QUACKY BOO-BOO
The U.S. Congressman who represents my district, Markwayne Mullin (whom I did NOT vote for, nor would I ever), today decided to weigh in on this silly Duck Dynasty "controversy." His statement began thusly:
“America is currently witnessing a contradiction in its core principles. The fundamentals that founded our great nation included the freedom of speech and religion. Unfortunately a man who simply voiced his religious belief, which is protected by our constitution, is now being punished..."
My first response would be: Contrary to what so many of this man's defenders would have us believe, this is NOT a freedom of speech issue. Yes, Phil Robertson DOES have the right to express any view he wishes, and he took advantage of that right. However, the company by whom he is employed also has the right to respond in a manner it deems appropriate, and it took equal advantage of that right. Somewhere along the way too many people have gotten the mistaken impression that Freedom of Speech means Freedom From Consequences. But it just isn't so.
(As an aside, I find it humorous that this business decision is getting so much criticism from so many extreme rightwingers who are usually so quick to defend other business decisions that seem so questionable to millions of Americans.)
Secondly, if you're so outraged by this supposed "attack" on his Freedom of Speech, where were you when it was the Dixie Chicks that were being raked over the coals for expressing their opinion? At what point did you make the determination that "Freedom of Speech' applies only to those with whom you agree, not to those with whom you disagree?
An old college friend, who I love like a sister even though we disagree on so much, stated in her defense of Robertson: "I just get annoyed with the double standard. He was asked a question about his beliefs and answered." But that's exactly the problem; there IS a double standard, and it's being practiced by those who are expressing outrage over this. The same people who are so quick to rush to this guy's defense for simply stating his views are the ones who gave the Dixie Chicks such crap for stating theirs. I've said it before and I'll say it again; Freedom of Speech applies not only to those opinions with which we agree, but also to those with which they do not.
Thirdly: All this fuss over some vapid and insipid television program? Personally I've never understood the attraction in this show - or in the vast majority of these so-called "reality" shows. I'm much too busy living my own life to spend countless hours in front of the TV watching other people live theirs...
Finally, and perhaps most importantly: It's Markwayne Mullin, for crying out loud! You can't take him seriously. This man is to intelligent discourse what Pauly Shore was to the dramatic arts... or what a Sonic coney dog is to fine dining. (Actually that last comment may not be entirely fair on my part; I like a Sonic coney dog every now and then...)
In : Opinion
Tags: pop culture
John A. Small is an award-winning newspaper journalist, columnist and broadcaster whose work has been honored by the Oklahoma Press Association, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press, the National Newspaper Association, and the Oklahoma Education Association. He and his wife Melissa were married in 1986; they have two sons, Joshua Orrin (born 1991) and William Ian (born 1996).
Mr. Small is the News Editor and columnist for the Johnston County Capital-Democrat, a weekly newspaper headquartered in Tishomingo, OK. He obtained his nickname, "Bard of the Lesser Boulevards," from a journalism colleague - the late Phil Byrum - in recognition of the success of his popular newspaper column, "Small Talk." (In addition to the many awards the column itself has received over the years, a radio version of "Small Talk" earned an award for "Best Small Market Commentary" from the Society of Professional Journalists in 1998.)
John was born in Oklahoma City in 1963; lived in the Bradley-Bourbonnais-Kankakee area of Illinois for most of the next 28 years (with brief sojourns in Texas and Athens, Greece, thrown in to break up the monotony); then returned to his native state in 1991, where he currently resides in the Tishomingo/Ravia area. He graduated from Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School in 1981, and received his bachelor's degree in journalism from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais in 1991. The years between high school and college were a period frought with numerous exploits and misadventures, some of which have become the stuff of legend; nobody was hurt along the way, however, which should count for something.
In addition to his professional career as a journalist he has published two short story collections: "Days Gone By: Legends And Tales Of Sipokni West" (2007), a collection of western stories; and "Something In The Air" (2011), a more eclectic collection. He was also a contributor to the 2005 Locus Award-nominated science fiction anthology "Myths For The Modern Age: Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton Universe," edited by Win Scott Eckert. In additon he has written a stage play and a self-published cookbook; served as project editor for a book about the JFK assassination entitled "The Men On The Sixth Floor"; and has either published or posted on the Internet a number of essays, stories and poems.
He has also won writing awards from the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the National Library of Poetry. He is a past president of the Johnston County Chamber of Commerce in Tishomingo; was a charter member and past president of the Johnston County Reading Council, the local literacy advocacy and "friends of the library" organization; served as Johnston County's first-ever Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator in 1994-95; served two terms as chairman of the Johnston County (OK) Democratic Party; and has taught journalism classes for local Boy Scout Merit Badge Fairs. He is a member of the New Wold Newton Meteorics Society.
