The article, “Orcutt rapper found not guilty of making threats in song” (March 23), is deeply disturbing and saddens me for many reasons.
Do we have any Christian values? Did it matter at all that “Lil A” Murillo, the gangster rapper, and Shane Villalpando were former students of a Christian school? Did it matter that their parents paid good money to have them educated from a Christian perspective? One wonders if our nation has any ethics or values left. Do we not have any limits as to what is said or sung on the internet? Or is everyone at the mercy of whoever posts things on the internet?
Was the First Amendment meant to be a license to threaten others? Are rappers, poets, musicians, and other artists exempt from common courtesy or decency? Apparently they are allowed to victimize, stalk, and harass those they disagree with, simply because of the First Amendment. After all, they have rights.
Do those who are “protected” by the First Amendment have any ethical limits to their behavior? The fact that Murillo used the victims’ actual names in the song was of no consequence. I disagree that they were never in any harm. There was never any doubt as to who he was speaking about. Whether it caused the victim to become depressed, fear for her life, or become suicidal was of no consequence to the rapper. And instead of admiring her for being a witness, she was portrayed as a “snitch” and ridiculed. I guess the witness had no right to protection, especially from verbal abuse.
It is indeed sad. Our Constitution has become a farce! It no longer protects those who go to court but leaves all of us vulnerable to anyone who disagrees with us.
This article appears in Apr 6-13, 2017.