It's been a bad week for cops in New Jersey. They've been getting in trouble from the north to south end of the state, first for the now-infamous NHL gambling scandal and now for...telling jokes?!
Pretty much everyone who knows me personally knows that I'm a big fan of the Opie and Anthony and Ron and Fez shows on XM's satellite radio service. I listen to the entire shows every day, and though I occasionally use my favorite talk shows to find blog topics, when I do cover something they've talked about, I try to put my own spin on it and not regurgitate the things I've heard for my own audience. Unfortunately, if you're reading this blog and are familiar with the O&A show, a lot of this is going to be familiar to you, because those guys' opinion on this situation matches mine exactly.
Before today, I never even knew the O&A regular known as "Club Soda Kenny" was a West Orange, NJ police officer when he wasn't on the air. But he is, and in between he helps the "boys" with their travel arrangements, security, and the like. I've even met him (by which I mean I said hello) at one of Jim Norton's standup comedy shows in Falls Church, Virginia. Now, his job and 22 years' worth of his pension are in jeopardy because of a short standup routine he performed last year while in his O&A show "character". I've heard most of the act on the radio, and his act wasn't funny--his delivery was pretty awful. It was what most would consider offensive--it contained jokes on rape, bestiality, and pedophilia.
But "Kenny" (real name John Feder) never brought his job into it--to the best of my knowledge, he's never even brought it up on the air, dating back into O&A's stint on syndicated "terrestrial radio" days. He didn't tell these jokes from an officer's point of view. As far as anyone knows, he's never actually engaged in any of the illegal activities that he joked about. This should be a First Amendment case, pure and simple. Jim Norton pointed out the most telling line of the Star-Ledger article:
However, Alana Goebel, assistant director of the New Jersey Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said police departments should not tolerate officers who joke about rape, regardless of their right to speak freely.
Read the last part of that sentence again: "[R]egardless of their right to speak freely." The quoted proponent of Feder's firing admits that he has rights under the First Amendment.
Where is the ACLU, the defenders of personal liberties, including, one would think, free speech, in all of this? Are they leaping to Feder's defense in a clear-cut First Amendment issue? Not according to the front page of their website--they're trying to make it harder for the government to fight terrorism, plugging their CourtTV show, and touting their victory allowing homeowners to post campaign signs on their own property. Shame on them--if a man who has dedicated his life and career to protecting others' lives and rights isn't entitled to the same protection under those rights, then who is? I challenge them to at least save this dedicated officer's pension that he's worked so hard for over so many years, if not his career.
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