When did the left stop defending free speech?

When did they stop listening?

This editorial started me thinking.

Then I found this on Youtube . Turn off your volume; ignore the political messages; just “people watch”.

Finally, cap it all off with the t-shirt that says “Sarah Palin is a Cunt”

I live in an environment that does not support conservative views. I have occasionally found myself in trouble for that reason. Not because I’m offensive. But just because I have views where I do not blame all that is wrong with the world on Dick Cheney. But when I watch the news and see liberals shout down conservative speakers because they do not like the speaker’s message, I become concerned.

And often the listener never even hears the message. They “prejudge”. I would venture a guess that you have experienced it too. Start a conversation with “I heard on Fox News…” and you can actually hear the minds snap shut. Finish with “…that the sun came up this morning” and watch the confusion spread across their face. You would never get such a reaction by quoting a CNN story.

Heaven forbid you read “National Review”.

Note the YouTube video shows an apparently peaceful march through a section of what they claim is NYC. The matchers are yelled at and regularly given “the bird”. OK…what would happen if a group of gay rights protesters were to march in Fort Worth and hayseeds in cowboy hats and boots were to fly the bird and yell anti-gay slogans at them? Or blacks who march for civil rights being told “go back to Africa where you belong”. Would it be at the top of the evening news? You bet, and very rightly so. But Republicans supporting McCain being hassled by some loony liberals? Meh.

THERE IS NO FUCKIN’ DIFFERENCE. It enrages me. Speech is protected. Opinions are protected. And yes, the First Amendment only prevents government interference. So this is actually “just” an issue of bad manners. And ignorance. Largely ignorance.

I’m not saying Obama is responsible for this. It is very likely Obama couldn’t control this type of behavior and better than the Republican Party can control the KKK. But read the article. Attorneys in St. Louis ”warned citizens that they would bring criminal libel prosecutions against anyone who made statements against Mr. Obama that were "false."” OK. What about false statements about McCain? Can anyone really prove that Sarah Palin is a cunt? In fact, how about these attorneys sue both McCain and Obama, because both of them are lying. And toss Barney Frank in for good measure.

Yes, I’m missing the bad conduct on the other side. But conservatives don’t run around crying “freedom of expression” every time someone uses tax dollars to shove a crucifix into a bottle of urine. The hypocrisy bothers me, but I still think it is more the ignorance being demonstrated by those who try to silence views they disapprove of. But show me the liberal speaker on a university campus that is shouted down for expressing their views. It only happens on TV if they are stupid enough to volunteer to be the token liberal on the “O’Reilly Factor”, but outside of Fox News, show me a (non-cable access TV) news show that slams liberals for being liberals. No wonder Bono’s crap was measured in “Courics”

I see it in blogs on this web site. Hate filled web pages that rant about republican conspiracies are cited as the “truth” and the “National Review” or Fox News are universally believed to be written by Dick Cheney. Azure recently posted a blog citing Fox and felt it was necessary to devote several sentences to asking readers to READ the article before dismissing the source. Does anyone feel the need to do that when the source is CNN or MSNBC, those bastions of fair reporting?

When was “dialog” exchanged for cries of “Nazi”?

And “Saturday Night Live”…how far have you fallen. You were funny, twenty years ago, but now to see you let the one non-Palin skit of the political season be “edited” to remove ACCURATE references to Barney Frank and the Sandlers’ roles in the mortgage meltdown. What’s next, Tina Fey playing Sarah Palin wearing a “cunt” shirt while she seeks a late-term abortion? All of which would be deemed acceptable, but watch out for Bill Cosby. How dare he tell blacks to take responsibility for themselves and work to fix the problems within their culture without using whitey as an excuse? The nerve.

So why do I care if people chose to wallow in ignorance? Because it affects me. I’m part of this society and the economy, the policies, the taxes, and the anti-conservative stench that pervades this town all affect me. It’s funny, because if you take any of the hot button issues, my positions would be opposed by both sides. Abortion; no one likes what I say. Taxes; too high for conservatives, too low for liberals. Women’s rights; we do OK until I get to the part about the rights of fathers. I exist in this great chasm in the middle of the warring powers. And because neither side can acknowledge anyone or any opinion outside their camp, MOST ideas and solutions are discarded. Aborted before the potential can be judged much less realized. And so we continue the slow and inevitable spiral away from common sense, respect, and decency. And into a world where people feel compelled to scream and fly the bird at people whose only crime is to carry a sign with the name of a political candidate. But it is the opposing political candidate, so that makes it "right".

That is why it affects me. That is why I care.