Let He Who Is Without Sin... Keep His Job

The scariest thing about what happened to Dwayne "the Dog" Chapman is not what he said, but where he said it.

These days we all know that what we write in an email, or even the fact we once paid a visit to nekkidlady.com is unlikely to remain private if someone really wants to know about it. But the bounty hunder known as "the Dog" is now likely to lose his livelihood because of what he said in a private conversation with his son.

And from where I sit, that just ain't right.

Oh, I heard the conversation. And I know what he said wasn't right either. He was way too comfortable saying 'nigger'. Way, way too comfortable. But you know what? I really don't care one whit what this man says in the privacy of his own home. As far as I can see, this is a guy with a show niether I nor anyone I know ever watches, doing his thing (whatever that is) in a free country. He is not making policy or hiring anyone.

His son put us in the position of having to care by selling Dad out and taping the tirade. But that doesn't change the basic fact that this was a private conversation and in a better world we would never, ever hear about it.

Let us leave aside the wonderful father-son relationship those two must have for just a second, and ask a question: How many of us could survive that kind of scrutiny? Are you telling me you've never said something to a friend-- perhaps told an off -color joke, remarked on a coworker's ethnicity, cursed out an enemy--said something, anything that if made public would leave you deeply embarrassed at the very least?

I'm betting we all have. The fact is, or at least the fact used to be that you have the right to say nasty things in the privacy of your own home. I know what 'The Dog' said was no accident; he admitted as much when he said he uses the N-word around the the house all the time. But I'm not worried about him. This is about me. And you, too.

Think about it. If Chapman can be fired for what he said in private to a family member, where does it stop? In case you haven't noticed, our newscast filled up with stories of people caught on tape doing this or that crazy thing. How long before someone can hear what you said in your home, or capture your text messages or read your IM's?

I'm worried that the we are on the verge of becoming a country where you can think whatever you want, but you better watch what you say. Anywhere. Ever.