The Skyliner

Issue date: 2/28/07 Section: Opinion

Cody Fields
Sports Editor


Shame on you, Bill Donahue. You, as the president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, have actually violated the civil rights of Melissa McEwan and Amanda Marcotte.

Recently, McEwan and Marcotte had been working as bloggers for John Edwards' presidential campaign. On foxnews.com, Donahue called them "anti-Catholic vulgar trash-talking bigots" for their profanity-laced remarks against the church's stand on homosexuality, abortion and contraception. Donahue also insisted that Edwards fire the bloggers if they did not resign.

Edwards refused, saying that while he was offended he believed in giving everyone a "fair shake." Both McEwan and Marcotte apologized and said that they didn't intend to malign anyone's faith, but that was not good enough for Donahue as he demanded their heads on the proverbial platter.

I honestly hope my fellow conservatives can learn that this is not how to win elections or debates over world views. Allow our liberal counterparts to spew their rhetoric against all they want, it's their First Amendment right and there is no American "Right to Remain Unoffended." To effectively counter their blogs, rants and biased news coverage, should we not simply call them out, correct them and leave it at that?

The answer in this hypersensitive society has become no, even though this makes the conservative Christian community guilty of the very thing it accuses liberals of doing - violating our free speech by not allowing us to say what we believe without being called bigoted. If someone happens to be offended by anything whatsoever, there seems to be an "Easy Button" for offending party's next pink slip or FCC fine. By doing this, we've only set ourselves up to be struck in the same way, much like the Canadian law that calls preaching against homosexuality "hate speech."

I find it ironic how the leader of a civil rights group on the opposite side of the political spectrum as the ACLU has insisted that employments be terminated after someone criticized him. Is it possible to be grown up at all these days? They stated what they believed, but it was their right. It was stupid, but that is their right as well. There is no reason to make oneself look foolish by insisting someone have his or her mouth permanently shut after an offensive comment.

Free speech is a beautiful thing. Our Founding Fathers wanted us to be able to call people out and hold the authorities accountable for their actions. It also shows us the true character of the speaker and whom they represent. Let's use our free speech to promote the things we believe are true and let them use their own free speech to condemn themselves if they go to far.

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