The billboards we usually drive by and ignore — except to see what the Washington state lotteries’ winnings are up to — are the latest focus of the free-speech controversy in King County.
It started last December, when the Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign (SeaMAC) bought ad space on the side of King County Metro buses alleging Israeli war crimes. After King County Metro received 600 e-mails protesting the ad over one weekend, the county nixed the ads before they were put up because it was feared that “dangerous language can create dangerous environments in a society,” according to a letter Metropolitan King County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer sent to County Executive Dow Constantine before the decision came down.
Apparently, threats were made against Metro for accepting the ads, causing concern that the buses could become targets of terrorism.
This set off a firestorm, as two counter-ads were also requested on Metro buses and the controversy made its way onto a website associated with the Palestinian Hamas movement, Constantine told The Seattle Times. The American Civil Liberties Union of Washington argued that the county violated SeaMAC’s free-speech rights, but a U.S. District Court judge denied an injunction against the county.
Now, Clear Channel Outdoor has cancelled SeaMAC’s billboard ads along Aurora Avenue North, Elliott Avenue West and Lake City Way because it received complaints about the considerably milder message: “Equal rights for Palestinians — Stop funding the Israeli military.”
Ironically, one that read, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste,” soon replaced the ad.
Limiting speech that had the potential to jeopardize bus riders is one thing — and the county was certainly within its rights to turn down the ads — but cancelling the much milder billboard message is more problematic. The billboard message carried a political message, pure and simple. Canceling the billboard contract was an overreaction.
Corporate timidity, in a case like this, does nothing to bolster democracy, which, as we all know, can be messy.
Recent elections are a reminder of the dissent that can break out over any given candidate or issue. And with the elections coming up and the political climate as repugnant as it’s been in years, the advertising message can only get uglier.
But the free-speech argument may all be moot, because — according to some current billboards up on Aurora Avenue North that were paid for by Family Radio and wecanknow.org — Christ is returning on May 21, for the Rapture.
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