Congress should just ‘Move on’ from Limbaugh

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

By Judd Grossman

 In an unfortunate attack on the First Amendment, Congress has recently voted to condemn conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh and liberal activist organization MoveOn.org for speech they deemed offensive. The guaranteed protection of free speech is fundamental to our society and the government should be very careful about taking punitive actions that might have a chilling effect.  
  
Last month, MoveOn.org placed a provocative full-page ad in the New York Times that referred to the U.S. Commander in Iraq as “General Betray Us.” This is protected speech and isn’t Congress’s business. Period.
   
In the case of Rush Limbaugh’s “phony soldiers” remark, the Congressional intervention gets even more Kafkaesque. Limbaugh, an Iraq war supporter, has been railing against critics of the Iraq war who falsely state the nature of their service, particularly a man named Jesse MacBeth. MacBeth had been an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq and claimed that he was an Army Ranger whose unit had routinely committed war crimes during combat missions. Apparently, MacBeth only served for 44 days, and has no record of having served in a combat unit.
 
Limbaugh’s comments fueled a media firestorm and critics accused Limbaugh of attacking all soldiers who disagree with the war. Harry Reid, the Senate Majority leader, asked the Senate to denounce Limbaugh, a private individual, for his unpatriotic statements.    
  
Mark Mays, CEO of Clear Channel Communications Inc., eloquently responded to Senator Reid in a hand-delivered letter: “The First Amendment gives every American the right to voice his or her opinion, no matter how unpopular.” He went on to say: “Each and every day, Clear Channel airs a broad diversity of viewpoints from Rush Limbaugh on the right to Air America on the left of the political spectrum. ... I will always defend the right of our employees and contracted talent to voice their opinions under the protections provided by the First Amendment.”
  
Free speech is one of the most precious accomplishments of our democracy and helps our nation to find its way through challenging times. Unfortunately, free speech is constantly threatened by those who would attempt to destroy the voices of people with whom they disagree. Though we haven’t been mentioned in the Senate, you might be surprised at how much flak Planet Jackson Hole takes from our community - from both ends of the political spectrum - who find it difficult to tolerate opinions that differ from their own. I am proud that Planet Jackson Hole provides a forum for diverse opinions. Rather than attempting to censor those with whom we disagree, I encourage fellow Planet readers to take up the intellectual challenge and join the dialogue.
PERMALINK:
Congress should just ‘Move on’ from Limbaugh | Planet JH News Article: Editorial

Leave a Comment