by Ray Newman, radio and television commentator, attorney, educator, author

Saturday, January 30, 2010

SUPER SPEECH

One day after I wrote Viva la Truth!, which dealt with the claim by dems that Justice Alito's mouthing of the words "not true" during President Obama's SOTU address was "inappropriate", comes another attempt at repression of speech and opinion that makes the news.

The pro-choice National Organization for Women is objecting to an ad scheduled to run during the Super Bowl tv broadcast that is pro life. The objection is that it is the "wrong" event during which to run such an ad. The ad by Focus on the Family shows the mother of Heisman-winning quarterback Tim Tebow telling her story of why she refrained from aborting the birth of her now famous son though physicians told her that her life was in jeopardy and recommended she have an abortion.

Americans are ingrained with the idea of free speech, and treasure it. Frontal attacks claiming your opponents' views violate free speech will not likely succeed. So attacks on those opposing views are now being launched from the blind side under the banners of political correctness, social protocol, tradition, etc. Now comes football correctness. What's next? Rodeo decorum? Circus decorousness? Bowling alley seemliness?

And please, would someone tell me what standard is being used to formulate these refinements to free speech, and prove to me that it is the correct standard for us to use. The hearing of opposing positions via free speech oils the way to knowledge. It is never inappropriate, untimely, improper, unseemly, to get as much of that as we can.

Are we to assume that the reason NOW was concerned about the pro life tv ad being aired on the Super Bowl telecast was NOT the fact it will be seen by over 100 million viewers...but just a matter of appropriateness?

The Super Bowl this year will be played by football players whose mothers did not abort them when they were fetuses. That makes the ad in question seem appropriate to me. When the game is played by football players whose mothers aborted them when they were fetuses, a pro choice ad at halftime will be perfectly in order.

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