I guess Freedom of Speech really doesn't fly around the United States anymore.
The new look Miami Marlins are off to a mediocre 2-3 start and if that isn't bad enough, Ozzie Guillen has already lit a fire under his own behind.
A Time Magazine article that appeared last Friday online begins by quoting Guillen as saying, "I love Fidel Castro." But then he continues.
"I respect Fidel Castro." Guillen said. "You know why? A lot of people have wanted to kill Fidel Castro for the last 60 years, but that [expletive] is still here."
Because of his comments, Ozzie Guillen has been suspended for five games.
For those of who of you who need a little history lesson, Fidel Castro was the Prime Minister of Cuba serving under the Communist Party ruling for 32 years before finally stepping down in 2008. Let's just say, he wasn't a man of the people.
I like to look at this from both sides. I understand the frustration of certain people. Especially the Cuban people who lived during the the Fidel Castro rule. They don't take kindly to the comments Guillen said about Fidel Castro. Why would someone like Ozzie Guillen come out and say he respected someone like Fidel Castro? They feel hurt and disrespected.
Looking at Ozzie's point of view, who knows what drove him to say something like this? Maybe he respects the amount of time he stayed in power. Is it really that big of a deal? Will Guillen suddenly turn into a Communist and control his own country for an unlimited amount of time? I highly doubt it. The man was speaking his mind. Can he really be held at fault for that?
I think we are looking too much into this. I understand where people's frustration are coming from, but Castro is out of power, shouldn't we let this sort of thing go? In a country where free speech is backed up by the First Amendment, it really doesn't seem to be that way anymore. People can come out and speak their mind, and get in loads of trouble for it. I guess nowadays Freedom of Speech only counts if we keep it to ourselves.
Personally, I'm not a fan of what he said because as a manager of a Baseball team, he has a certain image to uphold. If he was retired or something, I wouldn't care as much. But he's in control of a new franchise and he has to watch what he says sometimes because something like this can happen and his words can ricochet and have an effect that everybody will notice. There are already enough eyes on him as it is being in control of the New Miami Marlins, but when you say things like this, you attract a whole bunch of unwanted attention.
He should apologize because it'd be the right thing to do, and he should be honest. He shouldn't come out and try to backtrack what he said, he needs to just say sorry and move on with the rest of his Life.
Ozzie Guillen is in Miami as I type this meeting with the media for a press conference at 10:30 a.m.
Feel free to Comment.
By: Gerald "Showstopper" Prophete
Well, he did apologize but it still doesnt take away what he said. And while freedom of speech is a treasured amendment, there are its limitations..and in any private organization, you need to be held accountable for what you say
ReplyDeleteWhile I won't defend what he said, I'll defend his right to say it. I agree that if you're under contract to an organization, you need to choose your words carefully, but clearly the First Amendment doesn't protect every situation.
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