Jerry Lewis Raises Millions, Causes Controversy

So what? Isn't there such a thing as Freedom of Speech? Isn't Jerry Lewis a comedian? Don't comedians "get away" with the theoretical "hate speech"? what about that retarded sham Rap that is passed off as music but is nothing more than unmelodious hip-hop trash?

As many times as I have read and studied and written about the Constitution, I have yet to find anywhere in the document where we are protected from hearing things. We are protected by a specific reference to Free Speech. However, there are limits to Free Speech. It isn't all inclusive like some resort in Cancun.

There are consequences to Free Speech. This incident ain't one of them.

During the 18th hour of the telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the 81-year-old actor, riffing in front of the camera very late in the broadcast, introduced an unseen person with a description that sounded like "the illiterate faggot."

In a video clip of the incident posted on the Internet, Lewis swaggers across the stage, appearing to dodge a cameraman before making the slightly muddled statement. He then seemingly catches himself and says, "No."

In an e-mail statement released by the Muscular Dystrophy Association Tuesday, Lewis apologized for the remark, saying it was a "joking comment" intended for a member of his production team.

"I apologize to anyone who was offended," Lewis said. "I obviously made a bad choice of words. Everyone who knows me understands that I hold no prejudices in this regard. In the family atmosphere of the telethon, I forget that not everyone knows me that well."

Worse things have been said.