Have we seen the death of the 1st Amendment?

[24KT]

If only certain voices could have been listened to 4 and a half years ago

Have we seen the death of the 1st Amendment?
The Hollywood Reporter East

Alliance Atlantis' Gernon fired over "Hitler" remarks

By Cynthia Littleton
April 10, 2003

   Ed Gernon, the longtime head of Alliance Atlantis' longform division, has been fired from the company because of remarks made in a TV Guide interview regarding Alliance's upcoming miniseries chronicling the early years of Adolf Hitler, sources said.

   Alliance Atlantis declined comment late Wednesday, as did Gernon, an 11 year company veteran. Sources said Gernon, who is also an executive producer of CBS' "Hitler: The Rise of Evil," was let go Sunday after Alliance Atlantis executives read an item in the April 3 edition of the New york Post that featured an advance excerpt of the interview published in the current issue of TV Guide.

   The Post item chastised Gernon for reflecting "Hollywood's anti-Americanism" by likening the public's acceptance of the Bush administration's pre-emptive strike on Iraq to the climate of fear that allowed hitler to rise to power in post- World War I Germany.

   In the TV Guide story "The Controversy Over CBS' 'Hitler'" Gernon is quoted as saying he believes there is a fearfulness among Americans about what would happen if the United States didn't take action against Saddam Hussein, and he likened it to the mood in early 1930's Germany.

   "It basically boiils down to an entire nation gripped by fear, who ultimately chose to give up their civil rights and plunged the whole nation into war," Gernon said. "I can't think of a better time to examine this history than now."

   Sources said CBS' top brass were distressed by Gernon's comments, particularly given the controversies stirred in recent weeks by criticisms of the war by entertainment industry figures.

-------end of article-------

"One of the first moves of a dictatorship is to stifle the artists and thinkers who have the ability to stir up dissent from any prescribed dogma which might enslave them." -- Uta Hagen


“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.”
--Caesar

[Dos Equis]

   Unless the government was involved in this firing, the First Amendment is completely irrelevant.  You have a First Amendment right to say whatever your boss allows you to say.   

[24KT]

  Unless the government was involved in this firing, the First Amendment is completely irrelevant.  You have a First Amendment right to say whatever your boss allows you to say.   

Possibly, ...but I'm not surprised someone so seemingly dense would skip over completely miss the thrust,
...or significance & relevance of his comments made  almost 5 years ago.

Hindsight may be 20/20, ...but you are living proof that some people, despite having eyes, just cannot see.

[Dos Equis]

Possibly, ...but I'm not surprised someone so seemingly dense would skip over completely miss the thrust,
...or significance & relevance of his comments made  almost 5 years ago.

Hindsight may be 20/20, ...but you are living proof that some people, despite having eyes, just cannot see.

Thanks grandma.   

[Alex23]

jaguarenterprises  aren't you a naturalized Canadian citizen?

Why do you care so much about our Constitution?

[Hugo Chavez]

jaguarenterprises  aren't you a naturalized Canadian citizen?

Why do you care so much about our Constitution?

Good call,... just to bad we've inserted our demands on the rest of the world giving them a valid bitch in our affairs.  I mean after all, we can't run about the world telling people what to do and scoff at it when they bitch.  Well I guess we can but...

[Stark]

It cannot die what has not lived

[rockyfortune]

Julius Caesar never said the quote you are cutting and pasting..before you present words as ''facts'' check your sources...

[Stark]

Julius Caesar never said the quote you are cutting and pasting..before you present words as ''facts'' check your sources...

How can you be so sure? You know all the Quotes of J.C?

[rockyfortune]

i can read ...i read julius caesar by shakespeare and it isn't in the play...and no where have i found it in history books regarding caesar...anyway, if you want to believe barbara streisand who said shakespeare wrote it...be my guest.

[Fury]

I was going to ask if Jag was a Canadian citizen like I thought but someone else pointed it out already. Why do you care about America so much?

Good call,... just to bad we've inserted our demands on the rest of the world giving them a valid bitch in our affairs.  I mean after all, we can't run about the world telling people what to do and scoff at it when they bitch.  Well I guess we can but...

Since when have Canadians' opinions been relevant? News to me!

[rockyfortune]

maybe she can give us an opinion on the upcoming NHL season...eh?

[militarymuscle69]

You don't have a first amendment canadian......

[OzmO]

If only certain voices could have been listened to 4 and a half years ago

Have we seen the death of the 1st Amendment?
The Hollywood Reporter East

Alliance Atlantis' Gernon fired over "Hitler" remarks

By Cynthia Littleton
April 10, 2003

   Ed Gernon, the longtime head of Alliance Atlantis' longform division, has been fired from the company because of remarks made in a TV Guide interview regarding Alliance's upcoming miniseries chronicling the early years of Adolf Hitler, sources said.

This has nothing to do with 1st amendment rights.   Your boss can shit can you for what ever they want.

