Broken “News”: Duck Dynasty Star Breaks Law With Recent Comments
WEST MONROE, LA—In what should come as no surprise to anyone, Duck Dynasty‘s Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Robertson family that the show is centered on, has been suspended by A&E for recent comments he made in GQ magazine about the gay community.
Robertson has recently come under fire for comments he made in an interview with the magazine, in which he states his personal beliefs about gay marriage. Unbeknownst to Robertson, a law was recently passed that makes his comments not only highly offensive, but completely illegal.
Paragraph 182, sub-section H of the Political Fairness and Completely Unoffensive Semi-Free Speech Provided Usage of Said Speech Does Not Infringe Upon The Feelings Or Beliefs Of Any Other Person act, affectionately known as the “How Dare You” act, specifically states:
“Therefore, whosoever explicitly abuses the protection of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States by actively participating in televised, broadcasted or written speech that is deemed offensive, antagonistic, or unsupportive to another person, organization, affiliation, entity, or cause, regardless of personal belief or opinion, shall be punished by removal from any or all public forums and a fine not to exceed $713.00 per statement. A hand-written apology and a share of the offending party’s yearly earnings shall henceforth be granted unto the offended party for a time period not to exceed 3 months and the hourly minimum wage or $15 whichever is less .”
Robertson apparently became aware of the law shortly after the backlash began pouring in, as he has declined any further comment on the matter.
Robertson and his family own and operate Duck Commander, a wildly profitable duck call company that has amassed both a fortune and a fan base for the family. Airing on A&E, Duck Dynasty follows the day-to-day operations of CEO Willie Robertson and family as they attempt to balance wild redneck behavior, life lessons and business management with family values and genuine faith.
Timothy Smith, a spokesperson for A&E who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, expressed confidence that without the support of the network and the profits generated by Duck Dynasty, the Robertson clan would struggle to maintain the comfortable existence they currently enjoy. Attempts to get a direct quote from Mr. Smith have all been redirected to a disconnected office phone extension.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney has weighed in on the controversy.
“Obviously, President Obama has been a very vocal supporter of both the Robertson family and Duck Dynasty and is extremely disappointed in Phil Robertson for the comments he made,” he said, “Even more shocking is the fact that he quoted the Bible to justify his statements. I mean, how many people is he trying to offend?”
These statements were echoed by Thamsanqa Jantijie, a sign language interpreter recently applauded for a flawless and emotional translation of President Obama’s speech at Nelson Mandela’s funeral, which was covered on Jimmy Kimmel: Live and can be seen here.
Our latest attempt to reach out to Phil Robertson was met with indifference, though we’re told he is currently spending time with his family. His one passing remark for proponents of the law was for them to “go fly a kite.”
—LIFESTYLE
Rant Lifestyle’s I.M. Fullavit Contributed To This Report