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In the news recently, Governor Sarah Palin was extremely upset about a joke David Letterman told about her daughter being “knocked-up” by a Yankees baseball player. Admittedly it was in very poor taste, as Letterman himself agreed. It has been suggested that Gov. Palin was protecting her child, which is understandable if that was, in fact, her motive. However, I doubt this joke will incite rapist or child molesters to increase their activity. Nor will it, as Gov. Palin suggested in her response, “contribute to the high rate of sexual exploitation of minors by older men who use and abuse others.” Mr. Letterman apologized but not to the satisfaction of some. There are those who have called for him to be fired.

This reminded me of the controversy and firing of Don Imus in 2007 over his racial slur about the Rutgers women’s basketball team. The Rev. Jesse Jackson called the firing “a victory for public decency.” Rev. Al Sharpton said, “It’s not about taking Imus down, it’s about lifting decency up.”

I am not condoning what either Letterman or Imus said, but they were insensitive jokes, the only goal being to draw laughter. As a mother and non-racist, I thought both comments were uncalled for and not particularly funny. But I am not at all sure how making a spectacle of and firing Imus will affect public decency or lift it up or how Letterman’s crude joke will alter comedic language.

Others, however, are using far more incendiary language on a regular basis with impunity.  It seems Free Speech is free for some people but not for others.  Some examples:

According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, 30% of the (estimated 5000) completed youth suicides every year are homosexuals between the ages of 15-24. The number of homosexual murders increased by 28% in 2008, 29 killings last year (report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs). These also are someone’s children.

The callous, insidious anti-gay speech that evangelicals, other Christian ministers, and some right wing TV and radio personalities spew over this land via the airways most assuredly attributes to and incites these hate crimes committed by those who believe, beyond any doubt, the language of these ‘authority figures’. Why else would such atrocities occur? Who else instills these thoughts on a continual basis, ad nauseum?

Many Christians, Christian organizations, and Right Wing pundits publicly demonized recently murdered abortion provider, Dr George Tiller. They certainly utilized their free speech rights with the same incendiary remarks about abortion as with the gay community. Dr. Tiller was a father and a grandfather. I’m sure his cruel, untimely murder will affect his children for the rest of their lives.

Terry Randall, the founder of Operation Rescue ,called Dr. Tiller a “mass murderer” and “we grieve for him that he did not have time to properly prepare his soul to face God.”

Bill O’Reilly of Fox News has for years called Dr. George Tiller  “Tiller the baby killer” and described his clinic as a “death mill.”

Rush Limbaugh, who coined the term “feminazis,” says “he used the term to describe women who are obsessed with perpetuating a modern day holocaust: abortion.”

The late Jerry Farwell blamed 911 on the feminists, homosexuals, and abortion rights supporters.

Mother Teresa in her many travels around the world said,  “the greatest threat to peace is abortion.”

Pope Benedict XVI said, “Abortion is a crime of aggression not only against the unborn, but also against society.”

There are countless ministers who convey thoughtless, cruel remarks to their congregations every Sunday morning. They know there are dangerous and twisted organizations and deranged individuals who will act on their words. When someone does act on their hatred, these messengers claim they mean no harm, they are only stating God’s word and reinforcing biblical principles. Their words have power and they know it.

Why do we put up with this? Why aren’t they fired?  Because their God is on their side and they have far too many who believe what they say.

The Army of God’s web site is a training ground for Christian fundamentalist terrorism. Operations Rescue is not the peaceful pro- life organization it claims to be. Check both sites out and see for yourself.

Free speech is a wonderful gift, but words have power and consequences. They make an impression on the listener. If the listener and the person/s exercising their free speech cannot discern odious, inflammatory speech from decent speech or a joke, then they have a serious problem and society is in trouble.

Why is it a comedian can lose his job and be publicly ostracized because of an “offensive” joke that won’t incite murder or bombings or cause child molesters to go on a rampage, yet media hacks on the right and fundamentalist ministers can say anything they want, no matter how cruel, immoral, or offensive, as long as they do so in the name of God and their biblical interpretation of morality?

Gov. Palin is not without her own offensive, even dangerous rhetoric which she uses to enhance her political ambitions. So I must ask her, “Hasn’t something gone awry with free speech and what offends when public spectacles are made of a few people who tell insensitive jokes while many others are allowed to express their vehement hatred in public with nary a wrist slap?”

You betcha!

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