It's called FREEDOM of speech

So bear with me because I need to come at this in a roundabout way.

Aaron Sorkin is easily one of the best writers of this generation. He made me passionate about politics when I hate everything there is about politics. Movies like The American President and shows like the West Wing (when Sorkin wrote for it) have the best dialog, intelligent characters. You name it - it rocks.

I bring this up as a preamble to my topic because I want to intro with a quote from The American President:

America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've got to want it bad, because it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, "You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil who is standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land as the 'land of the free'? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can stand up and sing about the 'land of the free.'"

Now, here's the topic that you aren't expecting: Bill Cosby.

Bill Cosby is making news here in DC for saying things that are outraging people. It's all over the bloody news.

At this writing I have no idea what he said that was so controversial. I don't actually care. You see, when I was a kid my dad took me and my little brother to see Bill Cosby in concert. It was when The Cosby Show was just taking off and we were big fans. That was not a concert for kids, and Cosby said so right off the bat. We stayed.

I think we stayed for lots of reasons. One is that my parents really didn't shelter us from grown-up conversations and concepts. Another is that my dad was really looking forward to it. Another is that after driving into the city with a pre-teen and her little brother there was no way he was getting back in the car without a nice respite.

I'm glad we stayed.

I can't honestly say I remember any of the jokes, or even any of the topics, it was a lifetime ago. I remember thinking at the time how cool it was that I got to hear an adult concert, especially one which I was sure my brother was too young to understand, and was nothing like Eddie Murphy Raw (I loved that too, but that is another story). And for some reason that applies only to me at that very moment, I felt like a grown-up because I got to stay and hear everything, and I felt like I was accepted even though no one looked around and flashed the secret "you are an adult now" gang sign.

Over the years I've read transcripts of speeches Cosby has given, and I must say that while I have never had a vested interest in his topics I think he is amazing for standing up and saying things that risk his popularity. Some may think he doesn't care what others think. I think he does.

One of the things I admire most about it is that it never seems like one of these: "I am a celebrity - believe in my causes" speeches. He is trying to make a difference and he is saying things that people don't want to hear.

I guess that's one of the things that makes me sick about the news - it's so sensational - always so much drama for a show that is supposed to be about facts - events - things that happened. The news jumps on the drama and that's what they show us.

So I'm sitting at home tonight, watching House, and a teaser comes on for the news with the Cosby story as a lead story. And it is sordid! Sordid! Dramatic! Can you believe it?!?

Stop it.

The man said something - and he was free to do so. It's what this country is based on. If you don't like what the man has to say, you have options: 1. Don't listen, 2. Respond with an intelligent counter argument and have a constructive dialog, or don't listen.

I don't know what he said or why he said it. It's immaterial to me. The man earned my respect long ago, and he continues to earn in whenever I read the transcripts.

We all have this right. The ACLU ensures that we get to exercise this right. There are so many things in the world that I disagree with - and I'll be the first to admit that I would not be the one helping the Nazis march in Skokie, but I am glad that someone does - because it means that I will always have someone to back my play when I want to say something.

While I can never be as poetic as Sorkin, I think he and I agree on this point: if you don't believe in freedom of speech, you've come to the wrong place.