Some people think that if you cave in to a toddler every time it shrieks, you'll become a hostage. I don't know whether that's true with respect to children, but I know that it's spot-on in terms of adults.
That said, PR Web reports:
"Los Angeles actor, D.C. Douglas, says he was dropped from the upcoming GEICO "Shocking News" campaign after a group of Tea Party members harassed him and the insurance giant over a private voicemail the actor left for FreedomWorks. Matt Kibbe, President and CEO of FreedomWorks, posted Mr. Douglas' cell phone number in a blog post on biggovernment.com, instructing readers to "Feel free to contact (him)… call his employer too. Let them know that you…are now in the market for car insurance." The next day, GEICO held auditions to replace Mr. Douglas' voice on the campaign.
"Mr. Douglas' message hardly warranted the mobilization of the Tea Party Movement. Upset by the recent gay and racial slurs slung by Tea Party members at Congressman Barney Frank and Representative John Lewis during the Health Care Reform Weekend, Mr. Douglas left his opinion of FreedomWorks' staff and followers on their company voicemail and included his phone number.
"'I called as a private citizen to make a complaint,' explains Mr. Douglas. 'Racism and homophobia are my Achilles heal, but unfortunately my message included inappropriate words and I am sorry for that. However, telling their members to harass my employer to get me fired is an egregiously disproportionate response to my actions.'"
Apparently, Mr. Douglas used cuss words, which I suspect shocked and offended even the most cable-addicted Tea Partiers. Why stop at firing Mr. Douglas? Why not subject him to severe domestic discipline? Perhaps a few months in jail?
Incidentally, something has been plaguing me for months: what does Freedom Works mean? My Oxford American Dictionary says that Freedom is a noun meaning "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants...." In this context, the most sensible interpretation of Works is as a present tense verb meaning to function well.
Putting it all together, the group's message seems to be that freedom serves a valuable function in our society (and, thus, should be protected).
The big question: why would a group of self-styled freedom lovers go gunning after a fellow American for exercising his power to speak or think as he wants?
Back in the '80s, we had to contend with the so-called "Moral Majority," which was eventually re-labeled the "Oral Minority" because there weren't all that many of them (relative to the nation's population). Though, they sure did squawk like chickens during a neck wringing.
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