Whitney Houston: Freedom Of Speech Or Crossing The Line?

I want to know when does freedom of speech turn into crossing the line? It has to be more than just yelling fire in a movie theater or saying racial slurs or hate talk. I have been hearing all kinds of comments about Whitney Houston since her death and some of them are disgusting and appalling. Just this morning, I turn on the computer and an article pops up about two LA talk radio hosts being suspended for there comments because the station feels they crossed the line and they were inappropriate. From what I read, they do this sort of ting all the time and as a punishment, they get a nice long weekend off from work.

What has me more than riled up today are the comments they made about Whitney Houston. Sorry for the overkill about Whitney Houston, but she has been in the news a lot and because of that, so many are taking the opportunity to take insensitive potshots at her. This time it’s John and Ken on KFI AM. Here is what they had to say:







Maybe their rhetoric attracts certain kinds of fans who like this sort of thing, but the station must have gotten complaints to distance themselves from their remarks and “punish” them to absolve themselves of wrong doing. Similarly, CNN made it clear that Nancy Grace’s remarks were all on her and they did not represent the opinions of the network. My question is, hasn’t freedom of speech gone too far? Just because you can say something bad, do you have to say it? Do people have no conscience, integrity, no ethical standards? What makes them think they can reduce a person’s whole life down to just one aspect of it? Yes Whitney Houston was addicted to drugs, she herself talked about it. It’s a disease, whether people want to believe it or not. But there was more to her than just that. Her addiction did not define her life or who she was as a person. She was a brilliant and immensely talented singer and actress who shared her gift with the world. She was a mother of a beautiful 18 year old daughter. She took in a young boy, Nicholas Gordon and raised him as her own son. She was the daughter of Cissy Houston and John Russell Houston. And in addition, she was a great humanitarian. Whitney gave back to many charities.  I feel that, that is the way she would want to be remembered and DESERVES to be remembered. I am going to copy a list of her charitable works right here. It comes from a document drawn up by the Congressional Black Caucus, which is honoring Whitney Houston and her life. The document includes all her career achievements, but here is a list of all she has done for others:


"Whereas Ms. Houston not only had the voice of an angel but a heart of gold, Ms. Houston’s humanitarian efforts are as impressive as her accolades;


Whereas Ms. Houston raised funds for numerous causes, including: children around the world, from South Africa to Newark, generated over $300,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund as a result of a 1997 HBO concert;


Whereas Ms. Houston supported Nelson Mandela and the antiapartheid movement and while a model refused to work with any agencies that did business with the then-apartheid South Africa;


Whereas Ms. Houston participated in a benefit concert that raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid;


Whereas Ms. Houston worked tirelessly for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the United Negro College Fund, and the Children’s Diabetes Foundation;


Whereas Ms. Houston founded the Whitney Houston Foundation for the Children which cares for such problems as homelessness, children with cancer and AIDS, and other issues of self-empowerment;


Whereas Ms. Houston’s Foundation was awarded a VH1 honor for its charitable work;


Whereas Ms. Houston Founded the Whitney E. Houston Academy of Creative and Performing Arts to provide expanded arts-focused educational opportunities for its student body and the surrounding community;


Whereas Ms. Houston served as a spokesperson for a youth leadership conference;


Whereas, out of the generosity of her heart, Ms. Houston donated her portion of the proceeds from the release of the National Anthem as a single to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund and therefore was named to the American Red Cross Board of Governors;


Whereas Ms. Houston supported, performed, and visited many of our service men and women fighting in the Persian Gulf War;


Whereas The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, Inc. agreed to donate royalties and net proceeds from all single sales of ‘‘The Star Spangled Banner’’ coupled with ‘‘America the Beautiful’’ to the New York Firefighters 9–11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police”

Why is none of this being emphasized and all the focus being put on her drug addiction? I want to know what these people, who are so quick to criticize and dishonor her memory, have done in their lifetimes that even comes close to what Whitney has done for others? Maybe they aren’t addicted to drugs, but what the hell have they contributed to this world to make it a better place? Instead of appreciating the beautiful person Whitney Houston was, they take this time, the moment of her death, to reduce her life down to her addiction? Freedom of speech allows them to do that, but should we as a society tolerate and support people who abuse this freedom to malign another person. Is her drug addiction the only way we are to remember Whitney Houston after all she has done?

