I Will Say This About That

"America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours."

The above quote is from the movie The American President in which Michael Douglas portrays the president of the United States.

Freedom of speech in America is a cherished right that we all share and should all guard with diligence and fervor. I will defend anyones right to express their thoughts or beliefs be they political, religious, or any origin of their opinion even if I don't agree.

In light of what one of the members of Duck Dynasty said this past week I feel the quote above is appropriate for us all to remember. I will defend his right to free speech, In fact I  think we all should. I may not agree with his religious beliefs and I might not like the tone of his comments but I will defend his right to express it. I don't know this man and I will not sit in judgment of him.

On the other hand, I see people divided over what was said and the issue of freedom of speech, which is interesting to say the least. However, many of the people that are coming to his defense are blaming liberals and the liberal press for A&E's decision to suspend him from the show. 

Let's get one thing straight, the liberal community and the so called "Political Correctness Police" did not remove this man. These same people who are often heralds of capitalism fail to understand the bedrock of capitalism is the free-market. Consumers drive the free-market and since A&E has sponsors who are concerned about losing business because of this mans view, they can pull their sponsorship of the show. The show makes everyone a lot of money and that is now at risk. Consumers drive the free-market with the power to buy or not buy and watch or not watch the show. This isn't liberalism this is a business decision "aka" capitalism at work.

When you are a celebrity everything you say is printed or captured in a sound-byte or video. Celebrities are equally entitled to their opinion the same as us. The difference is there is more at risk for them because of the exposure. They can be misquoted or taken out of context resulting in a public relations disaster. Journalist integrity in America doesn't exist anymore it seems. 

This man must understand that he arrived at the place in the spotlight as a result of this show. He had a decision to make, he could express his inner thoughts in this interview with great risk or he could decline to answer the question, or, he could have been more thoughtful with his response so as not to offend anyone and place the show and its sponsors at risk. The perception is that he felt compelled to speak his beliefs in a magazine interview in a rather tactless manner. 

He is the author of this problem for he made a decision to make his personal thoughts public in a thoughtless manner. Blame the liberal community all you want but remember that the conservative community responded in outrage when one of the Dixie Chicks expressed her views about then President Bush. In fact, the country music community disowned them and the country music channels quit playing their music and consumers quite buying their music.

It's a heavy price to pay to be a celebrity when it comes to expressing your views in public. Celebrities have the same freedom of speech all of us do but subject themselves to the condemnation of consumers and place their celebrity status and possibly their careers at risk.

Same Old Lang Syne

Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I always dream of a white Christmas but seldom see one. It was Christmas Eve a few years back and the snow began to fall while I was at work. I was already excited because it was Christmas Eve and to see snow falling just excited me all the more. When I left work around 3PM there was a light layer of snow on the ground. I needed to pickup a few last gifts so off I went in my Mustang with the snow falling listening to Christmas music...perfect. 

I didn't call Lisa to tell her I was off. I headed straight to Target to pickup some movies and music to give as gifts. Once I was done making my selections I headed up the isle toward the long line of cash registers. In the distance I saw a strikingly beautiful woman with a big warm smile coming my way and she took my breath away. Then I realized it was Lisa and I experienced that warm "falling in love" feeling.

For a moment the song by Dan Fogelberg called Same Old Lang Syne began to play in my mind. "Met my old lover in the grocery store, the snow was falling Christmas Eve" are the opening lines to the song. I thought "what if we were no longer together" and as quickly as the thought crossed my mind I realized just how much I love her and that I would never want her to be my old lover that I met in a grocery store.