Regarding Religious Quacks

Sarah Palin, self appointed defender of all things "ducky", was interviewed this past week by Fox News' Greta Van Susteren.  Ms. Van Susteren asked Ms. Palin if the language Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson used in the controversial GQ article had, perhaps, been too graphic and offensive.  She wondered if his over-the-top words were, at least in part, responsible for the resulting firestorm.

Ms. Palin, who has been at the forefront of the far-right's defense of Mr. Robertson, said, "I haven't read the article.  I don't know exactly how he said it."  But she did continue to defend Mr. Robertson by saying that he "was quoting the Gospel, so people who are so insulted and offended by what he said evidently are offended by what he was quoting in the Gospel."

what eye thynk:  I find this hilarious.  Sarah admits she hasn't actually read the article, (flashback to that Katie Couric interview during Ms. Palin's failed attempt to gain the Vice Presidency--the one where she was asked what magazines she read and couldn't name one); but she knows that he quoted the Gospel, (she knows he did this correctly, of course), so anyone who disagrees with him must be an atheistic Bible-hater.

This is so representative of the conservative, far-right, Christianity-or-bust movement right now.  They don't know the facts and can't be bothered to spend 10 minutes checking the facts; but they will jump right on the I-Love-God-Better-Than-You-Do bandwagon and shout out the latest sound byte at every opportunity in order to prove they are: 1. the biggest defender of all things biblical,  2. discriminated against,  3. fighting to save the country, 4. the only ones who know what God wants because He speaks directly to them and no one else.  (Take your pick.)

We live in a country that defends freedom of speech at the constitutional level. This is a wonderful thing.  But the First Amendment does not guarantee there will be no consequences.  You can say just about anything you want, but your employer, in this case A&E, has the right to distance itself from your opinions. What seems to be overlooked by uninformed nutcases like Sarah Palin is that no one at A&E tried to stop Mr. Robertson from speaking his mind.  They never asked him to apologize.  They simply said that, as his employer, they preferred not to be associated with him. 

I came across this Letter to the Editor in yesterday's New York Times just after I read about Ms. Palin's Fox interview.  The letter is one of the best responses to this ridiculous show-biz blow-up that I have seen.  I am sharing it in its entirety.

"The defense offered of racist and homophobic remarks by a 'Duck Dynasty' television personality has been that they come from someone steeped in biblical teaching.  When I was a child, this nonsense could have been (and was) said out loud without fear of contradiction. Likewise, the Fox television personality who declared that 'Santa is white' no doubt thought that she was simply stating accepted fact.  In both cases the speakers were surprised by the criticism that their thoughtless comments engendered.

Something has definitely changed since I was young, and I think that change is at the heart of so much conservative aggrievement.  Racist and homophobic opinions are still allowed, but they are no longer automatically accepted.  Now, bigoted nonsense is challenged when uttered, and the folks doing the uttering can't understand why.  There is no refuge in the excuse that 'the Bible says so' or 'that's what everyone says.'  American citizens are still entitled to express their opinions, but now they are also expected to be able to defend them.  This is a good thing."  

from Richard W. Poeton, Bennington, Vermont.

So, say what you want, it's your right, but don't be surprised when someone questions your opinion or asks for the facts you used to reach it.   This is, after all, the 21st Century and  "that's the way it has always been" is no longer an acceptable argument.

It's about time.