A New Rant

Okay.

Having spent much of my adult live immersed in and teaching American Lit (and, importantly, having cynically disparaged it and a lot of other things during my misspent yute) I feel I can say with some credibility that Young Jefferson felt it was important to criticize a standing president WHEN HE DESERVED IT but Older President Jefferson didn't think so much of the whole mishegas. I think Franklin thought EVERYone was fair game (including himself) and I think that John Adams was so used to being vilified that he SHOULD have been insensitive to it...but wasn't.

That being said, there is nothing more UN-American than censorship. There's a reason that freedom of speech is our FIRST Amendment. There's a lot of debate on the Second. I have my point of view (and it hovers around the words "well-regulated militia") but that's another rant.

The Dixie Chicks, aside from being an AWESOME band, have had their share of the unfortunate end of the stick being unceremoniously...ummm...you know the metaphor, I think. Now, the real horror: read then watch this.

It's bad enough that our president doesn't get it. It's FAR FAR WORSE that NBC doesn't. Remember WE pay for their airwave license. It's appalling that they don't give free air time to politicians (so the little guys might have a shot) but now that they're censoring something critical of CENSORSHIP!?!?! You've gotta be kidding me.

I like the first comment to this post: "Anyone who still talks about “the liberal media” should be sterilized. They are clearly too stupid to breed."

And better yet is the second: “To announce there must be no criticism of the President, and to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, it is morally treasonous to the American public.”
– President Theodore Roosevelt

I love it when past presidents can make my case for me so nicely.

And Off Rant:
I'm homesick.