A&E Caves On 'Duck Dynasty,' Lifts Robertson Suspension

by JASmius

Well, well, well; I guess A&E's greed exceeded their Christophobic hatred after all:

Buckling under a storm of controversy over the suspension of "Duck Dynasty" patriarch Phil Robertson, the A&E network Friday reinstated the outspoken star of the mega-hit series.

"Outspoken"?  He was asked the obligatory question about homosexuality by a media interviewer and he didn't run away from it.  Wouldn't "outspoken" have required Mr. Robertson to volunteer that opinion without being asked?  Indeed, to steer the conversation in that direction?

Regardless, here, representing the side of right, was Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal:

On Friday, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal praised the decision to re-instate Robertson, according to the Daily Caller.

"I am glad to hear that the folks at A&E came to their senses and recognized that tolerance of religious views is more important than political correctness," he said in a statement. "Today is a good day for the freedoms of speech and religious liberty."

A&E did no such thing; they were simply looking at their bottom line.  Don't believe me?  Read between the lines of their statement:

In its statement reported by the Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news of the suspension's lifting, A&E said "a strong sense of integrity and deep commitment to... principals" prompted its quick reaction to the Robertson interview in GQ.

IOW, they made their grandstanding stand for their dinnermashing "principles," and now it's time to get back to being serious.

"While Phil’s comments made in the interview reflect his personal views based on his own beliefs, and his own personal journey, he and his family have publicly stated they regret the 'coarse language' he used and the misinterpretation of his core beliefs based only on the article," the statement said. 

Obligatory face-saving gesture.  Also, to what "misinterpretation" is A&E referring?  Theirs, or are they suggesting that it was Mr. Robertson that "misinterpreted" 1 Corinthians 6:9-11?  Because if it's the latter, they're demonstrating anew that they haven't learned a damn thing from this debacle.

"He also made it clear he would 'never incite or encourage hate.'"

That's interesting, and easy, since he never did any such thing to begin with.

Though A&E reiterated that it didn't agree with Robertson's views, it conceded its lucrative hit "is not a show about one man's views.

Indeed; it's about lining A&E's pockets.  IOW, it was a business decision.

 The network said it had talks with Robertson's family as well as with "numerous advocacy groups" before lifting its suspension.

Obligatory CYA clause.

It also said it'll "use this moment to launch a national public service campaign ... promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people, a message that supports our core values as a company, and the values found in Duck Dynasty."

Obligatory attempt to mollify the Lavender Lobby after caving to the "h8ters".  Which won't work, of course:

But....Jesse Jackson [aka the Sinister Minister] said Friday that despite A&E Network's decision to end the suspension of Phil Robertson for his insensitive remarks about gays and African Americans, the "Duck Dynasty" star needs to be "more repentant and contrite."

"Mr. Robertson's language was hurtful and painful to many people … [and] he's been unrepentant," Jackson told "The Steve Malzberg Show" on Newsmax TV.

"When people make mistakes, and people do make mistakes, you should be repentant and contrite and then seek forgiveness."

The Left won't rest until the entire Robertson clan has been completely destroyed.  Which should make for some highly educational reality programming.  As I'm sure A&E is aware.

There's nothing like a good publicity stunt, I always say.