Freedom of speech is under attack

And you won’t believe by whom. Or maybe you will. The extreme left in the form of Al Sharpton, a.k.a. Al Charlatan, is demanding that the Federal Communications Communication (FCC) remove Rush Limbaugh from the airwaves.

“We’re not going to stand by and let publicly regulated radio and television just go for marketing and promoting this kind of racism. Rush Limbaugh has the right to say whatever he wants to say, he does not have the right, though, to do it on publicly regulated airwaves. The FCC has the responsibility to set standards,” said Al Sharpton.

“You can’t say – in the name of free speech, you can’t say anything you want,” Sharpton said on MSNBC. “We’re not talking about stopping free speech. We’re not telling Rush don’t say what you want to say, say it at home, not on public airwaves,” he concluded.

All this from a man who had built a career on using divisive language to stir racial tensions and create an atmosphere of distrust between the races, especially a distrust by the black community of the white community.

Al Sharpton rose to the national spotlight in 1987 when he paraded Tawana Brawley before television cameras, declaring her a victim of rape and hate crimes by a group of white men, including policemen. A grand jury later determined that Brawley had fabricated her story. In the course of the events surrounding the inquiry, Sharpton made accusations of racism against the prosecutor who successfully sued for slander. Sharpton was ordered to pay $345,000 in damages after a jury found Sharpton was liable for making defamatory statements.

Sharpton has had other incidences where he has appeared to be a racist. He has referred to Jews as “diamond merchants.” He gave a speech at Kean College where he said “We taught philosophy and astrology and mathematics before Socrates and them Greek homos ever got around to it.” In 2007 he attacked then presidential candidate Mitt Romney and his religion, Mormonism, with this quote: “As for the one Mormon running for office, those who really believe in God will defeat him anyways, so don’t worry about that; that’s a temporary situation.”

While I don’t agree with every word aired on the Rush Limbaugh Radio Show, I do believe he has the right to speak. I also believe Juan Williams had the right to his personal feelings and observations although National Public Radio (NPR) apparently didn’t think so as they fired him for having an opinion that strayed from the liberal leanings of that entity.

If freedom of speech is limited to only those who agree with those in power then all of us, including bloggers, are in danger of losing that freedom.

~ Patty