free speech: n The right to express any opinion in public without censorship or restraint by the government. My tendency to take things literally assumes speech is oral production, but apparently the definition has been expanded to incorporate all kinds of behaviors as well.
Dale Peterson is a Republican in Alabama who is running for Agricultural Commissioner. To see his political ad, click here.
OK, if you've seen his ad, it would be nice to share your opinions of it. I will share mine. He throws a rifle over his shoulder and states, "We take no prisoners." Since when does the Agricultural Commissioner 'take prisoners'? The ad sounds like he is talking about 'the powerful position the job is', spoken with this very authoritative voice after he speaks of having been in the Marines, and sounded angry and antagonistic to me. It is my impression that this faction of the Republican party is threatening our Constitution, our democracy, and sounds more vigilante than usual non-violent appointments such as the Agricultural Commissioner would encourage.
Does he really believe he can prove that electing him will save three lost farms a day? He, in my opinion, has not discussed the real reasons those farms are closing down. If he is a Republican, then he has been supporting the agricultural conglomerates that are putting the little farms out of business. However, it is unlikely the Alabama voters will all hear the truth and will be encouraged by the power he exudes.
2 comments:
Although this ad did not convince me that Dale Paterson should be the next Commissioner, his right to make this ad is fully protected by the first amendment.
For those of us from an urban background, Dale's brandishing of a rifle may seem a bit shocking. But keep in mind that ranchers often carry a rifle while performing their duties, in order to scare off predators. Dale is almost certainly carrying the rifle to pass himself off as a fellow rancher, and not as an (ill-advised) attempt to scare his opponents.
As to the line "We take no prisoners", this is clearly meant to be taken metaphorically. If this metaphor is to prohibited, should the Obama administration be prevented from saying that they intend to keep a "boot on the neck of BP"?
Our current agricultural subsidy program does give large conglomerates an unfair advantage over smaller farms. Both republicans and democrats supported these measures and hence should share the blame. Fortunately, both Barney Frank (D-MA) and Ron Paul (R-TX) both support ending these subsidy programs.
In short, I am not in agreement with Dale' positions, but I would defend his right to say it. To quote supreme court justice Sonya Sotomayor, "I find the speech in this case patently offensive, hateful, and insulting. The Court should not, however, gloss over three decades of jurisprudence and the centrality of First Amendment freedoms in our lives because it is confronted with speech it does not like."
Frank, I do not dispute the right to free speech. However, you still cannot yell 'FIRE' in a theater. In this climate of militia's and threats of revolution, I would point out that my comments are more about his judgment, not his right to speak.
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