Last Sunday, a judge at the Miss USA pageant asked Miss Tennessee, Ashley Durham, whether the First Amendment protects the burning of religious articles, as it does the burning of the American flag. Durham replied, “Absolutely not. I know that some people view it as a freedom of speech. However, burning the American flag is not patriotic at all. . . . You should also respect other religions. I am a Christian. I’m a faithful person. I would not appreciate someone burning the Bible.”
That answer angered pageant judge Penn Jillette, a libertarian atheist. He said Durham should not have advocated taking away freedoms. He went on to post of Twitter, “She negated the whole First Amendment. . . . Glad to help her lose.”
The moment was reminiscent of the 2009 Miss USA pageant, when gay gossip blogger Perez Hilton criticized Miss California, Carrie Prejean, for saying that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Hilton said, “She gave the worst answer in pageant history. . . . Miss California lost because she’s a dumb [expletive].”
Both women said their opinions about politically loaded questions hurt them. Prejean said her answer “cost me my crown. I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do.”
Durham fired back in a statement issued yesterday, saying Jillette should not delight in shooting down her dreams: “I understand and am grateful for the protections we enjoy under the U.S. Constitution. . . . Due to my strong Christian beliefs, and my respect for the convictions of others, I personally feel that burning sacred texts goes too far.”
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