Freedom of speech doesn't apply to you.

[truthbetold]

This is a piece I wrote on my blog last night. The first two quotes used I got from Michael Moore's book "Dude, Where's My Country?" and the last two I got from search engines.

First Amendment-
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Will you show me the part of that where anti-war statements aren't allowed? Or perhaps the part that says if you're a Democrat, you should keep your mouth shut? Or if you don't support the President, you'll be quiet if you know what's good for you?
Well, maybe I just can't see it. Could you point it out to me?
Because it seems like everywhere I turn today, the Right is trying to retract the Left's freedom of speech while still keeping their own.
Case in point- singer Linda Ronstadt was performing the other day at the Aladdin hotel-casino in Las Vegas. It was there that she dedicated her performance of "Desperado" to filmmaker Michael Moore calling him a "great American patriot"- and immediately after, was escorted out of the building by the order of hotel owner Bill Timmins.
I visited her website out of curiosity and seen the comments in her guestbook were greatly divided. Some support, sure, but also ugly comments- "STUPID BITCH!" one person wrote. "Keep your mouth shut, sing or act that is the ONLY think we want to hear or see from any of you," said another.
So, you have all the right in the world to call Ms. Ronstadt a "bitch" but how dare she give a glowing compliment to another human being?
The Right loves their freedom of speech. Here's some shining examples for you:

"Oh, you're one of the sodomites. You should only get AIDS and die, you pig. How's that? Why don't you see if you can sue me, you pig. You got nothing better to do than put me down, you piece of garbage? You have got nothing to do today, go eat a sausage and choke on it."
-Michael Savage

"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity!"
-Ann Coulter on terrorists

"Why should blacks be heard? They're 12% of the population. Who the hell cares?"
-Rush Limbaugh

"A dictatorship would be a heck of a lot easier, there's no question about it."
-President Bush

How do you think the media would react if these quotes were from someone like John Kerry or Al Franken? Do you think they would hang them from the highest tree? Of course!
But if anyone speaks of the war being unjust, of the current Administration being based on lies, if anyone talks about the loss of innocent lives, THAT'S over the line. THAT is where they should never go, the point where the Constitution should be ripped to shreds.
Here's a deal, Republicans. I'll stop my anti-war remarks. I'll stop my admonishment of President Bush if a few things happen.
Michael Savage- apologize to all the gay people you called "sodomites" and "pigs."
Ann Coulter- apologize for supporting the invasion and oppression of foreign countries.
Rush Limbaugh- apologize for disregarding African Americans as only "12% of the population."
And George Bush- apologize for even SUGGESTING turning the United States into a new WW II Germany.
But this won't happen, and you know why? No one should have to apologize for their "free speech." Homosexuals are just disgusting fags, black people are just another easily ignored minority, and all Muslims should have their throats slit.
I can say that, right?
Just as long as I don't call Michael Moore a patriot.

--
Now it's off to work, I'll check responses when I get home around 10. Thanks for reading this, guys.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I called the local 'news' station at 6:30AM this morning.

They have a guy and a gal doing the morning news prior to GMA coming on and the man reported the Ronstadt 'story' of her being escorted out of the hotel, etc. Then he says, "You'd think they'd learn, after the Dixie Chicks, to just keep their mouths shut". I got the news desk and told the guy that I was just plain tired of the Bush propaganda and that I still thought the USA was a democracy. From the banter on their 'news' program, one could think that they just were warning all listeners not to critize the misAdministration. I told him that every single American ought to be speaking out against the rise of fascism and the promise of endless war, based on lies. I read him the riot act, but he tended to agree with me and said he'd review the tape and discuss it with the anchors. Said if Bush was elected, he was heading for Canada!

[Norquist Nemesis]

5. Way to go!!!

Make a followup call and see if you need to write a LTTE too! :)

[Cleita]

12. That remark sounded very sexist to me, like those mouthy

broads should know to keep their mouths shut. I think he needs to be told that.

[zbird]

2. Well done.

And sadly, all too true.

[Mike Daniels]

3. Major flaw in your argument

Congress hasn't been responsible for Moore, Ronstadt or Whoopi's problems.

Private business have the right to control the speech uttered within their place of business and also have the right to dismiss their employees (which Whoopi was in the case of Slim-Fast) when said employee's speech can reflect negatively on the company

Doubt me? Go start spouting off some racially insensitive remarks at your office and see if you still have a job at the end of the day. I guarantee you would be dismissed due to a violation of some speech code within your employees conduct manual.

For a group of people who claim to be smarter than the general public it's amazing how few people grasp that concept when it comes to the first amendment.

