First of all, I'm not a fan of Duck Dynasty--it's a bit too red-necky for me and my neck is pretty red. Though many of my friends love the show, the personas displayed in the commercials have been enough to keep me from ever watching it. I've watched a recording of Phil's preaching and though he was on point with what he had to say, it certainly wasn't a message I'd have gone a long way to hear. There are many other preachers I'd rather listen to. I've also been disturbed by the recent decision by these guys to get into a wine marketing deal. I'm not about to beat on the evils of alcohol; but if the goal is to follow and promote the cause of Christ, my opinion is that it would have been better to pass on that deal.
All that said, this latest mess about Phil being bounced from A&E is disturbing. It seems that that the network was pretty well aware of what the Robertson family was all about and what they believed and practiced regarding all the hot-button issues of the day. Therefor, what Phil said in his interview should have come as no surprise...and they pulled the plug on him.
The hue and cry about free speech is well intended, but misinformed. Free speech is something that we're granted by way of the Bill of Rights, not by a TV network. What may or may not be said on TV is a matter of contract, not of free speech. One might argue that it a matter of censorship, and there might be a bit of an argument there...though it's pretty slim as we're still talking private enterprise not government.
All in all, I hope the firestorm that has been ignited serves to bring the whole matter of what a popular man can say without getting the rug pulled out from under him into perspective. If Phil gets reinstated, good for him; if Duck Dynasty jumps to a different network, I wish them well...but I still don't plan to watch it.
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