Free-Speech Hue and Cry for ‘Desmond Pfeiffer’ Was Made

While I generally enjoyed Christopher Cole’s excellent piece on the “Desmond Pfeiffer” controversy (Counterpunch, Oct. 12), I was disappointed that The Times printed his statement that he has heard “hardly a peep from the anti-censorship crowd.” In fact, the National Campaign for Freedom of Expression immediately protested the L.A. City Council’s condemnation of the program and has been working with other national free-speech groups to pressure the City Council into backing off from its position.

DAVID GREENE

Program Director,

National Campaign for

Freedom of Expression

*

Whenever some disenfranchised group protests some awful media portrayal of them or their history, someone always cries, “Censorship!” These people always overlook an important point: The 1st Amendment covers protest, and if the protesters want to say, “Get this crap off the air,” that is their 1st Amendment right.

If the powers-that-be choose to recognize that protest, then that’s not censorship. That’s part of the American way.

By calling the African American protesters of “Desmond Pfeiffer” censors, Christopher Cole is doing exactly what he claims to despise: He’s denying a people their free speech.

KEN NARASAKI

Santa Monica

*

The ongoing correspondence, Counterpunch articles and organized protests by African Americans opposed to “The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer” are giving notoriety and promotion to a third-rate, non-funny series, if the first episode is anything to go by. The leading character is supposed to be English--so where was his English accent? What is the point in saying he is English and then have the character speak with an American accent? Why is Abraham Lincoln played like a character in a burlesque show and why . . . yes, why go on? It’s bad!

Cole says in his Counterpunch article that “artists have the right to set their comedies in whatever period they want.” Indeed they do, but when something is called a comedy, I expect it to be funny.

CHRIS SULLIVAN

Los Angeles