the firestorm over "duck dynasty" phil robertson's comments came to a head today. in a statement, the family said, quote, we are disappointed that phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we're in discussions with a&e of what that means to "duck dynasty." the gay community has been split in their reaction. >> what the defenders of phil robertson are seeking, is freedom from conflict. none of us are entitled to that. if i were to say something to you outlandish, glaad would never put me on the air again. we all have to answer to our employers. >> but openly-gay feminist professor, who is a liberal, slammed the backlash. saying the legacy of free speech is all but dead. >> this is the level of punitive p.c., utterly fascist, utterly stallenist, that my liberal colleagues in the democratic party and on college campuses, have supported and promoted over the last several decades. the whole legacy of spree speech 1960s has been lost on

phil robertson has every right to be a bigot. robertson's employer has made a business decision in suspecting him. this is a free market at work, folks. this is capitalism at work. and the a & e network is a private business, a business trying to protect its relationship with viewers and advertisers. suspending robertson. it just seems really strange that they don't understand the suspension. no one in the government, no one anywhere, is telling phil robertson he can't go out anywhere across america and say the exact same things tonight that he did in that interview to "gq" magazine. joining me now for our rapid response panel, goldie taylor of the grio.com. and also the ring of fire radio host, mike papantonio. great to have you with us tonight. i've got a lot of opinions on this. my talk show the last two days has been one call after another. pat, why are politicians even jumping into this dispute? ted cruz, who is always jumping in front of the parade. you've got bobby jindal, who has got a successful show in his own backyard

that's a petition in support of phil robertson. joined now by our fantastic panel tonight.and fox news contributor. ladies, welcome. good to have you here. >> i mean, this is -- monica, if that's true. why would twitter be blocking? that's a rather political statement on their part if that's what they're doing. we want to make sure, point out -- saying that's what's going on. >> if it's true, this wouldn't be the first time that twitter would be charged with censoring conservative groups. they have been charged with this kind of thing before. 200,000 people signed this in support of phil and what this kind of thing does, the website was blocked from twitter. we don't know how or why yet. but what it does is actually have the opposite reaction. it ends up ginning up a lot more support for phil robertson and grabs a lot more attention to the situation. >> what do you think they're going to do, mercedes? >> i think they're going to keep him. there's been such an outcry against anyone opposing robertson. they're going to keep him. there's 12 million viewers a night. that's unbe

that is something that i guess phil robertson did not see. he never saw anything like that with his own eyes. >> that is is a perfect example because it speaks to our relationship between these two groups. there is a cast system in which people at the lower end of the cast system were not permitted to do such basic things to be able to look a white person in the eye. they were not permitted to shake the hand of a person of a different race. so in this particular case in bill russel's father's case, he was actually going to get gas and the culture of that world was that white people were to be served first and so bill russel's father had been waiting to be served and waiting to be served and it had taken so long because people were coming in and cutting in front of him, which was the standard, the culture. he sought to back out and as he was backing out, the station owner held a gun to his head and said you will leave when i say you can leave. they fled that region of louisiana and went to california -- they went to oakland. if that family had

both phil robertson comments and suspension sparking outrage. >> the liberals have won again. a and e has shut up phil for quoting the bible. >> duck dynasty star phil robertson has been suspended indefinitely now by a and e. >> robertson was suspended for saying, this and i'm quoting: everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong. start with homosexuality behavior and more out from here. >> down in the south you explain the birds and bees to the grandson via the craw fish. >> idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy the drunkard the slanderers they will not inherit the kingdom of god. >> the fact that they are legitimate and rural and country folk and bible folk and all the rest of it, let them be. >> don't marry some yuppy girl. >> the first prerequisite for marrying a woman, can she cook? >> if your woman cooks better than your momma, you got one. >> excuse me for just a second here, but who is being discriminated against here excepted phil robertson? who just lost a job because of his religious beliefs. >> father, we thank you for this

phil robertson not out of the line with the arrogant god haters. radical gays have made hateful anti-gay statements. even if that's true, how does one justify the other? >> a&e has every right as an employer -- it kills me that libertarians and people on the right are saying, employers shouldn't be able to tell their employers wh employees what to say. >> but a lot of people say, look, this network knew who phil robertson was, what his views are. of course he's going to be controversial. that was why he was hired. >> yeah. but the fact he knew he might say this, once he said something that they felt damages the brand, they have every right to pull out of it. >> right. and so -- >> and they didn't fire him. they suspended him, howie, for god sake. and with the money this show makes, you think they're not going to bring him back at some point? listen, this whole talk about the patriarch, like he's abraham, he makes duck whistles, duck calls. >> what about the fact that there is a boycott now of a&e among some people. it looked bad with gay rights gro

