Noted Racist Dr. Laura Claims She's The Victim

Dr. Laura Schlessinger has announced she’s leaving radio — not because she feels bad about using the n-word, but because her First Amendment rights are being “usurped.”

For those who need a recap, last week Dr. Laura repeatedly used the n-word as part of an argument that a black woman was “hypersensitive” about racial issues. The slur was far from the only problem with her rant, but she did apologize for that part of it, saying, “I was attempting to make a philosophical point, and I articulated the ‘n’ word all the way out – more than one time. And that was wrong. I’ll say it again – that was wrong.” But somehow, shockingly, one apology did not make everything okay. On Larry King Live, Schlessinger said,

There are people who won’t accept my apology, and they have their own reasons for that and I feel bad for that, but my listeners heard my being contrite, being remorseful, being sincerely apologetic because it’s not my nature to go out of my way to hurt people. And, you know, get on with things.

Some people just couldn’t “get on with things,” though, which is what apparently makes Dr. Laura the victim. She explained to King,

When I started in radio, if you said something somebody didn’t agree with or they didnt like, they argued with you. Now they try to silence you. They try to wipe out your ability to earn a living and to have your job. They go after affiliates, they send threats to sponsors.

When King countered that contacting sponsors was a right as well, Schlessinger shot back,

I don’t have the right to say what I need to say. My First Amendment rights have been usurped by angry, hateful groups who don’t want to debate, they want to eliminate.

All of this shows a Carrie Prejean-esque misunderstanding of the First Amendment — and Schlessinger’s outrage over being “silenced” is pretty ironic, given that this may not be the first time she’s taken her toys and gone home. TMZ reports that back in 1999, Schlessinger bailed on a talk show with CBS — because the network refused to make Howard Stern promised not to insult her. To Dr. Laura, the First Amendment apparently means that she and only she has the right to say whatever she wants — and anyone who opposes her becomes a hateful usurper. All of which sounds pretty “hypersensitive” to us.

Dr. Laura Schlessinger To End Radio Show [NYT Media Decoder Blog]
Dr. Laura — Serial Quitter [TMZ]

Earlier: Dr. Laura Quitting Radio to “Regain [Her] First Amendment Rights”
Dr. Laura Apologizes For N-Word, But She’s Still A Racist