Friday, December 20, 2013

First Amendment or Free Market?

Just when I began to believe that many of the more prominent TV talking heads could not be more stupid, they did it again.

Regarding the current Duck flap (no pun intended).........

In a magazine interview, the Head Duck quoted scripture (in which he devoutly believes) on the subject of homosexuality. That was his right.

Many people were offended. That was their right.

They conveyed their displeasure to the Duck's employer, A&E Network. That was their right.

The employer fired Mr. Duck because of what he said and/or because of the complaints. That was its right.

Why, Greta and Bill (and many others) was it the Network's right? Because A&E is a private organization owned by private individuals.

That's the free market. If I own a bowling alley and insist my employees have the image of a bowling pin tattooed on their foreheads, they can take it or leave it.

Similarly, if Mr. A&E doesn't want his employees quoting scripture anywhere, disparaging homosexuals, or predicting the next Super Bowl's winner, the employees can take it or leave.

This is the free market, whose unofficial slogan should be, but sadly isn't, "take it or leave it."

Thus, the Duck Episode has nothing--nothing!!--to do with the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United State of America. To remind Greta VanSusteren, Bill O'Reilly, and hosts of their colleague hosts, the First Amendment begins "Congress shall make no law . . . ." And even though judicial sleight-of-hand has made the First Amendment's guarantees apply to the states, not yet in our statist-collectivist nation has that amendment been thought to assure that "A&E shall make no law . . . ."