Newt Gringrich Blames the Va. Tech Massacre on the First Amendment (or was it Liberalism)

I wish I could say The Carpetbagger watched Newt Meet the Press so we didn’t have to, but I too watched Newt’s ramblings and began to wonder if he wanted to repeal the First Amendment. After Newt blamed the Virginia Tech massacre on Liberalism (he also blamed the Columbine shootings on liberalism), his follow-up was:

Well, who has created a situation ethics, essentially, zone of not being willing to talk about any of these things. Let me carry another example. I strongly supported Imus being dismissed, but I also think the very thing he was dismissed for, which is the use of language which is stunningly degrading of women – the fact, for example, that one of the Halloween costumes this last year was being able to be either a prostitute or a pimp at 10, 11, 12 years of age, buying a costume, and we don’t have any discussion about what’s happened to our culture because while we’re restricting political free speech under McCain-Feingold, we say it’s impossible to restrict vulgar and vicious and anti-human speech. And I would argue that that’s a major component of what’s happened to our culture in the last 40 years.

The coverage of the Virginia Tech massacre may have replaced the incessant discussion of Don Imus’s stupid remarks but that does not suggest that Imus’s foul language caused this massacre. But as I listened to this rambling, I could not help but think two things. Our politicians face no restrictions on their free speech even when their speech is the sheer stupidity Newt Gingrich is famous for. For example, I’m a liberal and I never asked my daughter to dress up as a prostitute. So what in God’s name was he saying there? And is he really suggesting we can pass legislation to curb the language of folks like Don Imus, Rush Limbaugh, and Glenn Beck? Seriously, I thought it was conservatives who were defending these idiots right to be – well idiots.

But I have to admit – hearing less of the likes of these idiots and idiots like New Gingrich would be refreshing. I just don’t want government coercion involved. Maybe Kevin Drum has a better idea:

Isn’t it time to stop inviting a guy who talks like this onto Sunday morning talk shows?

Hey CBS and NBC! You had the good sense to fire Imus. So why not stop inviting dorks like Newt Gingrich on shows like Meet the Press. Dead air would be more enlightening than listening to the Newtbot.