Backfire!

You know, I'm not a Glenn Beck fan.

I listen occasionally, take in a sample, because I try to catch as much news and opinion from both the right and left as I can. And Beck is more than a little crazy. Oh, he's entertaining. But he's crazy.

That said, I have to admit I found myself cheering for him this morning. In an unbridled attempt to silence dissent and drown out his opinions (which I may not agree with, but feel he's entitled to...) the far left has been promoting boycotts, writing his advertisers and generally trying to hound one of their fellow Americans into unemployment.

Well, it worked! Another American is out of work this morning. Only, OOPS, wrong guy! Instead of Glenn Beck resigning his position, it's Van Jones.

Frankly, I find this colossal backfire hilarious!

This morning, I surfed the news sites. You have one side gleefully declaring victory. You can almost hear the stadium chant of :"Nananana heyheyhey... Goodbye!" On the OTHER side, you have the hand-wringing declarations of victimhood.

Now, for the record, it's not necessarily Van Jones' resignation that has me grinning this morning. It's the glaring hypocrisy. It's the sense (once again) of "Well, when WE do it, it's DIFFERENT because we're the good guys!" It's the annoying, and frankly offensive, mindset that says a particular action from one side is patriotic, and the same action from the other side is unfair.

And it's also this: Glenn Beck (and Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Sean Hannity, and everyone else the far left would like to silence permanently) are political commentators. Much as some like to say these folks set policy, they do NOT. They are observers and reporters, and are entitled to say things other people find objectionable.

Van Jones was a member of the administration, albeit in a roundabout "Czar" position. That makes Jones' statements and history relevant in a different way - he DID have a voice in shaping policy. And that makes him answerable to all of us. If he wants to write a blog, get on the radio, or become a talking head on TV, I support his right to believe and say whatever he likes.

See, that's how it's SUPPOSED to work. If someone says something you disagree with you can debate, try to convince, or even outright argue -- all while respecting their right to believe what they said. The minute you begin a witch hunt to silence opposition, you are IN THE WRONG.

I'd rather we could all remember that rights are for all, and return a sense of civility to national debate. Short of that, I'll just keep enjoying it when one side or the other tries to force the issue, and it blow up in their face.