[truthbetold]

8. How was what she said "insensitive"?

She complimented Michael Moore, how is that at all insensitive? She can't give praise to someone she admires? It would be something else if she was bashing the President, but she WASN'T.

[Ms. Clio]

10. Then why do Rush and Savage still have jobs?

Doesn't their hate speech reflect negatively on their employers?

[MUSTANG_2004]

14. Well, Rush lost one of his

ESPN canned him for his Donovan McNabb remark.

[Ms. Clio]

17. I don't recall his exact remark

But I think it was aimed at an entire group of people, i.e., African-Americans?

[MUSTANG_2004]

20. Mainly Donovan

http://espn.go.com/gen/news/2003/1001/1628537.html
"I think what we've had here is a little social concern in the NFL. The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well ... There is a little hope invested in McNabb, and he got a lot of credit for the performance of this team that he didn't deserve. The defense carried this team."

[Ms. Clio]

21. No, mainly it was at African-Americans

"The media has been very desirous that a black quarterback do well."

McNabb was just the vehicle for his usual racism.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Big difference between racist/sexist remarks at the workplace

and what Whoopi does during the time she's not working for Slim-Fast. Did her contract with Slim-Fast prevent her from accepting speaking engagements at Democratic Fundraisers? Because I'm employed with a certain company, do they have jurisdiction over my behavior when I'm not at work? Your argument is lame.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

16. No it's not. He's absolutely right.

People here need to stop screaming "censorship" and invoking the First Amendment when the person doing the censoring is not the government.

Let's get it right, people! The Constitution only limits GOVERNMENT power. It is entirely constitutional for a private individual, or a business, to be an asshole. (Of course, this doesn't mean there aren't other ways to go after them...)



(Edited subject line to make it more logical in the thread...)

[truthbetold]

19. And I suppose the government

...does not censor anything at all?
Please, don't be naive. Corporations bow down to government pressure all the time.

[Taylor Mason Powell]

23. Ummmmm....

okay. If you can prove that the government pressured a corporation to violate someone's free speech right, or that the corporation was acting under orders from the government, MAYBE you have a colorable first amendment claim, but even then it's doubtful.

The point is, corporations are allowed to restrict speech. Nothing in the constitution about that. In fact, there are lots of things you and I can do that the government can't do.

[Wednesdays]

22. All hail!

>>Private business have the right to control the speech uttered within their place of business and also have the right to dismiss their employees

Then, all hail the almighty corporations. They can do whatever they want with whomever they want. And no one has the right to ever speak their mind. No, never ever! All hail the almighty corporations!

[Taylor Mason Powell]

24. Oh calm down.

Nobody's saying we should all enjoy being crushed under the boot of the evil corporations. Despite your sarcastic tone, you are right - corporations CAN do whatever they want with whomever they want, as long as it's within the bounds of the law. And so can you and I. It's called freedom. Don't like what the corporations do? There are ways to address it - boycotts, bad publicity, and lawsuits being just three that come to my mind. And yes, I fully support changing the laws to make Corporations more accountable for their malfeasance.

[YIMA]

4. Could we have a link to your blog?

n/t

[truthbetold]

11. I would give it out...

But it's not just a political blog, it's more like a journal. I write on Journalspace.com, so if you somehow stumble upon it, good job! :-)

[jus_the_facts]

6. 'round and 'round it goes..the same ol' story....same ol' song and dance..

....for EONS we've fought with the paradoxes of life...with barely an inkling of absolution...all the while we compound and morph our age old problems further into the past and future...all that truly changes are the names....

:nopity:

[Texasgal]

7. Are there any links to those quotes?

I am arguing with someone right now about them....

[truthbetold]

9. Like I said...

The first two are in "Dude, Where's My Country" by Michael Moore, and I'm sure he credits where they came from but I'm far too lazy to skim through ALL his endnotes.
I found the Rush one on this page toward the end:
http://www.fair.org/articles/limbaugh-color.html

And the George Bush one can be found on many pages, including this:
http://www.lifeisajoke.com/politics22_html.htm

[mandyky]

15. Since 9-11, unless you agreed with shrub

you fon't have freedom of speech - I don't remember when but whenever I see Kelly Ann Conway - all I hear is "Be careful". I think around the time we were being driven to war with Iraq, someone had disagreed with the idiot cowboy, and she was shushing them with "be careful".

[Warren DeMontague]

18. "We need to watch what we say"

Remember that gem?


Anyway, if I had a buck for every wild-eyed rightwinger I've seen who has, in recent weeks, equated any criticism of Bush with "sedition", or "treason", Well, I could probably buy a jet-ski.