Duck Man

Wow, I'm sure you've all heard about the firestorm the Duck Dynasty dude created the other day. Unless of course you have been in a brain dead coma for the past week or so. It's on every news program, television and talk radio and the internet is practically on fire. Quite a war going on between the politically correct police and the rights of freedom of speech people. Of course, you know I'm not a fence straddle when it comes to issues of personal freedom. And I would like to start my own personal war against political correctness, so I'm sure you probably already know who's side I'm on in this issue.

If for some strange reason you haven't heard, just a bit of background. Phil, the head of the Duck clan was giving an interview to a magazine, when the reporter asked about his beliefs on some subjects, including homosexuality. Phil told him exactly what his beliefs where. Now, you have to know 2 things about Phil. He is a Christian and he is a redneck. So needless to say his views on homosexuality are those typical of the Christian faith, who do believe it is a sin.

So in comes one of the gay rights organizations and raises holy hell. They get the cable station to put Phil on leave. Ah...but here's the rub. Duck Dynasty just happens to be the most popular show on this particular TV station! Millions of viewers each week and the series has started it's own huge merchandise line, with clothes and coffee mugs and you name it, you can find it in cameo with Duck Dynasty on it. And the rest of the family is not going to carry on the show without their head man.

The war rages on. Even though the TV station, A&E has put him on leave, one of the major sponsors of the show has decided to stick by the duck men and have refused to pull their advertising dollars from the show. Several other sponsors are of course, straddling the fence, but at least they have not come right out and condemned the show or threatened to no longer sponsor it. And there are several other cable TV networks that are just frothing at the mouth in hopes of getting the show on their stations.

I think A&E really screwed up. I mean seriously, they knew from the very beginning that Phil and his family are rednecks. That was a good part of the charm of the whole show to start with. So why did it come to be such a huge shock when he professed his beliefs? That shouldn't of surprised anyone at all. Any anyway, why was he allowed to give the interview to the magazine to start with when I'm sure they knew what was going to come of it. And nobody says much about the reporter doing the interview, something that kind of gripes me. Had he done any background information for his interview, he would of known Phil's beliefs. So I'm sure the question was asked in a deliberate attempt for publicity and shock value and possibly just to start the mess that has come from it. One of 2 things needs to happen to the reporter. And I don't care which quite frankly, he needs smacked up side the head, OR, he needs to get the opportunity to interview Prez Obama! Nice to see an interview of him where the reporter wasn't sucking up to him and actually asked some tough questions.

Some of the people crying foul about what he said are really warping and twisting his words. They also don't have a good grasp of the constitution of the United States or what it means. I heard one gay rights advocate say he had the right to have his own opinion, but he should have that opinion in the privacy of his own home and not in public??? What kind of an idiot would say that? Phil has been accused of all types of hate speech and just about everything evil you can think of. But damn people, he was asked his opinion and he gave it. Period. Just because someone has a different opinion than you do does that give you the rights to claim your opinion is correct and he is wrong? What makes one persons opinion right and gives them precedence over someone else's rights and opinions? Phil has the right to his opinion, no matter what some else's is. You can't give rights to one person by taking them away from someone else. That's my big problem with this whole mess.

Good news on this story, it seems A&E, the cable station that carries Duck Dynasty has relented and taken Phyl back into their good graces. The new season of Duck Dynasty will include the entire family, including the mouthy opinionated patriarch of the family. I just love a good kick in the teeth to the politically correct minions of whinny liberals. Go rednecks!!!! Just keep right on hunting and fishing and telling it like it is!