6.16.2006 | so much for the First Amendment

Political correctness has, in Maryland, trumped the First Amendment to the Constitution. Maryland governor Robert Ehrlich, a Republican no less, has fired a Metro Board member for speaking his mind in an unofficial capacity.

The sad and ugly story of how PC trumps freedom of speech may be found here. The essentials:

Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. yesterday fired Robert J. Smith, his appointee on the Metro transit authority board, for referring to gay people as sexual deviants on a cable television show.

"Robert Smith's comments were highly inappropriate, insensitive and unacceptable," Ehrlich (R) said in a statement less than five hours after the controversy erupted during a Metro board meeting. "They are in direct conflict to my administration's commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance and opportunity."

Ehrlich's "commitment to inclusiveness and tolerance" apparently does not include those whose thoughts and speech deviate from some unwritten code. In this case, Mr. Smith's offense was giving offense to the take-it-up-the-bum lobby (hey, I could have used a much uglier term...). What Mr. Smith actually said is "Homosexual behavior, in my view, is deviant...I'm a Roman Catholic."

Well, apparently Ehrlich will only have Catholics serving his administration if they deny some politically incorrect teachings of the Church. Or, for that matter, any believer who happens to know that God Himself has labelled homosexual sex as an "abomination" (Leviticus 18:22).

The biggest problem is human nature: homosexuals, like the rest of us, just hate it when they are told that their sinful behavior is...sinful. We all sin, and no group is exempt just because it's become politically convenient to ignore their sin.

Shame on Ehrlich for being so pliable, and lacking any discernible backbone.