[ieffinhatecardio]

This has nothing to do with 1st amendment rights.   Your boss can shit can you for what ever they want.

While I completely agree that this issue has nothing to do the 1st Amendment it's not completely accurate to say that your boss can fire you for whatever reason he chooses.

At least in MA. there has to be clear reasons with documentation of past bad performance or insubordinate behavior. Lawsuits over firings are common and often won by the plaintiff.

[OzmO]

While I completely agree that this issue has nothing to do the 1st Amendment it's not completely accurate to say that your boss can fire you for whatever reason he chooses.

At least in MA. there has to be clear reasons with documentation of past bad performance or insubordinate behavior. Lawsuits over firings are common and often won by the plaintiff.

From what i understood a few years back,  maybe 10 years ago, in California no reason is needed.   I could be wrong though.

Interesting thing about MA.   I think that's a good thing IMO. 

[Dos Equis]

From what i understood a few years back,  maybe 10 years ago, in California no reason is needed.   I could be wrong though.

Interesting thing about MA.   I think that's a good thing IMO. 

You are thinking of employment at will.  Many states (including Hawaii) are at will employment states, meaning you can fire an employee for any reason or no reason, with or without notice, so long as the termination is not for an illegal reason (e.g., race, gender, religion--in Hawaii sexual orientation and criminal conviction, etc.).  This doesn't apply to employees who have a contract, like union employees who can only be fired for "just cause." 

[24KT]

In answer to many of your questions about my concern about US policies as a Canadian:

see Berserker's comments. that and the fact that our nations are so closely intertwined.
Some idiot south of the border implements a myopic ill-thought policy, and invariably some buttboy in Parliament this side of our border tries to implement the same lunacy up here.

In addition, the majority of my family are Americans. HUGE numbers south of our mutual border.

Regarding the 1st amendment thingy, ...I didn't name the article, and didn't claim this to be a 1st amendment issue. That is an old article that appeared in the Hollywood Reporter back in 2003.

The relevance of the article for me, and for posting purposes, was not the fact that he was fired. that's a done deal. It is merely the prescience of his words and opinions for which he was fired. Looking back, any of us who are at least cerebrally active can easily say he was right 

[ToxicAvenger]

If only certain voices could have been listened to 4 and a half years ago

Have we seen the death of the 1st Amendment?
The Hollywood Reporter East

Alliance Atlantis' Gernon fired over "Hitler" remarks

By Cynthia Littleton
April 10, 2003

   Ed Gernon, the longtime head of Alliance Atlantis' longform division, has been fired from the company because of remarks made in a TV Guide interview regarding Alliance's upcoming miniseries chronicling the early years of Adolf Hitler, sources said.

   Alliance Atlantis declined comment late Wednesday, as did Gernon, an 11 year company veteran. Sources said Gernon, who is also an executive producer of CBS' "Hitler: The Rise of Evil," was let go Sunday after Alliance Atlantis executives read an item in the April 3 edition of the New york Post that featured an advance excerpt of the interview published in the current issue of TV Guide.

   The Post item chastised Gernon for reflecting "Hollywood's anti-Americanism" by likening the public's acceptance of the Bush administration's pre-emptive strike on Iraq to the climate of fear that allowed hitler to rise to power in post- World War I Germany.

   In the TV Guide story "The Controversy Over CBS' 'Hitler'" Gernon is quoted as saying he believes there is a fearfulness among Americans about what would happen if the United States didn't take action against Saddam Hussein, and he likened it to the mood in early 1930's Germany.

   "It basically boiils down to an entire nation gripped by fear, who ultimately chose to give up their civil rights and plunged the whole nation into war," Gernon said. "I can't think of a better time to examine this history than now."

   Sources said CBS' top brass were distressed by Gernon's comments, particularly given the controversies stirred in recent weeks by criticisms of the war by entertainment industry figures.

-------end of article-------

"One of the first moves of a dictatorship is to stifle the artists and thinkers who have the ability to stir up dissent from any prescribed dogma which might enslave them." -- Uta Hagen


“Beware the leader who bangs the drums of war in order to whip the citizenry into a patriotic fervor, for patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind. And when the drums of war have reached a fever pitch and the blood boils with hate and the mind has closed, the leader will have no need in seizing the rights of the citizenry. Rather, the citizenry, infused with fear and blinded by patriotism, will offer up all of their rights unto the leader and gladly so. How do I know? For this is what I have done. And I am Caesar.”
--Caesar

of course the first ammendment is dead..it died the first time i called someone a nig ger on here and it got del..


nuff said..

everyone one wants the 1st ammendment...as long as it dosen't hurt them

[theonlyone]

yes we do

[OzmO]

of course the first ammendment is dead..it died the first time i called someone a #### on here and it got del..


nuff said..

everyone one wants the 1st ammendment...as long as it dosen't hurt them

re-read  your  Bill of Rights  you are comparing apples to oranges