"The message of the ongoing Imus scandal is simple: Verbal offenses against anyone, other than conservatives or Christians or Jews, will be treated as crimes, and Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton are the judge and jury."
Before I get to the quote above, let me say that Don Imus' unrepeatable statements were rude, deplorable, outrageous, wrong, stupid, misogynistic, immature, horrific, sickening, moronic, unthinking, insensitive, racist, sexist, mean spirited and practically every other epithet you can throw at them. That he should have apologized is a given. That he should have pleaded for mercy in front of African American and women's groups is unquestioned. That everyone should object, and be outraged and call him out and call the words out and bring attention to the evil that was spewed is the American way. It is the whole point of free speech.
And that is why CBS should not have fired him. People in the media should not be fired for what they say or how they say it. I said elsewhere that is a dark alley down which we are about to descend.
Which brings me to the quote above - the quote is from Tom Delay. He is a man who's politics of extremism I abhor. And CBS and Al Sharpton have put me in his corner. If CBS is firing Don Imus why isn't ABC firing Rosie O'Donnell. She after all called Christian right wingers fascists. I don't like to be called a fascist. But then I'm Jewish so I don't like to be called a big-nosed money lender either. I once slapped somebody around for calling me a kike. But I also think the ACLU was right when they defended the Nazi's right to march in Skokie.
Where are all the free speech people now? Was the ACLU just kidding? Is it really all right to fire people for what they say on radio? On TV? Is the FCC right to censor all those vulgar words? Where's George Carlin? It appears there are more than 7 words you aren't allowed to say on radio, they've just changed. Every person who called for Don Imus to be taken off the air better watch out because Delay is revving up his big guns: "What the Left is doing is not a fluke - it's a concerted strategy. And it works. So if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's why I am calling on conservatives to use the available media (radio talk shows, blogs, letters to the editor) to protest and demand that Rosie O'Donnell be kicked off The View." What are people going to say? It only counts if it is insulting? Well, what Rosie says is insulting to Christians. Its not political? So now we are only protecting political speech? Kiss freedom of artistic expression goodbye.
CBS and the people who put pressure on them have gone to that scary dark back alley, and it's already looking like the lurkers are ready to pounce.
Shame on you and damn you. You have done something very wrong and very bad for this country. I believe you have done something that could seriously damage the fabric of the first amendment.
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