"It has been frustrating for us, because they have been very careful in their word choices," adds Shearer. "They would never come out and say that they are for censorship. They say they are for education. But since when is launching a smear campaign educational? They say on the site, 'Hate is coming to town.' But most of their tactics have been hateful. They think Manson is hateful, fine. But why battle hate with hate?"
Wednesday's rally will not mark the first time Shearer and her group have come face-to-face with Pastor Jay; at Janz's invitation, the two groups got together for coffee, Cokes and casual discussion a couple of weeks ago. To the surprise of all who attended, the meeting went smoothly.
James Bludworth
Pastor Jason Janz, pictured with son Hudson, is the founder of Citizens for Peace and Respect.
James Bludworth
Travis Butterworth, Stephanie Shearer and Raphael Shlosman of the Citizens for the Protection of the Right to Free Speech.
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"I was very impressed with how articulate they were," says Janz. "We really did get down to the nitty-gritty and discuss our views and our differences. I think we discovered that we have more common ground than anyone expected. Stephanie, for example, asked us why we don't have more emphasis on community outreach on our site, why is it all Manson. And I had the chance to tell her that's something we are working on. We're going to have resources for troubled teens, information on suicide hotlines and mental-health professionals. We will offer the hope next to Manson's hate."
Shearer agrees, almost grudgingly, that the meeting went well.
"I keep saying that our job would be a lot easier if he were an asshole," she says. "But he wasn't. He was polite and respectful. We had a good discussion, and I think we understand each other better now."
"We have all said from the beginning that we think he has good intentions," says Andrews. "As a mother, I can relate to his concerns about negative influences on kids. He's just..."
"...going about it in the wrong way," the other members of the group chime in unison.
"What's really scary to us is that it is so open-ended at this point," Shearer says. "He has said that he will not stop with Manson, that there are other artists he's looking at and would protest if they came to town. I mean, this is a guy who only listens to choir music. Are we going to have to go through this with every artist who might be viewed as offensive?"
Janz does acknowledge that, if enough people continue to support CPR, the group will begin investigating other artists who are considered to be potentially dangerous to young minds -- a daunting proposition to some, considering Janz is still repenting for his misguided days of listening to "anti-authority" bands like Bon Jovi and Def Leppard. He's looking to other religiously grounded groups -- including Colorado Springs' Focus on the Family and the American Family Association -- for guidance on what to do next. And if he were to succeed at eradicating all traces of potentially objectionable content from popular music, all the better.
"I don't know if it would be as interesting a world without this kind of art," he says. "But I think I would like it better. How great would it be to have nothing but positive messages for our kids?"
For thinkers like Marsh, therein lies the rub.
"There really are some things at stake here that are larger than Marilyn Manson's bank balance," says Marsh. "One of them is what kids come to understand about the nature of reality. I think in some ways this is a debate about reality, the nature of truth and justice, the nature of courage, the nature of the way that dialogue is supposed to work. If anything makes kids go crazy and desperate enough to want to do things to hurt people, it's this distortion of reality that invokes superstition above reason."
In all likelihood, Manson's performance in Denver will come and go with little actual controversy. CPR will be on hand, of course, as will Shearer, Butterworth, Andrews and Shlosman. No doubt, as each group stands in the parking lot -- holding signs and banners, handing literature to the young passersby -- the debate will continue. And whether the activists on either side find themselves exhausted and frustrated or inspired and empowered at the end of the day, it's clear they've participated in something that should be compelling for anyone interested in the exchange of ideas.
"It is exciting to see people taking some interest in their local culture -- that's good," says Eric Galatas of the Boulder-based FreeSpeech TV. "We should find more platforms to speak. If you don't agree with something, the answer is to have more free speech, not less. I think the old expression is that the measurement of your belief in your right to free speech is how strongly you support people you disagree with -- how willing you are to support the rights of people that you actually are opposed to."
