Your Two Cents
Occasionally, we select your most interesting comments and ideas, and incorporate them into a feature called YOUR TWO CENTS. It is the writings of you readers, un-edited (unless they make no sense as written) and posted here, for all the world of cyberspace to see. The following was sent to CNN Political Director Sam Feist by Steve from Quincy who also sent the Big Mattress a copy: “Mr. Feist:
I am deeply concerned that your company would seek to employ the services of Erick Erickson as a contributor. The fact that S.G. Tallentyre in describing the philosophy of Voltaire wrote "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" can not be applied to the practice of fair journalism, if the speech of a contributor is malicious or inflammatory.
Erick Erickson, using Twitter, wrote the following about Supreme Court Justice David Souter:
"The nation loses the only goat-fucking child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court in David Souter's retirement." (7:27 PM Apr 30th, 2009)
I am deeply concerned that your company would seek to employ the services of Erick Erickson as a contributor. The fact that S.G. Tallentyre in describing the philosophy of Voltaire wrote "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it" can not be applied to the practice of fair journalism, if the speech of a contributor is malicious or inflammatory.
Erick Erickson, using Twitter, wrote the following about Supreme Court Justice David Souter:
"The nation loses the only goat-fucking child molester to ever serve on the Supreme Court in David Souter's retirement." (7:27 PM Apr 30th, 2009)
This, and other comments are to be expected from time to time in crowded barrooms or heated telephone conversations, but not by people who are responsible for influencing the opinions of millions of viewers. Your company and you personally should be held in deep contempt by thinking people around the world for even seriously considering giving such a person an office and forum on your network. You should resign and lead a boycott against the network rather than continue to work there. Every serious investor in your company should seek to withdraw their funds from Time-Warner's control as long as Erick Erickson is employed by Cable News Network.
There is sometimes an urge among liberal thinkers to compare strong right-wing opposition with Naziism. Often it is hyperbolic to do so. However, the rise of the Third Reich was not as swift as the resulting Blitzkriegs across Europe. It was incremental, and aided by acquiescence and apathy among powerful groups who could have stepped in to stop the easy acceptance of hate speech and virulent ad hominem against respectable leaders. In the case of your employment of Erickson, you have made the type of error those thinking Germans made. Since you have the benefit of access to a large history documenting the faults that led to Germany's tragic shift to darkness, you bear even more of the guilt than you might, had you not been aware of the possible consequences of satisfying your profit motive with support for such people as Erickson.
The ability of people to think and fight against fascism and fear will trump whatever stupidity your corporate thinking can come up with, so I am telling you now to be prepared to rescind this hiring, or lose more respect, viewers and money than you could ever possibly gain.”
There is sometimes an urge among liberal thinkers to compare strong right-wing opposition with Naziism. Often it is hyperbolic to do so. However, the rise of the Third Reich was not as swift as the resulting Blitzkriegs across Europe. It was incremental, and aided by acquiescence and apathy among powerful groups who could have stepped in to stop the easy acceptance of hate speech and virulent ad hominem against respectable leaders. In the case of your employment of Erickson, you have made the type of error those thinking Germans made. Since you have the benefit of access to a large history documenting the faults that led to Germany's tragic shift to darkness, you bear even more of the guilt than you might, had you not been aware of the possible consequences of satisfying your profit motive with support for such people as Erickson.
The ability of people to think and fight against fascism and fear will trump whatever stupidity your corporate thinking can come up with, so I am telling you now to be prepared to rescind this hiring, or lose more respect, viewers and money than you could ever possibly gain.”