Comments on: Just Another Random Monday

By: Laurie B

Laurie B — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 01:48:35 +0000

I like your approach to First Amendment.

Hope Beanie ate her veggies and some extra calcium.

Al Sharpton is a racist in every worse sense of the word. The man just can’t think beyond color. He makes a living off of being a racist bigot. Him and Fred Phillips, peas in a pod (on different attention spans).

By: Jennifer H

Jennifer H — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:26:37 +0000

That Voltaire quote is exactly right.

I think people forget, too, that they have the choice not to listen or respond to opinions they don’t agree with or that they find to be objectionable. And in the process of furor over what a radio announcer says on a program that most people don’t even listen to, our president exercises his right to free speech by lying to the whole country about tiny little things like WMDs.

Hmm, where should we focus our attention?

Good luck with the healthy eating. I’m heading down that path right now, also.

By: mike

mike — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:02:32 +0000

The Imus story really intrigues me. I mean there is no doubt that what he said was wrong, but then again, I look at some of the things that Rev. Wright has said and I have to question that as well. I mean yeah, there is the whole “sound-bite” argument and all, but if you use that argument, then you have to look at all the good things Imus did too–the ranch for sick kids, etc.

By: mrschili

mrschili — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:05:36 +0000

Seester, I’m looking for them to get to the idea that PROTECTED speech isn’t necessarily ETHICAL speech. I’m not sure many of them will get there, but there’s always hope.

Dudley, I actually made mention of this idea. About 20 or so years ago, a KKK activist set up shop in the little town where I went to high school. There was a bunch of noise about not letting him speak, but my thinking is that if I don’t want to listen to a particular kind of speech, then I have that choice. Voltaire said “I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it. ” If we silence one, what’s to keep us from silencing all. It’s a slippery slope I don’t want to find myself traveling.

Auntie, according to Woods (and, actually, according to a lot of people) it wasn’t a big deal. It got blown out of proportion by a few key players (not least among them Al Sharpton, but that’s no surprise) Go here for the story, then go here for a really fine commentary on the issue.

By: whodoesshethinksheisanyway

whodoesshethinksheisanyway — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 21:46:27 +0000

I have no idea about the Tiger story, I’ll go look now.
I put my heavy sweaters away and pulled out my shorts. The snow brush is still out just in case…

By: Dudley

Dudley — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 19:40:21 +0000

It’s always easy to support speech you like. It’s when you’re faced with speech you find objectionable that you have to do some soul searching.

By: saintseester

saintseester — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:01:53 +0000

That Phelps jerk tried to picket an Auburn student’s funeral recently. She was 18 and murdered by some random guy who pulled her out of her car to try to rape her. The other students vowed to form a human circle around the service to block the parents’ view so they could mourn in peace.

Phelps’ reasoning? College students are whores, fornicators and drug abusers who accept gays. Of course, where does freedom of speech end and illegal harassment begin? I wonder. It’s sticky.

I like the Tiger Woods story choice. It is recent, but not as well known as the Imus flack.