A petition denouncing the choice of the former general for the Liberty Bell Award fails to deter the leadership.
By CHRISTOPHER GOFFARD
Published October 26, 2004
TAMPA - When she shows up to see the Hillsborough County Bar Association present its Liberty Bell Award to retired Army Gen. Tommy Franks at a luncheon next Wednesday, attorney Susan Fox expects to wear her "War Is Not the Answer" button in discreet protest.
"Some of us are peace activists, and it would just be very difficult for us to participate in this kind of presentation," said Fox, a 25-year member of the association. "My initial idea was to either stay home or go and wear a button."
Fox, like some other members of the association, are unhappy to see Franks honored with the award, considering his key role in the Iraq war and his vocal support for George W. Bush's re-election effort. With the election a week away, the timing is particularly controversial.
"It's difficult for me to see how a military general really fits the criteria of that award," Fox said. Winners are supposed to promote an understanding of the Bill of Rights and respect for the law and American government.
In discussions with some two dozen association members, Fox said, "Every single person I've talked to is unhappy about it."
A petition denouncing the award has circulated among association members, and has generated a handful of signatures, but Fox said the petition drive is no longer active. Rather than stop the award, she said she wants assurances from the association that the award does not represent an endorsement of Franks' politics.
Bar Association president William J. Schifino Jr. said the association's board of directors approved the award in April, with the intention of presenting it to Franks in May. Scheduling difficulties made it necessary to delay the award until the Nov. 3 luncheon.
"I am aware there are members that are unhappy at this time of the choice," he said, but added the association would "absolutely not" withdraw the award from Franks.
Schifino praised Franks' "long service to our country and our community." "This is not a political award," he said. "It never has been, and it never will be."
Past recipients of the award have included Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf and Hillsborough County Commissioner Jan Platt.
Attorney Robin Rosenberg, who has signed the anti-Franks petition, criticized the association for praising Franks as having "successfully led the U.S. military operation to liberate Iraq" in promoting the luncheon.
"I think it's a very value-laden statement, and it doesn't convey values I agree with," Rosenberg said. "The membership of the bar is not unified in their views on the war."
Rosenberg said she did not think the bar association had meant to endorse Franks' political views, but she said it "conveys the perception of an endorsement."
-- Christopher Goffard can be reached at 813 226-3337 or goffard@sptimes.com
