We've
all heard about Rush's remarks concerning law student, Sandra Fluke,
who testified before congress. We've all heard about Obama's call to
Ms. Fluke, offering his condolences for Rush's remarks. We've all
heard Nancy Pelosi's seeming outrage and her comment that Rush should
be “advertiseless.” We've all heard Sean Hannity and other
conservatives correctly identify the double standard of Democrats who
condemn Rush's remarks but have no comment about the hateful things
liberals say about conservative women. Well, here's something you
probably haven't heard:
I'm
a firm believer in free speech. Rush's remarks, though they may be
offensive, are his opinions and he has the liberty to speak them. Of
course, since Rush broadcasts over publicly licensed radio signals,
there are certain words he's not allowed to use. Beyond that, he can
speak his mind no matter how extreme his views may be.
Like
Rush, Bill Maher is free to speak his mind. Unlike Rush, however,
Bill Maher broadcasts over cable television so he can even use
4-letter words which Rush can't (and he uses them frequently).
Compared to Maher's comments about women, Rush's use of words like
“slut” and “prostitute” are somewhat tame. Even so, Rush
Limbaugh's and Bill Maher's comments are both protected by the First
Amendment.
Not
only are Rush and Bill free to speak their views, but we who listen
to them are also free to condemn them. Some people have called for a
boycott of Rush. Some people are canceling their HBO subscriptions
because of Bill. The people who are upset with Rush or Bill and are
reaching out to sponsors are simply exercising their free speech.
When someone like Rush or Bill speaks his mind, he might persuade or
repulse others. Listeners will either affirm or condemn their
remarks. This is the marketplace of ideas. This is liberty.
What
I see wrong in this whole affair is the condemnation of Rush made by
elected, public officials. The First Amendment
specifically protects the political speech of private individuals
from the government! If President Obama uses the bully-pulpit of his
office to shame Rush, he is using the power of the Presidency to
infringe on the Rush's free speech. When Nancy Pelosi suggests that
advertisers should drop Rush, she too is infringing on his First
Amendment rights.
The
left in notorious for their war on liberty. They don't care that
Rush has free speech; they want to silence him. Neither do they care
that their radical views on contraception (which inspired Rush's
comments) violates people's freedom of religion. And while we're at
it, what about their continuous maligning of FOX News? Have they
noticed the First Amendment also protects the freedom of the press?
And
let's be clear about something: these liberals aren't really offended
by Rush's remarks; we know this because they say not one word about
Maher's much worse misogynistic remarks. They are specifically
interested in squelching Rush's political speech.
So
let's sum up: private individuals are free to make offensive remarks.
Other private individuals are free to embrace or reject those
remarks. We can call on other people to boycott talk shows when the
host says something we don't like. We can even boycott companies
that decide to drop advertising on talk shows that we do like. We
can say and do all these things and elected officials should not be
able to use the sway of their office to influence our private
discourse because our rights are protected by the First Amendment.
They
do use their political sway, though. Fortunately, I have a blog and
intend to exercise my right to speak out about the shameful tactics
of these enemies of liberty.
2 comments:
Rush is my favorite on radio. He stands up for America. The libs are really afraid of the truth that Rush broadcasts. Old Nancy P. should be dumped and Bill M...liar makes me sick.
I love America!!!
Thanks for visiting and for commenting. I also enjoy listening to Rush whenever I get a chance. I don't have any premium cable channels so I've never watched one of Bill Maher's shows. From what I've seen of him on other shows, I don't care for him.
Of course, they're free to say what they want and I'm free to to say I like one and not the other. I'm also free to say Nancy Pelosi should shut up.
Please keep visiting. God bless!!
RKBentley
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