Singer Hank Williams, Jr.

BEVERLY HILLS—In an effort to exert his free speech rights, iconic singer Hank Williams, Jr. has found himself in the middle of a controversy all too familiar to celebrities, who often say things before smartly thinking things through before saying them. On Monday morning the country crooner appeared on the popular cable show “Fox and Friends,” which has in the past had guests and commentators as well as the show’s hosts making outrageous statements about the current President of the United States, Barack Obama. This has been a staple for Fox News and anyone who appears on the cable news network knows this.

Williams angrily compared the nation’s president to Adolph Hitler, who was the mastermind dictator of the Nazi Germany regime, which left almost seven million Jews dead at his hands almost 65 million human beings dead as a direct result of World War II which Hitler caused. President Obama can’t even force Congress to do his bidding, so it is a bit shocking to hear him compared to a man whose reach was not only within his nation’s borders but also all over the European continent, over much of Asia and even Africa as well. Williams isn’t the first celebrity to be caught up in a firestorm after attacking a sitting president. Nor will he be the last.

Rosie O’Donnell, Whoopi Goldberg, The Dixie Chicks and Kanye West each found themselves in an unpopular place in their lives and careers after attacking President George W. Bush. Williams himself defended President Bush during his tenure as president and quickly forgot that when a president took office that he did not support. What makes celebrities comments so unforgiving it seems is that the public often supports their work and spends their hard earned dollars to buy products that enrich and support a famous person’s life and career. So when they speak out and attack our political leaders, we feel as if we deserve better. As if they should always agree with us.

When Kanye West attacked President Bush during the Hurricane Katrina telethon, famously saying, “George Bush hates black people.” He was supported by some, but sharply rebuked by others. He later apologized for his words and has moved on with his life. Now the political left is in an uproar demanding that further sanctions be placed on Hank Williams, Jr., who said immediately after his comments, that he was sorry, and apologized to anyone who may have been offended by his words. Perhaps Williams, Jr. and every other American, who calls this president and any other American president or political leader “Hitler,” that they should be forced to get a history book and actually read about who and what Adolph Hitler was. No one should be called that.

That being said, Williams’s famous “Are You Ready For Some Football” theme song was not used on Monday night as a result of his statements, and he’s apologized. Now the political left wants further to have him permanently lose his spot on the “Monday Night Football,” segment and be publicly humiliated and embarrassed. Perhaps each side should take a breath, and realize that the right to free speech means that people who say unkind things, unthinkable things and boorish and poorly conceived statements are protected under our nation’s Constitution. Our founding fathers and framers of the U.S. Constitution were not concerned with protecting speech that we all agree with and statements that don’t cause controversy. They were vehemently in support of protecting the rights of Americans who just a generation earlier could not speak out against any king or the Pope in Europe for fear of retribution or even death.

Singer Kanye West

Obviously Mr. Williams has spoken out and said something very unpopular, unkind and misguided. However, we live in a nation where we must began to learn how to have responsibility with our speech, and we must also attempt to heal the wounds we seem to be dealing with over the past two decades in American history. It all seems to have started when Speaker Newt Gingrich famously called First Lady Hillary Clinton “a bitch,” and was lauded by his party for that. From that moment on, each political side has jockeyed for an opportunity to attack the other side’s leader, treating what once was respect for the office and leader’s position with disdain and revulsion, if you do not like the holder of the office.

Perhaps Hank Williams, Jr. and Kanye West, and many others will began to take responsibility to learn about a statement they wish to make before making it. Perhaps people like them will start to take time to show respect to leaders they have disagreements with, or perhaps none of these things will ever occur. Whatever happens, there is one certainty in this life; human beings are fallible and make mistakes, and ask yourselves, should we become a nation that never forgives, and a nation that is increasingly becoming very “Old European-like,” where grudges would carry on from one regime to the next and generations would harbor hatred, distrust and disrespect for the regime in power, that they disagree with? Is this the nation one wants to have? The answer lies within each of us.

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