In defense of Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

So I made a simple rule for myself that I would only use this blog to expose the truth about the Bush administration and its allies, at least until after the election. I have no intention to use this to talk about entertainment or sports or anything else, at least until November 3rd.

I'm about to write about NASCAR. A sport I don't even watch. But bear with me. I'll bring this back around to bash Bush by the end.

Before I get to NASCAR, and as long as I'm off topic, I want to give a shout out to my St. Louis Cardinals who kicked some Dodger ass yesterday.

OK. NASCAR. So Dale Earnhardt, Jr. gets fined $10,000 for saying "shit" on tv. Here is the context. "It don't mean shit right now. Daddy's won here 10 times," he says, speaking of his victory at Talladega Superspeedway.

Come on. $10,000? For a word everyone's heard before? Yeah, I'm sorry kids had to hear it and I suppose it's not appropriate for a family atmosphere. But $10,000? Geez. It's pretty clear it's something Dale said in the heat of the moment of victory with no malicious intent.

Not only that, but he lost 25 Nextel Cup points, which (I don't know much about NASCAR) apparently might cause him to lose the Cup after a few more races when the winner is determined. For saying "shit," he might lose the big prize? As I said, I don't follow NASCAR, but I do believe in the integrity of sports, and believe winners should be determined by competition, not by events off the field.

Here's where I bring it back to Bush: It's obvious that this is an extension of "Nipplegate." NASCAR never would have instituted the fines if the administration hadn't pushed for ridiculous FCC fines after the Super Bowl. It's also clear that this administration could give a rat's ass about free speech. Look at the Patriot Act. Look at "Free Speech Zones" at all the president's public appearances. Look at Howard Stern.

The administration is obviously afraid that free speech will lead to questioning of their policies. This is why they hold so few press conferences. This is why they crack down on who's allowed to get into their own campaign events. This is why ridiculous rules about "no direct questions" were written into the debate rules. In the first debate, when Kerry was able to put him on the defensive anyway, it's clear Bush has no answers, which is why he goes through such pains to stifle the questions. And equate people who question his policies with terrorists.

Given what's going on in Iraq, it's sometimes easy to forget what's happening to civil liberties at home. We need to remember what's happening here as well.