memeorandum: Why The Racist And Homophobic ‘Duck Dynasty’ Comments Have Nothing To Do With Free Speech (ThinkProgress)

12:35 AM ET, December 20, 2013

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The Robertson Family Offical Statement — We want to thank all of you for your prayers and support. The family has spent much time in prayer since learning of A&E's decision. We want you to know that first and foremost we are a family rooted in our faith in God and our belief that the Bible is His word.

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ThinkProgress:

Why The Racist And Homophobic ‘Duck Dynasty’ Comments Have Nothing To Do With Free Speech — On Wednesday, Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson made comments in a GQ interview condemning homosexuality as sinful and comparable to bestiality, as well as claiming that African Americans were better off under Jim Crow laws.

Discussion: The Daily Caller, Liberaland, NOM Blog, The Moderate Voice, The Week and The Jawa Report

Dean Obeidallah / The Daily Beast:

The Right's ‘Duck Dynasty’ Hypocrisy — By Dean ObeidallahDecember 19th 201312:00 PM — Conservatives think people should be held responsible for their actions—until one of their own, like Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson, has to pay a price for their hateful views.

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Andrew Sullivan / The Dish:

A&E Cannot Bear Very Much Reality — I have to say I'm befuddled by the firing of Phil Robertson, he of the amazing paterfamilias beard on Duck Dynasty (which I mainly see via The Soup). A&E has a reality show that depends on the hoariest stereotypes - and yet features hilariously captivating human beings - located in the deep South.

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Erick Erickson / RedState:

Ultimately There Will Be No Option for Silence or the Sidelines. You Will Be Made To Care. — I have told you people again and again. You will be made to care. — Evil preaches tolerance until it is dominant and then it seeks to silence good. Phil Robertson, patriarch of the Duck Dynasty clan …

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Ted Cruz / Facebook:
Free Speech Matters — The reason that so many Americans love …

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Governor Bobby Jindal:
Gov. Jindal on Phil Robertson Suspension: I Remember When TV Networks Believed in 1st Amendment

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Steve Deace / USA Today:
A&E fowls up ‘Duck’ flap: Column

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Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist:
Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson Knew Exactly What He Was Doing

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Adam Serwer / msnbc.com:

Conservatives freak out over ‘pajama boy’ — Conservatives are in a tizzy over a seemingly innocuous Obamacare ad from Organizing for Action featuring a young man in pajamas. — He's “a metrosexual hipster in a plaid onesie” scowled National Review's Charles Cooke, a “vaguely androgynous …

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Charlie Spiering / Washington Examiner:

Meet Ethan Krupp: Pajamacare boy and Organizing for Action employee — BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL OPINION OBAMACARE ORGANIZING FOR ACTION — This is the Obamacare Pajama boy in the latest Organizing for Action ad. — Pajamacare boy is Ethan Krupp, an Organizing for Action employee and the subject …

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Andrew Kaczynski / BuzzFeed:
“Pajama Boy's” Blog Featured Post Criticizing President Obama

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Rich Lowry / Politico:
Pajama Boy, An Insufferable Man-Child

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Amy Goldstein / Washington Post:

Obama administration relaxes rules of health-care law four days before deadline — The Obama administration Thursday night significantly relaxed the rules of the health-care law for millions of consumers whose individual insurance policies have been canceled, saying they could buy bare-bones health plans …

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Byron Tau / Reuters:

For Obamacare boosters, all memes are good memes — When it comes to marketing Obamacare, all memes are good memes. — So say progressive activists and Democratic strategists, pushing back against a wave of fresh criticism that mocks their youth outreach efforts as somewhere between slightly awkward and totally tone-deaf.

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Sarah Kliff / Wonkblog:
Think your state has Obamacare problems? They're nothing compared to Guam.

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Charlie Savage / New York Times:

Obama Commutes Sentences for 8 in Crack Cocaine Cases — WASHINGTON — President Obama, expanding his push to curtail severe penalties for drug offenses, on Thursday commuted the sentences of eight federal inmates who were convicted of crack cocaine offenses.

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The White House:
Statement by the President on Clemency

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Meredith Shiner / The World's Greatest …:

Senate Deal Sets Up Friday Christmas Exit, Pushes Yellen Confirmation to 2014 (Updated) — Updated 10:25 p.m. | A bit of bipartisan Christmas cheer finally arrived in the Senate around 10 p.m. Thursday. — That's when senators locked-in an agreement that will set up a series …

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Greg Sargent / The Plum Line:
Dems plan big Christmas push on unemployment benefits

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First Look / Omidyar Group:

Pierre Omidyar Provides Initial Funding of $50M to Establish First Look Media — Honolulu - Dec. 19, 2013 - The news organization created by Pierre Omidyar (formerly dubbed “NewCo") has taken another step forward with an infusion of $50M in capital to fuel operations being established on both coasts.

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Jay Rosen / Pressthink:
A First Look at NewCo's structure

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ice.gov:

FY 2013: ICE announces year-end removal numbers — 98 percent of the agency's total removals were convicted criminals, recent border crossers, illegal re-entrants or those previously removed by ICE, in line with agency's enforcement priorities — WASHINGTON — Today …

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Bradley Klapper / Associated Press:
Defying Obama, 26 Senators Push New Iran Sanctions

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Pew Hispanic Center:
On Immigration Policy, Deportation Relief Seen As More Important Than Citizenship

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Chris Geidner / BuzzFeed:

Marriage Equality Is The Law In New Mexico, State Supreme Court Rules — “We hold that the state of New Mexico is constitutionally required to allow same-gender couples to marry,” the justices unanimously concluded. The state becomes the 17th in the U.S. to approve marriage equality.

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ABQJournal Online:
NM Supreme Court affirms same-sex marriage rights

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Bill Mears / CNN:
New Mexico high court rules same-sex couples have right to marry

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Sam Youngman / Politico:

Take This Town and Shove It — A White House reporter's tale of sex, booze and the briefing room. — If you write about American politics for a living, stop right there. Get back to work, and don't read another damn word. — Sign out of Twitter, say “thanks but no thanks” …

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Alex Pareene / Salon:

Hack list No. 1: Mike Allen — Our annual list is here! This time, we channeled each hack's unique voice — and let them “write” their own entries — PAYOLA-BOOK: No professional blowback for sponsor-fluffing Mike Allen — LEIBO on ALLEN: ‘enabler’ — Business lobby agenda pushed daily …

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Stuart Rothenberg / Roll Call:

Race Ratings Change: Arkansas Senate — The Arkansas Senate race continues to be close and hard-fought. Polling shows the race extremely competitive, and both sides have already spent heavily. Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor has spent almost $900,000 on his re-election bid …

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Igor Bobic / Talking Points Memo:

Peter King Slams Paul For Attacking Clapper: ‘He Disgraced His Office’ — Rep. Peter King (R-NY) blasted Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) on Thursday for comparing National Security Agency Director James Clapper to Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked classified information about America's surveillance programs.

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