Like, Gag Me With a Special Interest Group!

Hey, I understand that the Bill of Rights is a tough one for a lot of people, so let's try it one more time. The First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America says: "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; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." Let's focus on the "abridging the freedom of speech" part. I know that calling for the resignation of a poet laureate and for censorship of a movie doesn't constitute Congress making a law, but free speech is an American ideal, one of our essential liberties. PC just doesn't work here, especially when it's not a case of calling handicapped people "differently abled" but a case of opening a dialogue on civil rights and foreign policy. In fact, this kind of political correctness is much more insidious than the Afro-American/African-American/Black/Negro debates or the never-ending argument over what to call the people whose land our "forefathers" swiped, because it has the intention of keeping Americans from openly disagreeing with our government and its special interests. As much as I can't stand Bill Maher, I think it's disgusting that his show was canceled because it lived up to its title. Personally, I don't give a flying rat's ass what a bunch of shiny celebrities think about politics or social issues, but a person has the right to say what they think without fearing anything but the ice cold reception they may receive from the people they offend. Hate mail? Death threats? A lack of social invitations? That's to be expected if you publicly declare an unpopular opinion. Censure from the government? Lawsuits? That's not cool.

It's a sad, sad day in America when a person, especially a black person, can't criticize Martin Luther King, Jr. in a movie. Does anybody get it? The character has very strong opinions that are largely unpopular with the rest of the people in the movie. Even if the movie did criticize Martin Luther King, from beginning to end, what is gained from censoring it? And did I miss something? Is MLK God? Or is he the "sacred cow," the main cog, in some grotesque propaganda machine? I've heard about Rosa Parks' affiliation with the NAACP before, and it was obvious to me that the whole thing was set up, not some accident of fate. Not that it's a bad thing (hey, it worked!), but I don't see any need to mythologize these people any more than they already are. Isn't it better to see the people who were instrumental in an amazing social movement in our country as real people, like you and me, to make our own dreams of social change seem closer to our grasp? Or is it better to just tell the public what to think, how to think about it, so we never try to do or be anything else?