I may be the last redneck in America that is not a die-hard Duck Dynasty fan... A confession that will be quite surprising for my friends since I have been quite outspoken regarding A&E's decision to place Phil on hiatus pending his comments made public in a GQ interview earlier this week. Although I enjoy the show when I watch it, I must admit, my favorite part is the very end when the entire family gathers around the table to say a blessing over the meal provided for them, thanking their Heavenly Father through Jesus' name. On occasion, the content of the rest of the show is amusing to me, but, I always find myself, in reality, only watching the show for the ending. Being a Southern Baptist Minister's daughter, I far prefer the testimonies provided by Phil, Kay, their son and grandson on "I am Second" via YouTube, or various other testimonies one can find by the Duck Commander Patriarch available on YouTube.
As stated earlier, I may be the last redneck in America that is not a die-hard Duck Dynasty fan, but I don't stand alone in being the last man (woman) standing that dares to challenge the slippery slope of censorship you have placed on this man for expressing his own religious views in an interview to a magazine. Censorship goes both ways. Today, you have silenced him for sharing HIS OWN Christian beliefs and perceptions of a certain set of scriptures in the Bible. Tomorrow, my LGBT friends may find that their views are open to criticism and censorship, what then? We may not agree with all the views expressed by everyone, but our forefathers fought for our freedom to have the right for free speech. To allow a group of persons, religious or special interest, to pressure you into essentially firing someone from their job, because they exercised their right of free speech outside of their workplace is inexcusable and sets a disastrous precedence for parties on both sides of the aisle.
My family will not be tuning into your channel until you have reinstated Phil Robertson. Not because I agree with all that he said, that is not my point.... But because I believe he has the right to express himself when asked a question, "off the clock," without fear of having a special interest group pressuring his employer to fire him. Period. That.... Is free speech....
