In Praise of Free Speech

It's always amazing how extreme right-wing conservative will make every effort to thwart freedom of speech when such speech threatens them, while at the same time exploiting the First Amendment to push their agenda of hate, ignorance and bigotry.

Cases in point. The American Family Association (AFA) wants to silence PBS by promoting a campaign to withdraw federal funding from the network. This is nothing to to the AFA, they hate that tax dollars are being used to promote a public forum that presents points of view that challenges the AFAs views. Interestingly enough the latest AFA assault on Public Broadcasting is over a program that has not aired, and the AFA has not seen. Again, trying to censor something based on assumption and speculation.

This is the AFAs spin on the yet to be aired program. The program is an episode of "Nova" scheduled to air in November.

What is questionable about the AFA's position is that they are a tax-exempt organization and therefore reap the rewards offered by the government and that if they really wanted their view aired on PBS, they could. Simply put PBS is public and publicly funded. The right-wing has an equal opportunity to produce, pitch and sell their programs to PBS.

But the AFA, the epitome of right-wing extremism, rather silence the opposition then face off.

Yet at the same time another right-wing pundit stands screaming about his right to free speech, though his speech can do more harm than anything that PBS is supposedly promoting. While the questioning of the Bible's truth in an episode of "Nova" is considered dangerous, and could bring down the moral structure of America; Michael Savage can freely assail autistic children and the AFA doesn't bat an eyelash.

On his radio program Savage described autism as, “In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out." Savage, in his defense claims that he was trying to wake up Americans to a potential of over diagnosing Autism and will not apologize for his hyperbole.

This verbal assault against autistic children is unnecessary and mean. It's based in ignorance. To say that a child who suffers from autism is a fatherless brat, is the highest form of untruth.

Now here we have a situation where a point of view is broadcast that serves no purpose but to inflame, misinform and promote ignorance. This comes from the same man who assailed a gay caller by calling the caller a "pig" and "sodomite."

With all the talk about Jesus among these right-wing conservatives like the AFA and Savage, why should we not question their concepts? If Jesus taught love, tolerance and brotherhood - in addition to encouraging his followers to question authority and beliefs about God - these conservatives acting in defiance of Jesus' teachings.

If they are fighting so hard to stop PBS from presenting a point of view opposed to their own, but knowingly support and promote their own point of view - despite how malicious and untrue - they are truly not Americans. They must be Communists, Socialists or Nazi's as they seem to believe that the First Amendment does not exist.

The First Amendment - the guarantee to freedom of speech. There are so many reasons why the right-wing conservatives should be applauded for defending only their right to freedom of speech.

They should be praised for supporting people like Savage and groups like the American Family Association.

They should be worshipped for doggedly assailing PBS and their quest to revoke the right of the other side to exercise the same First Amendment right that they so welcoming exploit.

Yes, we should thank the right-wing for not grasping the concept of freedom of speech to its fullest degree.

Let them continue to talk, to lie, to promote hatred and ignorance and intolerance in their own words.

It allows the rest of America and the world to see the truth and understand the ignorant bigots and haters that they really are.

Let their word be the catalyst of their own destruction.