William A. Price died on Wednesday April 29, 2009. Trust me you do not know him - But you should, he went to jail for you, was hauled before Senate to "name names" and refused - for you, and basically gave up his otherwise comfy life fighting for you.
I ask you to read, research, consider the contribution this great man/contributor made to your life. Let us thank him, remember him, and at least recommend him up for a day. Otherwise we will risk suffering the fate of ignoring our past. 1984 warned us, if we get the past stolen from us we will believe whatever they tell us in the future. Learn the past, question the future, and thank Bill Price.
What Bill did for us is he pioneered, and inspired, exactly what you are all doing on DailyKos. And I’m not talking about using the silly Internet. I’m talking about protecting your right to talk/type/speak/vote in any manner you want. I’m talking about voicing/screaming/marching/typing your views without having to justify your beliefs to the law and doing all of this without getting arrested. In Bill Price's case he was hauled before McCarthy & Co., convicted, and jailed for protecting YOU!
Bill Price did not plead the Fifth Amendment when hauled before the Senate to "name names" or when asked about his associations with communists in the 1950's. He correctly opined that using the Fifth would have been admitting illegal conduct or tantamount to fearing political activities, because the government disagreed, could be construed as illegal. Thus, you plead the Fifth because you merely did not want to be forced to bear witness against yourself. This is exactly what most did when hauled before McCarthy & Co. - they either ratted out friends, family & Associates or refused to bear witness against themselves. Both of these choices were "wrong." One made you a tool of McCarthy and the other sent a message that what you did, or could be seen as doing, was "illegal." Imagine that, believing in a form of government ILLEGAL!
Bill Price's pioneering move was to say "I can believe in any form of government I want and you can go kiss my ass." Hence, he invoked his 1st Amendment Right. The right of free association. Bill refused to answer question because, as he put it, it would chill his ability to speak/believe/meet with/etc. certain political groups and his right, according to the First Amendment, said the opposite. In Sum Bill was saying I want to know I can do anything I want, politically, and not worry about if McCarthy cares.
Now this may not seem "big" to you but it is. It was the first time, during the darkest of constitutional eras, when someone said "my right to hold a political view, despite its name, is not criminal and it is none of your business." If he had invoked his Fifth Amendment Right he would have admitted he may have done something illegal when he chose a political ideology. Can you imagine that, it may have been illegal for someone to accept a form of government? Illegal to go listen to Communists? Bill Price thought asserting the Fifth was dumb and he took it to them.
Well, Bill Price was blacklisted, fired, and forced to abandon any notion of a professional life. While others, who named names, were given a future of wealth and fame for their supporting McCarthy, Bill Price was thrown in jail. The likes of Elia Kazan had no problem giving up a list of communists. In turn Elia got to return to Hollywood and shine for years and pick and choose his projects. It is sad to think Kazan most likely enjoyed projects others could not take advantage of since they had been forced out of Hollywood and were now doing carpentry. Carpentry is what Bill was forced to do after a career as a newspaper man.
"And that’s not all you get folks! Act now and you get more persecution in the 1970's!" The FBI, being dumb as rocks, taped Bill’s phone in the 1970's and ended up getting sued by him in the 1980's for it. Bill won. Bill also won his long and tedious 1950's battle. Or better put, we won. Only he paid the price. The price which comes with a life of legal battle and the associated expenses, lost jobs, lost family, no wife, no kids, etc. All to make sure the likes of us may type away, read away, protest away, etc.
Bill’s last 50 years found him in a rent controlled apartment in the upper West Side on 87th Street right off of Columbus Ave. When I was in my 20's I went to live with Uncle Bill, my mother’s closest friend. He lived in a very large old Brownstone which the City had set aside for low income workers in the 50's. The area had turned into Yuppyville and yet, Bill remained - fighting every twist and turn of his rich neighbors who wanted the City to relocate the low income folk to a more "appropriate" neighborhood. Like dozens before me, Bill let me sleep in his apartment as I tried to find my way in NYC. I had one of the three bedrooms for the better part of the year. Others slept in bedrooms and in the living room. During his years as a carpenter he had built an amazing loft in my room. The room was rich, old, and filled with built in desks, closets, etc. I lived there, virtually, for free. Bill had decided to let legions of young people squat in his apartment until they could find jobs, lives, etc. and move on. They were all referred by a loose network of politically active folks. It was a launching pad for legions of young beatniks, then hippies, etc. to find a foothold. On many Sundays there was an informal brunch where past tenants/squatters returned. Always potluck. Always great. Always lots of people. People, like me, who had been inspired by Bill to do more for others and to go with what they believed was "right."
Bill inspired me to become a civil rights attorney and now I’m a Federal Defender....a public defender for people who are being prosecuted by the federal government. In the end, Bill protected all of us, you and me, and inspired legions, like me, to do the right thing.
Here is another great diary on Bill Price.