So I’m passing through my bedroom in the rushed, morning ritual of getting 3 kids to schools on different campuses, at slightly varying times – this keeps it exciting – and a story on the morning news catches my attention. (I leave the TV on while I dart in and out of my room hoping to stay connected to the outside world). The story highlights Madonna’s support of a boycott of the Winter Olympics in Russia in protest of the Communist regime’s imprisonment of the female rock band, “P*ssy Riot.” In fairness to the context of the story, I am not sure if the band’s imprisonment was the result of the Russian government’s attempt to (a) squelch their “First Amendment” rights (recall the First Amendment in America’s Bill of Rights guarantees five freedoms, one of which is freedom of expression); or (b) punish their lawless behavior – specifically, staging a raunchy riot in a church, no doubt vandalizing someone else’s property. We’ll leave the topic of rights having corresponding responsibilities, like respect, for another discussion.
The first order of business it seems would be to remind Madonna that the incident occurred in Russia not America! The American regime is unique among all the nations in that it is founded on the belief of the equal, natural rights of individuals. This is what is meant by “American Exceptionalism” – America is the exception to the rule. In America, uniquely, (we believe) government exists to secure these equal, natural rights, our Declaration of Independence eloquently states. Hence, the Russian band enjoys no “First Amendment” protection because freedom of expression – or any other kind of freedom – is not guaranteed in a Communist regime. (For a list of Communist regimes – past/present – consult Wikipedia or the t-shirt collections of many celebrities). The collective State is supreme in such regimes NOT the individual. And they employ force – not consent – to govern. I submit the band’s two-year prison sentence and Obamacare penalties, as evidence. (force = employing the power of the state/gov’t. to ensure compliance)
Which brings me to my point about the ideology/politics of celebrities. These are the people who make their living and whose vocation IS self expression – “the First Amendment incarnate.” They should be the standard-bearers of the American regime AND free enterprise, which simply put, is freedom of expression in the marketplace. In other words, celebrities ought to be Conservative not Progressive (synonym for liberal but more positive sounding). Conservatives believe in the preservation of the Constitutionally-defined role of government, embraced in the American founding; Progressives want to get past or “progress beyond” this pre-defined role of government, in favor of an ever-expanding government role.
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