Let me ask John and Ken, Nancy Grace, Bill Reilly…and all the other big mouth, self-righteous, pompous asses, what have they done besides not get addicted to drugs? What have they contributed to this world besides hateful speech? What will they be remembered for? And who the hell are they to judge her worth as a human being? No one among us is perfect. No one. But we do know that, in her imperfection, Whitney Houston has done amazing and wonderful things, and that very few people on this earth can measure up to her degree of humanitarianism. We should be celebrating her life, not dishonoring it!

Here are two link where you can see what she is being honored for and the list of her humanitarian works. 

1. Congressional Black Caucus

2. Black Celebrity Giving a more detailed list of her charitable work

Nancy Grace Dishonors Whitney’s Memory…

That’s the way I feel about it. Nancy Grace opened her mouth and said too much about what the cause of Whitney Houston’s death was, hours after the singer died. She didn’t base her speculation on facts or keep her mouth shut until she had some. Instead, she made the most outrageous statements she could make at a time when the family, friends and fans of Houston were still in shock over her death. I heard the statements myself and can only imagine the pain she caused to everyone, but most especially Whitney’s daughter, Bobbi Kristina. 

Here is some of what she had to say, in her loudest most aggressive tone of voice: 

"I'd like to know who was around her, who, if anyone gave her drugs, following alcohol and drugs, and who let her slip, or pushed her, underneath that water?" Grace said Tuesday on CNN, HLN's sister network . "Apparently no signs of force or trauma to the body. Who let Whitney Houston go under her water?"

This before the coroner and toxicology reports were even completed. She tried to put a spin on the story to make the circumstances appear in the worst possible light and create suspicion and accusations where no evidence even suggested any. It’s clear to me that Nancy Grace took this opportunity to exploit Whitney’s death in order to help boost the ratings for her own show. I find this in extremely poor taste, poor judgment, callous, and irresponsible. 

What’s more, she refused to apologize for her hasty judgment and choice of words, but instead defended herself, though to me she appeared on shaky ground. When challenged and asked to explain her statements she said:

“Well, if you look at the entire sentence, I understand that some people would consider that jarring or harsh. But there is nothing delicate or nice about a murder, a death, an unexpected death, or an autopsy. And that is what autopsies are for. I know most people aren’t exposed to medical examiners, autopsies, morgues, medical examiner investigations. But that’s why you have an autopsy, to determine — when something looks to be not a natural death or an accidental death — was it a murder? Was it a heart attack? Was it an overdose? That’s what they were looking at. That’s what they had to find out.”

I didn’t find her comments very comforting and I’m sure Whitney Houston’s family and friends didn’t either. Her comments were beyond inappropriate. There is a little video below where you can hear her comments and those of Dr. Drew, who also jumped the gun on the cause of death. Whoopi Goldberg replied to both in a way I agree 100% with.

Whitney Houston, RIP

I was shocked just like everyone else last night when the news broke that Whitney Houston was dead. I had no idea she was so young. Only 48 years old and she has been an icon in the music industry since her career first began. It seemed like she had been around forever. Her song, “I Will Always Love You” could never be replicated by another singer, though some have come close. That was her song and the song I identified with her and her alone. It’s so tragic and it’s a great loss we have all suffered.

They don’t have a cause of death yet, but it has been reported that she seemed healthy and beautiful when seen a few days earlier. We all know about her long struggle with addiction and who knows if drugs were the cause. Her body has taken so much abuse, physically, emotionally, mentally and chemically. My heart goes out to her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, who lost her mother. I saw Whitney’s two day interview with Oprah in 2009. She had released a new album, “I Look To You.” Her daughter was there supporting her mother. Whitney talked about her life and addiction openly. She seemed to have found her way back on track with the help and love of her daughter. The two seemed very close.

I remember that Whitney went on a world tour, called Nothing But Love, soon after that interview and it was a dismal failure in Australia, where the audience booed her and many walked out on her performance. It was promoted as her comeback tour. But, her voice wasn’t the same, the reviews were very bad. I don’t know who thought she was ready for something like that, but they set her up for a huge failure and overwhelming embarrassment. Maybe that set her back? I don’t know. The world can be a very cruel place.

Whitney was in town for the Grammys in LA. They found her dead in her hotel room. Tonight, Jennifer Hudson is going to do a special tribute to Whitney. I don’t think there will be a dry eye in the house.

There will never be another Whitney Houston. She was one of a kind. I feel we were blessed to have had her and know her in our lifetimes. It’s just so sad that the events in her life caused her to cut short her career and her life. She should have been singing for decades. I think everyone is thinking the same thing today…Whitney Houston, We Will Always Love You. RIP