speech. Considering that it is a man's
life that is at stake, talk of freedom of'
speech to oppose the Ayotollah's order
of summary execution is perhaps
somewhat flippant. Liberal op ini on
which has rallied in support of Rushdie
should, I believe, do what it can to
meet the challenge where it aClLlall y is.
In other words, some effort seems
urgently called for to meet the Ay–
otollah on his own ground.
M.
C.
Gabriel
Meghalaya, India
William Phillips replies:
Clearly, though not everyone
may have recognized this, the death
sentence is an extI-eme form of' cen–
sorship.
To the Editor:
I must respond to William
Phillips's "Comment"
(PR
4, 19H9),
pertaining to the debatable art of'
Roben Mapplethorpe and Andres
Serrano.
M
r.
Phillips consistentl y refers
to
aJ7ag
ill
urine,
presumably exempli–
fying the work of Serrano. Sen-ano's
controversial piece was a photograph
of a plastic crucifix - comp lete with
figurine - in a vessel of urine. The flag
was not submersed in bodily fluids, but
rather was displayed prone as an
inviting door mat. Scott Tyler's piece,
What Is tllp Correct Way to Dis/)Iay
1111'
Ameri((Jll Flag
was the patriotic hair–
raiser shown at the School of the
An
Institute in Chicago.
Karen Zarker
Chicago, Illinois
William Phillips replies:
I noticed the mistake, but it was
too late to correct it, though I should
say that Andres Serrano's photograph
was not so memorable that one
cou ldn't forget it.
