Freedom of speech
Remember American History and P.O.D.? Think back, it wasn't that long ago. One of the more important documents of our time was amended to include the following text:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Read it again, carefully. Notice that the first amendment grants the freedom of speech to "the people"? It doesn't single out oppressed people, people on welfare, environmentalists or liberal extremists. Interestingly though, when it comes to expression of free speech by well-paid professional baseball players, the media throws everything they have at taking it away. Remember back a few months to this now-famous quote:
"Imagine having to take the (No.) 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're (riding through) Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get into this country?"
You tell 'em John. Popular among media types or not, Mr. Rocker has a point. Have you ridden a bus lately in a major metropolitan center? How about a train or subway. Like it or not, the truth rings strong in John's quote. Maybe that's what really hurts?
Remember, it's "we the people" and not "we the media giants trying to cram multicultural bullshit down your throat." Get over it. If you belong to some downtrodden tangent of society, it's time to get your act together and join the rest of our productive culture. Stop feeling sorry for yourself or your kind and get on with life. And most important of all, if you expect to live and thrive in this great country of ours, you need to start living by the same Constitution that the rest of us do.
"Imagine having to take the (No.) 7 train to the ballpark, looking like you're (riding through) Beirut next to some kid with purple hair, next to some queer with AIDS, right next to some dude who just got out of jail for the fourth time, next to some 20-year-old mom with four kids. The biggest thing I don't like about New York are the foreigners. I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. You can walk an entire block in Times Square and not hear anybody speaking English. Asians and Koreans and Vietnamese and Indians and Russians and Spanish people and everything up there. How the hell did they get into this country?"