In a letter published in the Oct. 5 Daily, Arthur Templin asserted that certain comments made by Bill Maher during the Sept. 17 airing of “Politically Incorrect” were not grounds for removing the show from the air, and that to take the show off the air infringes on Mr. Maher’s First Amendment right to free speech. This assertion shows an outrageous misunderstanding of Constitutional protection.

First of all, the network that airs “Politically Incorrect” isn’t a government entity, nor is it controlled by the government. It is in fact a private corporation. Frankly speaking, it can remove anyone from its broadcasts that it want to. As a corporation, its primary goal is to make money. Statements like those made by Mr. Maher offended many people, and that hurts the network’s business.

While the First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech, it does not guarantee the right to have that speech broadcast over television, radio, or any other form of mass communication.

Mr. Maher could still speak his mind freely – he just would not be doing it in front of an ABC camera. The First Amendment, simply put, protects the right of free speech, but it does not obligate anyone to help speakers spread their message.

Nathan Kelso

Senior

Physics