A Victory For The Reich, Silencing A Voice Of Dissent

CBS has fired Iraq War veteran General John Batiste from his position as a consultant over a VoteVets ad which targeted and criticized President Bush and handling of the Iraq War. The ad can be watched at YouTube or at the VoteVets website.

So what do the right wingers who lashed out about "free speech" when CBS canceled Don Imanass feel about that?

Do the Imanass supporters believe Don has the "right" to call African American females "nappy headed ho's" on the air but a retired General does not have the right to give a candid opinion about a war?

The ideology behind the concept of free speech was in part to protect political speech that dissented from the "norm" or the established power structure, to allow Americans to assert their political opinions without being silenced, not to allow silly old white cowboys to use racial and sexual slurs.

The ousting of Batiste from CBS is a reminder to watch Bill Moyers "Buying the War". The Bush Administration and apparently some members of the media are still trying to salvage this war and public opinion on it and are willing to try silence voices of dissent that hinder their efforts.

Will the Reich champion the ousting of Batiste from CBS? One can almost be certain.

Does the Right enjoy "censorship" now? I don't know yet for sure because I try to avoid the right wing blogs and opinions because the kool aid they have over there induces involuntary vomiting and often results in seizures and I don't have my Dilantin so I'm not willing to find out.

But on a more serious note I do find the firing of Batiste to be somewhat disturbing. So now the mainstream media will only allow us to see or hear are people who are willing to sell the official Administration Party line, even if they do it somewhat begrudgingly?

I trust the MSM less with each passing day and I am so thankful that we have the Internet and access to newspapers, blogs and Op-Eds from all around the world and political spectrum, hopefully they don't find a way to bring that down as well.

UPDATE : Think Progress is following the story :



- CBS VP On Batiste: ‘The Viewer Might Have The Feeling Everything He Says Is Anti-Bush’
- CBS Fires Batiste For Anti-Bush Advocacy, Hires Bush Aide To Engage In Pro-Bush Advocacy
- CBS has a consultant who advocates in favor of President Bush’s war policies and against Congressional action
- CBS Has Allowed McCain Campaign Aide To Advocate For McCain On Air

Defending Imus Is Lame And A Shame
There is a fundamental difference between priviladge and right.

"Economic McCartyism" Ted Rall says of the deposition of the dreadful Don Imus. Well, I never liked Rall's cartoons anyway so it doesn't surprise me he is taking up a losing argument.

Just listen to these crybabies whine about how Don Imus should be allowed to broadcast bigotry that, well, most people just don't want to hear.

So if a rock radio station chooses to quit broadcasting a certain rocker because the listeners find it lame or offensive, is that "economic McCathyism" or is it a rejection of the product?

For one, there is no such thing as "economic McCathyism", it's a made up term for Americans who don't like boycotts on their products. They carry some kind of logic that suggests "Well, I don't care if you don't like my product, I'm going to shove it down your throat anyway."

Imus had the privilege, not the right to be on television and radio.

PRIVILIDGE, NOT RIGHT.

In America, privileges can be taken away, rights cannot be.

Imus may have been exercising his right to free speech by making such inflammatory remarks, but those who condemned his remarks and demanded his ouster were also exercising their right to free speech.

Just because speech is free in this country doesn't mean it is without it's consequences.

Just because you have the right to say something doesn't mean you have the privilege of being on the television or radio when you say it.

Let's not forget that Proctor & Gamble and Staples pulled advertising from the Imus show before Imus was fired. Once the advertisers start leaving the networks start losing, so let's not beat around the bush here, at the point Imus was more offensive than profitable he was out of a job.

That my friend, is not "economic McCarthyism". Companies have the right to not want their product associated with perceived bigotry and citizens have the right to voice complaints against open bigotry.

Only Don Imus is to blame in the firing of Don Imus. Imus' freedom of speech has not been infringed upon because Congress never made a law against Don Imus or what he said, READ THE CONSTITUTION PEOPLE!!

Imus' privilege of being broadcast by MSNBC and CBS may have been revoked, but his right to freedom of speech has not been revoked.

If Imus can find any advertisers willing to take him on (besides the KKK or Aryan Nation) then I am sure he will again have the privilege of using the airwaves to exercise his right to freedom of speech.

Otherwise Imus needs to get a blog where he can say any old thing he wants or fade into the background for a while and give everyone else some time to cool off.

With that said, people have the right to boycott anything they like, whether it is a product or a person. Products and people can be rejected for any number of reasons, and you can't force people to consume a product or person they don't like.

Don Imus was wrong to say what he said and he paid for his comments with his job. Imus has a long history of making inflammatory remarks about African Americans, Jews, and woman so let's cut it with the rhetoric and freedom of speech conspiracy theories.

Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish - Imus Finds Little Sympathy

Related :
-MSNBC drops simulcast of Don Imus show
-CBS fires Don Imus from radio show
-Roker : There is no joy in what has transpired
-It's not just Imus
-Rosenberg alluded to previous racially insensitive remarks that first got him fired from Imus

"Shock jock" Don Imus triggered outrage when last week he called the female players of the Rutgers basketball team "nappy-headed hos" - a comment that is not only racially offensive but sexist as well.

The reaction was slow, but once realization hit, Imus was sunk.

Once the advertisers begin to flee, you know your days are numbered. Yesterday MSNBC announced it was dropping the Imus simulcast and today CBS announced Imus was fired from the radio show.

The AP reports : "Imus had a long history of inflammatory remarks. But something struck a raw nerve when he targeted the Rutgers team — which includes a class valedictorian, a future lawyer and a musical prodigy — after they lost in the NCAA championship game."

The firing of Don Imus should be a redefining moment in American public discourse. The line has been drawn in the sand and America is finally starting to reject open bigotry.

While the words and popularity of Don Imus expose that a large segment of America is at least still somewhat racist, the negative reaction to the derogatory words reveal that an even larger segment of America will no longer tolerate racism and sexism in public discourse.

So while this incident exposes the ugly and racist underpinnings of American society it also offers a beacon of hope because the outrage triggered by the Imus remarks shows progression in our society.

In the past the comments made by Imus would have been socially acceptable, but today we have been shown that racial and sexist slurs will not be digested as easily as they once were.

So while I am disgusted with the use of such openly racist and sexist language I am pleased to see America's rejection to such crude language.

The firing of Don Imus should serve as a warning for other shocking personalities who want to use their time on the air or in print churning out sexist or racist remarks that are disguised as "jokes".

I'm sure some voices on the hard right will claim that their "Freedom of Speech" is under fire. This argument can be debunked very easily.

The first amendment states that "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;"

Simply put, Congress is not restricting Imus so his right to free speech is not being restricted. Imus still has the right to make vile comments, he just will not have the privilege of making such comments on CBS or MSNBC.