Molly Ivins: How we hurt ourselves when scared to death

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXToviObdoA
At the 8th Annual Mario Savio Memorial Lecture, October 2004, School of Journalism,
University of California, Berkeley
John Henry was one of the heroes of a bad time in this country, the McCarthy era.
And that’s when he took up freedom fighting as a serious thing.
Not many people know this, but, before he went into being a first amendment
defender, Johnny was in law enforcement. He... uh. In fact he was in the Texas
Rangers... Captain.
He was 6 at the time. His friend Boots Cooper, who was 7, was the sheriff. And they
used to do a lot of serious law enforcement out behind the Faulk family place.
One day Johnny’s mama, having two such fine lawmen right there on the property,
said: Now boys, I want you all to go down to the hen house, get that chicken snake
out of the hen house.
Johnny and Boots were all excited by this big assignment, and they galloped down
there on their brooms. They tethered their brooms... went in the henhouse, went
through all the nests on the bottom shelf... no snake. They were of an age and of a
size where to see up on the second shelf they had to stand on tiptoes, see if there
was a snake there… And there was.
Now I have met never, myself, been nose to nose with a chicken snake, but I always
took Johnny’s word for it, that it will just scare the living shit out of you. And it scared
Johnny and Boots so bad they both tried to get out of the hen house at the same
time... doing considerable damage to themselves and the henhouse door in the
process. They came trailing back up to the porch all shame-faced. Mrs Faulk looked
at’em and said: Boys, boys, what is wrong with you? You know perfectly well that a
chicken snake will not hurt you.”
And that’s when Boots Cooper said this semi immortal thing. He said: Yes ma’am. But
some things will scare you so bad, you’ll hurt yourself.
And don’t you know that’s what we do again and again in this country? Get so
scared... so scared... of a real menace, not a chicken snake. Scared of communism,
scared of crime, scared of drugs, scared of illegal aliens, scared of terrorists. So
scared, that we hurt ourselves. Make the same mistake over and over again. We
think we can make ourselves safer, by making ourselves less free. I’ll tell you
something, when you make yourself less free, all that happens afterward, is that you
are less free. You are not safer.

Blacklist controversy
Faulk's radio career ended in 1957, a victim of the Cold War and the blacklisting of the 1950s. AWARE,
Inc., a for-profit corporation inspired by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, offered a "clearance" service
to major media advertisers and radio and television networks; for a fee, AWARE would investigate the
backgrounds of entertainers for signs of Communist sympathy or affiliation. In 1955 Faulk earned the ill
will of the blacklisting organization when he and other members wrested control of their union, the
American Federation of Television and Radio Artists from officers under the backing of AWARE. In
reprisal, AWARE labeled Faulk a Communist. When he discovered that AWARE was actively keeping
radio stations from offering him employment, Faulk sought remuneration. Several prominent radio
personalities along with CBS News vice president Edward R. Murrow supported Faulk's earnest attempt to
put an end to blacklisting. With financial backing from Murrow, Faulk engaged New York attorney Louis
Nizer. Attorneys for AWARE, including McCarthy-committee counsel Roy Cohn, managed to stall the
suit, which was originally filed in 1957, for five years. When the trial finally concluded in a New York
courtroom, the jury had determined that Faulk should receive more compensation than he sought in his

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original petition. On June 28, 1962, the jury awarded him the largest libel judgment in history to that date
— $3.5 million. An appeals court later lowered the amount to $500,000. Legal fees and accumulated debts
erased the balance of the award. Faulk's book, Fear on Trial, published in 1963, tells the story of the
experience. The book was remade into an Emmy award-winning TV movie in 1975 by CBS Television
with William Devane portraying Faulk and George C. Scott playing Faulk's lawyer, Louis Nizer.

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