By J.D. Longstreet —— Bio and Archives March 18, 2014
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“Whoever willfully blasphemes the holy name of God by denying, cursing, or contumeliously reproaching God, his creation, government or final judging of the word, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching Jesus Christ or the Holy Ghost, or by cursing or contumeliously reproaching or exposing to contempt and ridicule, the holy word of God contained in the holy scriptures shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for not more than one year or by a fine of not more than three hundred dollars, and may also be bound to good behavior.”Michigan's blasphemy law says: “Any person who shall willfully blaspheme the holy name of God, by cursing or contumeliously reproaching God, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” Oklahoma law provides: “Blasphemy consists in wantonly uttering or punishing words, casting contumelious reproach or profane ridicule upon God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost, the Holy Scriptures, or the Christian or any other religion.” Uttering such speech is classified as a misdemeanor. Other states have general anti-profanity laws conceived to protect society from the potty-mouthed. Consider this Mississippi law:
“If any person shall profanely swear or curse, or use vulgar and indecent language, or be drunk in any public place, in the presence of two (2) or more persons, he shall, on conviction thereof, be fined not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or be imprisoned in the county jail not more than thirty (30) days each.”Another Mississippi law prohibits entering “the dwelling house of another” and using “abusive, profane, vulgar or indecent language.” Drivers beware, as well. Some states have laws that specifically limit cursing on public highways. Some anti-profanity laws were passed to shield women and children from foul-mouthed men. Consider this Michigan law: “Any person who shall use any indecent, immoral, obscene, vulgar or insulting language in the presence or hearing of any woman or child shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.” Another Oklahoma law warns, “If any person shall utter or speak any obscene or lascivious language or word in any public place, or in the presence of females, or in the presence of children under ten (10) years of age, he shall be liable to a fine of not more than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00), or imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) days, or both.” Some states, at least, don’t impose hundreds of dollars in fines for cursing and swearing. Under Rhode Island’s profanity law, “Every person who shall be guilty of profane swearing and cursing shall be fined not exceeding five dollars ($5.00).” It is not unusual these days for me, or my wife, to simply turn off a TV program that is riddled with profanity. OK. So I'm an old fuddy-duddy. I can accept that. But I refuse to relinquish my hold on dignity. There is a coarseness to our conversation these days that did not exist a few decades ago. We are, I am convinced, a less civilized nation as a result. Civility is nothing more than showing respect for others. Today's coarse, crude, vulgar, profane conversations on screen, on stage, or toward one another in public is far less than civilized. It cheapens not only our discourse, it lessens the degree of regard we have for our fellowman. I don't give a hoot for "artist's license." If a screen writer is incapable of writing a script that will capture an audience and hold them for the duration of his/her tale without exploiting the entire dictionary of profanities, then he/she has no business writing anything for public consumption. If the FCC wants to actually DO something worthwhile, they could clean up our airwaves. But -- they won't. In fact, I expect them to allow it to get much worse. J. D. Longstreet
(Editor’s note: J.D. Longstreet passed away in 2014. He will be greatly missed.)
Longstreet is a conservative Southern American (A native sandlapper and an adopted Tar Heel) with a deep passion for the history, heritage, and culture of the southern states of America. At the same time he is a deeply loyal American believing strongly in “America First”.
He is a thirty-year veteran of the broadcasting business, as an “in the field” and “on-air” news reporter (contributing to radio, TV, and newspapers) and a conservative broadcast commentator.
Longstreet is a veteran of the US Army and US Army Reserve. He is a member of the American Legion and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. A lifelong Christian, Longstreet subscribes to “old Lutheranism” to express and exercise his faith.