iently clever or amusing. That’s whynNew Yorkers fight all the time: theynenjoy it, and they’re not really innearnest about it.nSome survey data are to the point.nWhen asked some time back what thenbest American state was, over 90 percentnof native North Caroliniansnpicked North Carolina, and othernSoutherners were almost as enthusiasticnabout their states. Less than half ofnthe residents of New York and Massachusettsnsaid they were living in thenbest state. Think about that. NorthnCarolina really is the best Americannstate, of course, and other Southernnstates are almost as good. I wouldn’tnwant to deny that. But they’re not thatnmuch better than New York and NewnEngland.nThe explanation of these findingsnsurely lies at least partly in regionalndifferences in manners. Southernersnexpect each other to show state loyaltynand pride. Yankees expect each othernto complain — and they don’t seem tonmind if Southerners complain, too, sonlong as they do it eloquently or amusingly.nIn other words, as long as Southernnexpatriates criticize Northern societynwell, they can be surprisinglynsuccessful. Right many talented Southernersnhave been moved by living innthe North to do exactly that, and thenliterature of American social criticism isnricher for it.nJohn Shelton Reed is a professor ofnsociology and adjunct professor ofnAmerican studies at the University ofnNorth Carolina, Chapel Hill. Thisnletter is adapted from material in onenof the 1988 Draughon Lectures hengave at Auburn University.nLetter From thenHeartlandnby Jane GreernWhen Pigs FlynElsewhere, life is predictable: the StatenLegislature wants a raise, Khomeininwants someone dead. Tiny Tim is mnningnfor mayor of New York, and DonnJohnson and Melanie Griffith are pregnant,necstatic about it, and planning tonmove up the date of their second mar­nriage to each other.nInside the Land of Ten ThousandnLakes, though, the Minnesota CivilnLiberties Union is sticking up for freedomnof the press — and of religion.nThe MCLU is seeking repeal of then6 percent state sales tax on over-thecounternbooks (the tax has been in placensince 1967), over-the-counter magazinesn(the tax has been in place sincen1983), and printing. The group claimsnthat the taxes violate First Amendmentnguarantees of freedom of the press (andnalso, incidentally, the Minnesota Constitution)nand threaten religious libertynbecause they raise the price of the Biblenand of religious books and magazines,nand might potentially raise them sonhigh that people wouldn’t be able tonafford them anymore.nAccording to a Minneapolis StarnTribune article, MCLU Associate DirectornMatthew Stark announced theirnplans during a Christmas Day newsnconference.nThe approach the group is taking is,nwell, novel. Stark went into a GoldennValley bookstore in early Decembernand bought a King James Version Biblen(sales tax 18 cents); a copy of BusinessnWeek (sales tax 12 cents); and a Webster’snNew World Dictionary (sales taxn24 cents). He then wrote to the statenrevenue commissioner and asked himnfor a refund of the 54 cents in sales tax.nA separate letter to the commissionernsought a refund of $47.99 in salesntax that the MCLU paid to have itsnnewsletter printed.nThe MCLU figures that if it doesn’tnget the $48.53 back, it will sue. If itndoes get the money back, it will assumenthat the revenue commissioner agreesnthat the taxes are unconstitutional. Eithernway, the Minnesota Civil LibertiesnUnion will have a chance to be heard,nand freedoms of all kinds will haventheir day.nThe MCLU doesn’t talk on thenphone or, apparently, answer all thenmail it gets, but I did manage to find annattorney who does some work fornthem. He informed me in late Februarynthat nothing had happened yet:nStark’s two letters were still sitting innthe state revenue commissioner’s office,nand the MCLU was waiting for anresponse from that office before pursuingnthe matter further. The attorneyndid say that he expects the matter to gonas far as the appellate court, possiblynnneven further. Because of state andnfederal data privacy laws, the MinnesotanDepartment of Revenue wasn’t ablento confirm the status of Stark’s letter tonthe revenue commissioner.nAs much as I’d like to believe thatnthe MCLU has the best interests of allnMinnesotans at heart, there are somenaspects of this case and of ACLUnbehavior in general that keep me skeptical.nFor one thing, the American CivilnLiberties Union has, over the years,nacquired the reputation of gleefullyncausing Nativity sets to be bannednfrom the courthouse lawns of thisnChristian nation. It’s hard for me tonunderstand how this project of thenMCLU — ostensibly to promote religiousnfreedom by eliminating the taxnon Bibles — fits in with that behavior.nSomehow that Christmas Day newsnconference haunts me.nIn addition, it’s patently clear that an6 percent sales tax on Bibles, which isnno higher than the tax on other books,nposes no infringement on freedom ofnthe press or freedom of religion. Accordingnto the Minneapolis Star Tribune,nMatthew Stark explained that ansales tax means that the government isnintervening in the relationship betweennthe publisher and the buyer, which isntrue—but it’s also true of all forms ofntaxation. Is this project just a minnownwhich the MCLU plans ultimately tonuse on a much bigger fish?nMostly, though, what would bothernme if I were a Minnesotan — and evennif I were a Minnesotan who wantednthat particular tax, or even all taxes,nabolished — is that the MCLU doesn’tnseem to be available for comment. Anrecording explains that they don’t donbusiness over the phone. I wrote tonAssociate Director Stark at the addressnthe phone recording gave me, includingnmy home phone number and anstamped, self-addressed envelope inncase he preferred to write to me, and Inhaven’t heard from him. The attorneynI talked to — who works for thenMCLU — couldn’t exactly tell menwho the director of the group was. Inguess I could call the recording again,nget the MCLU mailing address, andnthen write to Stark and ask him . . .nbut never mind.nJane Greer pays a hefty state sales taxnin North Dakota for printing PlainsnPoetry Journal.nJUNE 1989/47n