Look I don't agree with Carrie Prejean's political and/or moral views. (For those of you who need a refresher, shes' the beauty queen who was nationally lampooned for her opposition to gay marriage). But like someone who tries to stay consistent, I can't be for freedom of speech and then want to shut up someone that I don't agree with. It's not how freedom works. You can't go half-way.
What I don't get is someone who uses a major aspect of freedom of speech (the free press) to express her viewpoint (and hawk a book), but won't be subjected to the questions asked. Prejean appeared on Larry King Live recently and called him innappropriate for asking about why she decided to settle her lawsuit against the pageant officials. Her original claim was that they impeded her religious freedoms.
Larry King offends me in many other ways (his suspenders, his frog-like face, his penchant for blondes) but asking why Prejean chose to settle when the basis for her fight was so dear to her did not seem "inappropriate." In fact, it seemed logical.
So here's my beef: You can't get beat up by the media, use it to defend yourself and then not expect to have to defend yourself. It's like a verbal boxing match--you don't get hit once, take a few swings back and then throw your hands up in victory. That's not how the media works. At least an intelligent media.
Freedom is not doled out on the cafeteria line where you can choose to forgo the jello and only eat fruit. It's all or nothing.
I choose all.
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