Freedom Isn't Really Free

Sometimes, even as a professional broadcaster, I will see a story and just have to shake my head. I mean, DAMN! What is going ON over there in the Middle East?!? At first, I was like, this is all over some stupid cartoons. But then I learned about the religious background of it all (any depiction of Islam's Mohammed is a no-no)...and I STILL had to shake my head.

As a member of the (free) press, I have to side with...the PRESS. Natch. You didn't and wouldn't see Muslims taking to the streets of Detroit or New York setting stuff on fire because of some alleged "desecrations". Why is something that was printed in DENMARK having people burning buildings down in SYRIA??? And how is something that those cookie-makers with the pointy shoes did reflective of the entirety of the Western press, if not the Western World?

Let's take a breath people. Even though the reaction to these cartoons has been more than carried away, let us also recognize the responsibility of being a free, accountable press. I could run a piece on-air about how much I hate Mexicans (not really; y'all are cool with me) but that would just piss people off, get me fired, end my career, and get the station, if not myself, probably sued. That's how we get even in The West. I think $5 million dollars would keep me warmer at night than the temporary glow of a burning building, n'est-ce pas?

Freedom of the press also means the freedom to be stupid. But don't let one person's stupidity make you free to be just as stupid.