Posted on 12/21/2013 9:45:41 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
A&Es Woes Over Phil Robertson Firing Intensify with Duck Dynasty Family
By firing the star of the reality show Duck Dynasty, the A&E Network is walking a very fine line between fans and demands from gay rights groups such as the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD).
Interestingly, the lines arent drawn squarely between conservatives on one side and gay rights activists on the other.
Noted writer and lesbian Camille Paglia has expressed outrage over the denunciation of Phil Robertson and affirmed his right to express his religious views on homosexuality. Paglia claims the moral right to speak on the matter given that she was openly gay when doing so brought a person adverse consequences. She said that Robertson has a right to express his religious views even if they are against homosexuality.
I speak with authority here, because I was openly gay before the Stonewall rebellion, when it cost you something to be so. And I personally feel as a libertarian that people have the right to free thought and free speech, Paglia, a professor at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, said on Laura Ingrahams radio show Thursday.
In a democratic country, people have the right to be homophobic as well as they have the right to support homosexuality as I one hundred percent do. If people are basing their views against gays on the Bible, again they have a right of religious freedom there, she added.
She went on to say that he did so via a magazine interview and to punish him for that is Stalinist.
To express yourself in a magazine in an interview this is the level of punitive PC, utterly fascist, utterly Stalinist, OK, that my liberal colleagues in the Democratic Party and on college campuses have supported and promoted over the last several decades, Paglia said. This is the whole legacy of free speech 1960s that have been lost by my own party.
Now, the Robertson family has made a carefully veiled threat that they are not going to move on without their patriarch. They announced yesterday that they are speaking with A&E about the shows future. A&E grossed $885 million this past year and a large portion of that comes from advertising revenue from Duck Dynasty.
Duck Dyansty Family Defends Patriarch Phil
Amidst the furor over Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertsons remarks to GQ, his family has issued a statement defending him. While the statement characterized some of his statements a coarse, they stated they reflected his deeply held religious beliefs coming from the Bible.
According to eonline.com, the family stated that Phil would never incite or encourage hate. We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. The statement clearly leaves the future of the hugely popular show in jeopardy, since it could not go on without them.
Robertsons comments which state that homosexuality was a sinful behavior and that sex between men was illogical, led to Robertsons suspension from the show. The remarks have ignited a firestorm of argument both for and against Robertson. Both Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and Sarah Palin have come to Robertsons defense, while GLAAD and the NAACP have declared their support for Robertsons suspension. So far Phil Robertson himself has not made any statement regarding his suspension from the show.
On The Web:
Palin and Beck add fire to blazing row over Phil Robertson and Duck Dynasty http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/dec/20/palin-beck-phil-robertson-duck-dynasty
Paglia: Duck Dynasty uproar utterly fascist, utterly Stalinist http://dailycaller.com/2013/12/19/paglia-duck-dynasty-uproar-utterly-fascist-utterly-stalinist/
Phil Robertsons Entire Family Stands by Him, Implies Duck Dynasty Cant Continue Unless He Returns http://www.eonline.com/news/492746/phil-robertson-s-entire-family-stands-by-him-implies-duck-dynasty-can-t-continue
Don’t care. We’re getting away from the stuff that matters.
Mr. R. is guilty of anti-Soviet thought and must be fired from his job and sent to the Gulag in Siberia.
Or was it anti-Mao thought, and....
No, wait! It was anti-Obama thought....
Oops, I got it...he was guilty of exercising his First Amendment rights as guaranteed by the U.S.Constitution!
How dare he do that!
What does he think the USA is, a free Country?!
hate to tell y’all but I have heard these Robertson characters are Democrats , who encourage folks to vote for Dems . Is this true ? Looking at them , one must assume they all smoke weed . I am convinced that weed smoking directly leads people to becoming Liberals with strong inclinations to vote Dem. The best argument there is to totally avoid smoking weed .
Miss Paglia is the last leftist to show even a resemblance to classic liberalism, i.e., she may not necessarily agree with what someone say but she will fight for that person’s right to say it.
>> Dont care. Were getting away from the stuff that matters.
It’s all intertwined.
Don’t worry, Obamacare is inflicting wounds on hundreds of millions of people as we speak. We could be talking about Fantasy Football, American Idol or the weather in Upper Michigan and the ACA will still be hurting people from Austin to Boston and from Seattle to Sarasota. It doesn’t require our observation, it just is.
The Left is exploiting homosexuality in order to destroy the Christian fabric of the Country.
No they don’t smoke weed, they are deeply Church Of Christ which is a rather conservative denomination, at least their branch of it. Phil Robertson stated that he voted for Romney in the last election, which many other conservatives also did in a last-gasp, if futile, effort to stop Obama. (yes I know Romney wasn’t any better but that’s another argument). Robertson isn’t a dumb hick, he has a master’s degree (for what credentials are worth, they mean something to the elites at any rate as a signifier).
Not even close.
I don’t know where any of that came from. Beards = stoners, is that what you’re saying? I have a beard and I haven’t touched the stuff since I was 23, which is 30 years ago. Those people run a multi-hundred million dollar sporting goods operation, have the highest rated television show in cable history, large families, help at their church, hunt professionally and for their table and supervise their TV merchandise set-up. Does that sound like the work of drug addicts to you? Democrats? Huh?
‘Duck Dynasty’ Endorsed Candidate Wins Special Election, Upsets GOP Establishment Opponent
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3093971/posts
‘Duck Dynasty’ star reportedly eyed by Republicans as potential House candidate
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3054570/posts
“What does he think the USA is, a free Country?!”
______________________________________________
Correct yourself Comrade. It is the USSA.
Credot where credit is due so I agree as far as it goes but she still misuses the term “homophobic”.
“...These Robertson characters...Looking at them, one must assume they all smoke weed...”
-
You did not really type that, did you?
Some people seem to hear certain accents, see people who like rural life, and their knees start jerking.
Just like some think every limey with a non-cockney accent must be an Etonian.
“Dont care. Were getting away from the stuff that matters.”
If the number of posts on articles relating to this matter are indicative of “stuff that matters” to most of us, I’d say that you are probably wrong! FWIW, just when has free speech not been “stuff that matters?”
Si Robertson as a Specialist 5 in the US Army (he served 20 years from 1973-93) and a recent photo.
If you don’t care, don’t post.
I think they will just go to another network.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.