Mood:
chillin'Topic: Social Issues
Mark Belling was back on the air after suspension on Monday. Belling is a conservative talk radio host in the Milwaukee area who sometimes substitutes for Rush Limbaugh on his show. A few weeks back he uttered an ethnic slur on his program. This has caused all manner of upset among the liberals in the area. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this past Sunday had three opinions in its Crossroads section (here, here, and here.)
He has been suspended from his daily talk show as well as a weekly show on a local station. He also has a weekly newspaper column. Demonstrations for and against him have taken place at the radio station's office as well as one of the newspapers.
I wrote my views in an e-mail to the Waukesha Freeman (as yet unpublished) over the weekend:
"...Freedom of Speech is a long and cherished right by everyone in America. A recent holiday commemorated the many men and women who spilled blood and gave their lives so that this and other freedoms would not be stamped out.
"Mark Belling was wrong to use the word he used. Many have stated that. People who are in the public eye and expect to have their opinions taken seriously need to be careful in their speech. And, no doubt, he exacerbated the situation with his initial apologies.
"But the quote from Voltaire that began the recent Freeman editorial has summed up American feelings for over 200 years. Those who disagree with Belling have a simple recourse. Don't read his column, listen to his radio show, or watch his TV program.
"But censorship of speech is just a bad idea. One that I am glad the Freeman is not a part of. One that I hope the TV and radio stations involved will cease being part of."
It's really been quite amusing. The ethnic slur has seen more use in the days following Belling's use of it, than it would have otherwise. One of the the Journal Sentinel's editorials looked at the origins of the term. Now everyone knows the term. I guess that was the goal?
Posted by Dean
at 11:38 AM CST
