Free Speech

"It's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt." -- Abraham Lincoln.

The Constitution doesn't grant free speech; it guarantees a right we already have.

You have a right to express your opinion. I have a right to ignore you.

"Any growing interest in soccer can only be a sign of the nation's moral decay. If more Americans are watching soccer today it's only because of the demographic switch effected by Teddy Kennedy's 1965 immigration law. I promise you: No American whose great grandfather was born here is watching soccer. One can only hope that in addition to learning English these new Americans will drop their soccer fetish with time. " -- Ann Coulter.

The depth of her idiocy continues to astound. -- ER philosopher in residence Dinty Ramble.

   The arch-conservative pundit Ann Coulter posted the above rant last week, and the backlash was widespread and varied, with reactions coming from the media both right and left. Nearly all of them negative.
   Perhaps immigration control agents can identify "true Americans" from illegals by asking questions about baseball, basketball or football (American style) and if they can't answer correctly they will be immediately deported. No matter that many stopped following baseball when the Dodgers left Brooklyn. If such questions worked for GI's in WW2, surely it will work again today.
   No matter that baseball itself evolved from various stick and ball games, including cricket, found in many other countries. No matter that American football descended from rugby, which was first called "rugby football" to differentiate it from "association football," also known as "soccer." No matter that most of the action in American football involves carrying the ball in your hands. No matter that the only "true American" sport is the one developed by native tribes and now known as lacrosse -- a French term, by the way.
    Coulter claims that the growing interest in futbol, as it is known around the world, is evidence of America's "moral decay."

   Are you for real? Or is your ranting solely meant to entertain? Surely you can't be serious.

   "I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." -- Leslie Nielsen.