The serpent-haired pimps of freedom
Posted: April 12th, 2007, 11:32 am
This is a very bad day for freedom. Vonnegut is gone, forever. Normally that would be enough. I knew the situation was bad a couple of years ago when the only very well written voice of dissent was Kurt’s. He was too old, then, to be the leading voice of common sense in America. And now he’s gone. But it’s worse, now, too, because we’ve sunken into a never-ending chasm of progressive suicide. We sure are fucked, now.
This Imus situation is going to destroy the mainstream attempt to take back America. The left are doing what they have been chastising the right for doing, and this proves that neither mainstream party or even movement is really interested in anything beyond political gain. It also castrates the ability for these “leaders” to accomplish anything, and brings every one of their thrusts towards freedom to a painful halt.
Then again, I’m not sure that there ever even was a mainstream attempt to take back America.
Superficial minds may believe that Imus’s MSNBC death (and imminent radio death) is “about green, not about black or white.” It’s easy to point the finger at the show’s super-rich sponsors, after a week of media and civilian moaning. Once the sponsors pull out, it was always only about the money.
There is no freedom of speech in America, or anywhere else, when all accessible speech is attached to the strings of cash and future funding. This is the brilliance of a fascist nation. Privatize everything (as defined by the government), and then nothing is protected by government. Government can dismiss any and all charges of state censorship by pointing to the natural life-form that is the free market.
Because superficial minds cant see that it’s the government which is enabling and even funding this so-called free market.
The “nappy-headed ho’s” comment was hardly a straw that broke the camel's back. If it were more than a straw, even, like, say, a needle, a very sharp needle, in the haystack of Imus’s career, it would never even have been heard. But now we have even so-called liberals, progressives, so-called feminists and minority leaders of America, not merely speaking out against what Imus said (which is fine), but actually demanding that he be fired. This has gone way too far, and is even represented at Newsvine by normally level-headed progressive individuals.
Folks, freedom of speech means freedom of speech. It means, necessarily, that some of that speech will offend some people. If the only speech we allow within this realm of freedom of speech is that which is inoffensive, there is absolutely no need for an expressed freedom of speech.
Recently, and as appropriately represented here at Newsvine, there are increasing mainstream efforts to bring about the overdue but necessary changes in America, changes that are necessary if we are to become the beacon of freedom that we either used to be or yearn to become, depending on whose history books you read.
Even The View is taking on the issue of 9/11 truth. Thats a big step, to say the least. I have been a very outspoken critic of Rosie O’Donnell. Her blog represents a part of the ongoing death of poetry, for instance. But she is brave for taking on the system regarding 9/11, and I commend her for that.
But these mainstream attempts at making sure that America stands for truth and freedom will die on the vine, here and elsewhere, literally and otherwise, because of the liberal murder of Imus’s program.
Our only hope, now, is something so grassroots that it makes your pants dirty just thinking about it. It’s true, folks — the only answer is revolution. The powers that be are purely politically driven, held back by permanent and tragic blinders. It’s only a matter of time before the advertisers who own the Newsvine banners start getting pissed off at our words. In fact, that day will come as soon as our words make an impact. To survive, we must commit a suicide of the truth, and that cannot be acceptable for writers or artists or truth-seekers of any ilk.
Freedom is for the brave. We must be brave enough to not cry like fucking children at every offense. We must be brave enough to recognize when our government is controlling even the free market, and therefore the “money issue” is but a red herring. We must be brave enough to allow dissent. We must be brave enough to realize that the path to truth often hurts, it stings our eyes and scars our feet.
But are we brave enough? We're brave enough to cheer our troops, to commend their bravery. But while our troops are out there dying, we cant handle the idea of an old man making a joke.
We're not brave. We're a bunch of fragile little glass kittens.
This Imus situation is going to destroy the mainstream attempt to take back America. The left are doing what they have been chastising the right for doing, and this proves that neither mainstream party or even movement is really interested in anything beyond political gain. It also castrates the ability for these “leaders” to accomplish anything, and brings every one of their thrusts towards freedom to a painful halt.
Then again, I’m not sure that there ever even was a mainstream attempt to take back America.
Superficial minds may believe that Imus’s MSNBC death (and imminent radio death) is “about green, not about black or white.” It’s easy to point the finger at the show’s super-rich sponsors, after a week of media and civilian moaning. Once the sponsors pull out, it was always only about the money.
There is no freedom of speech in America, or anywhere else, when all accessible speech is attached to the strings of cash and future funding. This is the brilliance of a fascist nation. Privatize everything (as defined by the government), and then nothing is protected by government. Government can dismiss any and all charges of state censorship by pointing to the natural life-form that is the free market.
Because superficial minds cant see that it’s the government which is enabling and even funding this so-called free market.
The “nappy-headed ho’s” comment was hardly a straw that broke the camel's back. If it were more than a straw, even, like, say, a needle, a very sharp needle, in the haystack of Imus’s career, it would never even have been heard. But now we have even so-called liberals, progressives, so-called feminists and minority leaders of America, not merely speaking out against what Imus said (which is fine), but actually demanding that he be fired. This has gone way too far, and is even represented at Newsvine by normally level-headed progressive individuals.
Folks, freedom of speech means freedom of speech. It means, necessarily, that some of that speech will offend some people. If the only speech we allow within this realm of freedom of speech is that which is inoffensive, there is absolutely no need for an expressed freedom of speech.
Recently, and as appropriately represented here at Newsvine, there are increasing mainstream efforts to bring about the overdue but necessary changes in America, changes that are necessary if we are to become the beacon of freedom that we either used to be or yearn to become, depending on whose history books you read.
Even The View is taking on the issue of 9/11 truth. Thats a big step, to say the least. I have been a very outspoken critic of Rosie O’Donnell. Her blog represents a part of the ongoing death of poetry, for instance. But she is brave for taking on the system regarding 9/11, and I commend her for that.
But these mainstream attempts at making sure that America stands for truth and freedom will die on the vine, here and elsewhere, literally and otherwise, because of the liberal murder of Imus’s program.
Our only hope, now, is something so grassroots that it makes your pants dirty just thinking about it. It’s true, folks — the only answer is revolution. The powers that be are purely politically driven, held back by permanent and tragic blinders. It’s only a matter of time before the advertisers who own the Newsvine banners start getting pissed off at our words. In fact, that day will come as soon as our words make an impact. To survive, we must commit a suicide of the truth, and that cannot be acceptable for writers or artists or truth-seekers of any ilk.
Freedom is for the brave. We must be brave enough to not cry like fucking children at every offense. We must be brave enough to recognize when our government is controlling even the free market, and therefore the “money issue” is but a red herring. We must be brave enough to allow dissent. We must be brave enough to realize that the path to truth often hurts, it stings our eyes and scars our feet.
But are we brave enough? We're brave enough to cheer our troops, to commend their bravery. But while our troops are out there dying, we cant handle the idea of an old man making a joke.
We're not brave. We're a bunch of fragile little glass kittens.