Didn't Take Long, did it?

"...others say the incident is a clear example of "frightening" corporate censorship of liberal entertainers."

When I first heard of Linda Ronstadt's comments in praise of Michael 'I don't lie I just encourage you to take away the wrong impression' Moore at the Alladin Casino, and her subsequent 'ejection' from the theater, I knew that someone would cry censorship. After all, they did when Whoopi Goldberg dismissed as spokesman for Slim-Fast.

Let me type this next part slowly:

Refusing to pay someone for their opinions is NOT THE SAME as censorship.

It never ceases to amaze me that people who claim to be for free speech actually have no idea what that means. Free speech is only free in the sense that the government cannot stop you from saying what you want. It is not free from the consequences of your statements.

Whoopi Goldberg was hired to speak for a company (that is the definition of being a spokesman). If, by her statements, she no longer fit the image they wanted to project, they were right to fire her. If, as did happen, consumers were unhappy with her as a representative...haven't you ever heard the expression, "The customer is always right"? Especially when it is thousands expressing their displeasure.

Linda Ronstadt was hired as an entertainer. She misjudged her audience and her ability to entertain them; she assumed not only that they would agree with her*, but also that they wanted to hear her political views and not just her music.

One more note: It was probably deliberate.

Before her concert, Ronstadt had laughingly told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that she hoped that the casino performance would be her last.

"I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back," she was quoted as telling the newspaper.

_{*I listen to Air America and this seems to be a common flaw of liberals: perhaps because they are surrounded by like-minded people, they cannot believe that anyone could disagree with them short of being stupid and/or evil.}