RichMatthews's Blog

I have been listening and reading the blogs re: Michael McGee, Sr. and I am not surprised at the reactions. However, I am here to say that he has the same freedom of speech that Imus and the others have! As  I previously quoted, true freedom is " freedom for the thought you hate". I have never listened to McGee and have no intention of ever doing so, as his past has shown that he has nothing whatsoever to contribute to society and any rational discussion or actions about the improvement thereof. By not listening, I exercised my freedom, the same freedom available to all of those who are so offended by free speech. The true tragedy is the extensive media coverage of his hateful comments (just as in the Imus incident), amd Fox 6, by conducting the "interview" and allowing him an even larger audience to his ranings, is the worst of the bunch so far! No useful "news" was presented, no background or reason except for a general rant about media coverage of his idiot son's actions, and no apology was presented. So what was the purpose of presenting the interview except to further inflame the public? Even if you grant that McGee is a "public figure", since there was no new information contained in the interview, what was the news value that warranted its airing?

   Whether or not McGee continues on the air is of no consequence to me, just as Imus's future in broadcasting is of no conseqeuence. However, what is of concern is the media's failure to secure comments from the leaders of the black community. Fox 6's failure is especially egregious in light of their airing of their "interview". I have not seen any condemnation of McGee by the African-American community leaders (except fo Jerrol Jones, who was backed into a corner and suspended Mcgee's talk show until he "meets" with him to "discuss the issue"). Where is an interview with Eugene Kane, Gregory Stanford, and the other McGee defenders ? I do not think there will be any united calls for Mcgee's head on a platter, largely due to Syke's unpopularity among blacks ( as if this would any way be relevant). This acceptance of a total lack of decency directed at a white target is why there is no dialogue on race relations in the Milwaukee area and can never be. Therefore, I'll be moving on to other subjects.

One final note: Even though I personally hate everything McGee has said and done over the last 30+ years, I would like to remind everyone that, as a Vietnam veteran, he has actually earned the right to express himself. How many of his critics, including Charlie Sykes and Jeff Wagner, have even served in the military, let alone in a combat zone?