a right to ask him to remove it."

The thing that upsets me the most is that Robert Williams was fired for doing his job the way he had been told to do it. The mall used him as a scapegoat for their "knee jerk" policy...yet the only thing most people seemed concerned about is the "improper treatment" Stephen Downs received. That's laughable, because if ANYBODY came out of this incident "smelling like a rose" - it was Stephen Downs. All charges were dropped against him, so he never faced the risk of a trial or jail time. He was payed to appear on Inside Edition and he gained his "15 minutes of fame" for becoming a temporary martyr/hero for the First Amendment. Meanwhile, Robert Williams is out of a job in an area where job openings are few and far between and he may not be able to find another job as a security guard due to the "blackmark" that is now on his record.....all because Pyramid Corporation (the owners of the mall) didn't have the backbone to take the flak for THIER policy. The ironic thing is - if Robert Williams had NOT approached Stephen Downs and his son and asked them to remove their shirts - then the mall would actually have had legitimate grounds for dismissing him because they would have documented proof that he failed to enforce the mall's policy.

So Robert Williams was in a No Win situation either way - yet everybody still seems more concerned about the treatment Stephen Downs received.

I sincerely apologize to you Grojlach, because this rant is NOT directed at you personally. You ARE right, though...this whole stinking incident has made me VERY bitter and I feel very frustrated at the way Stephen Downs has been portrayed as the "innocent victim" in this case. My comments are not directed at you personally. Rather, it is a "venting" of my frustration about this whole case in general. I apologize again if my comments were taken the wrong way.