Stars and Citizens

One of my old music teachers from way back in my Crane School of Music days used to say this about wrong notes: "Once they're out there you can't suck 'em back."

He was originally a trumpet player before he became a sado-masochistic music theory and history instructor. We used to call him "DelBlasto." I loved the guy. He was one of the best teachers I've ever had, and I've had many to be thankful for.

But a musical performance is not a Letter-To-The-Editor, for even if you fire off some semi-intoxicated piece of bile-ridden nonsense you can always go back later and straighten out what you said, which you cannot do after a musical recital, obviously.

Apparently that's what happened here, when some dude shot off a LTTE that did more damage to his own shoe-crowded mouth than it did to the community. At first it seemed that the printing of the LTTE posed a substantial terrorizing threat to the Muslim communities here in The Great Southwest, and to me; yes, it did.

He later clarified this by saying that he was only referring to our military in the field. He was still wrong, of course, in suggesting that our military randomly blast people in their houses of worship. But the 1st Amendment assures his right to be wrong.

I am always getting caught defending loads of bullcrap. Porn, treasonous speech, foul statements about the abilities of Arizona Cardinals football players, Ice-T songs, and the like are all examples of speech I stand ready to defend, as should be the case for anybody who carries a copy of the Constitution around in their Palm Pilot.

So, I agree with the Court's decision. But what if...

But what if the LTTE recommended that after the next attack on American fighters, somebody should go into the nearest Christian church and blast away the first five white people seen?

I bet they'd not have printed that.

While I support the rights that allow the Tucson Citizen to print such crap, I stand in bold criticism of the stupidity of its editors in so doing. In my opinion, they showed themselves to be hypocritical, terrorizing, violent bastards for publishing that letter in the first place.

What? They didn't know?!

Long live the Arizona Star. Let this suggest changes in some of the shopping habits of Tucsonians, as regards those who choose to advertise in the Citizen. I don't even live there, but I know I'll be examining some of my purchases.