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Jewish World Review June 25, 2009 / 3 Tamuz 5769 Fair comment or foul? Warm up the Muzzle Meter By Michael Smerconish
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
When a 45-year-old grandmother doesn't take kindly to jokes about a pregnant daughter, a murder victim is dismissed as a mass murderer, and the nation's first Recall that the Muzzle Meter (MM) is my measuring rod for evaluating speech with possible PC implications. A high score indicates truly offensive speech (like It's all gut-based. No science here and no political litmus applied. — At the show's outset, he noted "one awkward moment" from Palin's attendance of a Yankees game: "During the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Then came the Top 10 List, which featured purported highlights of the Palins' weekend in the Big Apple. Number two: "Bought makeup at This calls for a multitiered scoring. With regard to the "slutty flight attendant" joke, Palin is a national public figure who was subject to this ridicule on a late-night comedy show. She should be able to handle such irreverence as it comes with the celebrity profile she herself has cultivated. MM Reading: 2. Worse was the joke about impregnating her daughter. Letterman insisted that he was referring to Bristol Palin, who's 18 and already a mother. But as delivered (he didn't specifically mention either daughter by name), the "knocked up" joke garners an MM Reading of 8. If Letterman had made clear he was referring to the 18-year-old, that score could be halved, but it was the 14-year-old at the game. Most insightful has been the reportage of the (Am I the only one wondering what A-Rod thinks?) — The "clarification" by the CIA was warranted. Political opponents can disagree over the tactics employed to prevent terror, but it crosses the line to say a public servant wishes for such a result. MM Reading: 7. — Whatever Tiller did while alive, he did within the bounds of the law. The same cannot be said for the man who gunned down Tiller. Terry offered an unwarranted legal (and moral) equivalency between Tiller and —Newt Gingrich. Gingrich, the former speaker playing footsy with a run for president in 2012, tweeted his displeasure: "White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. No doubt both had Sotomayor's 2001 speech, "A Gingrich was correct in his retraction. Criticism of the 2001 speech is, of course, within bounds. Labeling her a racist is not only wrong and appalling, but it also demeans real discourse as to her fitness to serve on the court. MM Reading: 8.
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