Republican Politicians Rally Behind 'Duck Dynasty' Star After He Makes Anti-Gay Remarks

[Cali_Democrat]

Republican pols rally behind 'Duck Dynasty' star
Catalina Camia, USA TODAY 3:13 p.m. EST December 19, 2013


Robertson was put on "indefinite hiatus" by A&E from the hit reality show after making anti-gay remarks in GQ magazine. The hit show about a Louisiana family — known for its Duck Commander hunting call — draws an average of 14 million viewers each episode.

Jindal and Cruz, both Republicans and potential 2016 presidential candidates, joined former Alaska governor Sarah Palin in siding with Robertson's First Amendment rights.

"If you believe in free speech or religious liberty, you should be deeply dismayed over the treatment of Phil Robertson," Cruz, R-Texas, wrote on his Facebook page. "Phil expressed his personal views and his own religious faith; for that he was suspended from his job.

"In a free society, anyone is free to disagree with him — but the mainstream media should not behave as the thought police censoring the views with which they disagree," Cruz said.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2013/12/19/duck-dynasty-phil-robertson-bobby-jindal/4125211/

[Aristus]

1. Does this mean they no longer support free enterprise, and a corporation's

right to do what is necessary to make a profit, and to avoid losses?

[liberalmuse]

5. They understand nothing.

And there lies the problem. This is another perfect example of the free market in action, and sadly, it just goes right over their heads.

[liberalmuse]

2. Wonderful.

In the meantime, the LGBT community is watching yet another display that essentially throws them under the bus yet again in the name of "faith" and "free speech". I and every single human being who understands their worth and the worth of every human being cries, "BULL SHIT!". We're tired of it and we won't stand for it!

[Wounded Bear]

3. Republican view of 'free speech'....

always seems to correlate with a right to be an asshole with no consequences.

[msongs]

4. it's all a PR stunt. a nobody becomes a somebody due to outrage. can't buy that kind of PR nt

[OmahaBlueDog]

7. ^^ This one ^^

..and the GOP pols have gotten on board because this serves to "fire up the base."

[FSogol]

6. I hope he runs for President on the GOP ticket!

He can be between Paul Ryan and Mike Huckabee during the 20 GOP debates. That should be good for a few laughs.

[Matariki]

8. "mainstream media should not censor views with which they disagree" - FOX News we're looking at you

Oh, wait...

I guess that statement only applies to views that these Republicans agree with.

[Gothmog]

9. The First Amendment only applies to State Actors

Unless a governmental entity is doing the censorship, the First Amendment does not apply. Here the TV network is free to take whatever steps they want and there is no violation of the First Amendment. This is basic constitutional law. Here is a brief explanation of this requirement from Cornell Law School http://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/state_action_requirement

The state action requirement stems from the fact that the constitutional amendments which protect individual rights (especially the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment) are mostly phrased as prohibitions against government action. For example, the First Amendment states that “[c]ongress shall make no law” infringing upon the freedoms of speech and religion. Because of this requirement, it is impossible for private parties (citizens or corporations) to violate these amendments, and all lawsuits alleging constitutional violations of this type must show how the government (state or federal) was responsible for the violation of their rights. This is referred to as the state action requirement.