After the very ugly and disgusting rants of comedian Michael Richards come the very ugly threats of Gloria Allred and Al Sharpton, whom I just heard on CNN demanding that Richards be forced to pay money damages to the people he offended. Allred wanted money for her clients, two of the people in the club at whom Richards directed his sickening rant, but Sharpton demanded not merely contrition, but some sort of compensation for “an entire race.” Not one person, including the spineless CNN anchor, even raised the issue of freedom of speech. Even disgusting and vile speech deserves protection. If damages are in order, they should be limited to a refund of the admission ticket to the Comedy Club. And if punishment is in order, it should be limited to loss of income through boycotts (and I doubt he’ll be doing much standup comedy), loss of reputation, and public shame.
The Author of Threats Perhaps Not as Ugly as Richards’ Comments, but More Dangerous
One of my favorite George Washington quotes:
“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to slaughter.”