the firestorm over "duck dynasty's" star phil robertson comments continue today. y be fine walking away from phil but the family made clear they're sticking by him, saying, we are disappointed phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we are in discussions with a&e to see what that means for the

the firestorm over "duck dynasty's" star phil robertson comments continue today. a&e may be fine walking away from phil but the family made clear they're sticking by him, saying, we are disappointed phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we are in discussions with a&e to see what that means for the future of "duck dynasty." the gay community has been split in their reaction. here is glaad reacting last night on "the kelly file." >> this is not a free speech issue. what the defenders of phil robertson are seeking is freedom from consequence. none of us are entitled to that. if right now i were to say something to you completely outlandish, glaad would not let me interview you again. we all have to answer to an employer. >> but openly gay feminist professor who is a liberal, slammed the backlash, saying the legacy of free speech is all but dead. >> this is the level, okay, of punitive pc, utterly fascist, utterly stalinist, okay, that my liberal colleagues in the democratic party and on college campuses

they called for the head of phil robertson on a platter. they didn't want someone able to speak to this. when you are in a fight you go after the biggest guy, tie to knock him out so the others run. glad goes after people with with platforms who will talk about natural marriage or biblical morality and tie to knock them out and silence them to intimidate others. jeremy was talking about glad and their mission. last year they gave one of the highest awards to a guy named dan savage who attacked everybody from the pope to schoolgirls. he traffics in some of the most vile conversations. they are recognizing him with awards. they are not about conversation. they are about demon yiezing and marginalizing people who hold traditional moral views. >> how do we get past it? there was a way for phil to say thisful i believe in the bible. i think the bible objects to homosexuality so i don't believe in that. that's my belief. you don't hear g.l.a.d. coming out and starting fires when people talk like that. the way he put it and though i agree with you

. >>> "duck dynasty" phil robertson is sticking to his guns. robertson vowing he will not give or back off. over the weekend bible study dallas phil speaking out for the first time since making anti-gay comments. harvey levin joins us with the latest. >> hey, greta. >> probably a lawsuit. first we back up to phil robertson's bible study group. what happened? >> well, he, like you said, is he sticking to his guns. he is saying, look, he repeated pretty much line and verse what he said to the gq reporter. he says he believes homosexuality is going to be part of a thing that ruins the country. he said he himself this is interesting sexually sinned solved that issue my getting married to a woman and sticking to it if you can make sense of the comment. he said i am who i am. i'm not going to change anything. and the family is completely behind him. you know, greta, one of the things that occurred to me is, is that they suspended phil robertson but when you think about it a&e has got to know his family feels exactly the way he does. so they are stick

. >> and allowing phil robertson back on "duck dynasty." we will look at the decision and the fallout. >> it is over with. >> caution. you are about to enter the no spin zone and the factor begins right now. >>> hi, everyone, i'm laura ingraham in for bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. let's get to the top story over the weekend. "new york times" published an extensive investigation into last year's terrorist attack in benghazi. four americans dead and left two ambassador libya christopher stephens. there is just no chance that this was an al qaeda attack if by divide you mean the organization founded by usama bin laden. this is a group of men inspired by video deliberately attacked the compound. >> well, those claims directly contradict what congress has said about the attack. and joining me now to explain is congressman mike rogers, a republican from michigan and he is chairman of the house intelligence committee. congressman, there is not a lot that takes may breath aaway in this town after having been here for 20 years now.

nothing offensive about what phil robertson said. but one of the things he said, black people were happy and better off before the civil rights movement. >> right. >> i've noticed that the right is not explicitly defending that. they're pretending he didn't say it. why do you suppose that is? >> we don't count. again, this is, again, among those victimized, this is why it's important as martin luther king jr. said, i'm not russia, but i would speak out against it. i'm not catholic, but if it happens against catholics, i'll speak out. i want gay and -- i've been critical of black people not speaking up for gay people. that's number one. we are relegated to the margins here. happy? we were trying to fake out white people and convince them so we could survive long enough to. jim crow, it was a system that where black people could lose their lives. where rape was a reality for african-american women. where lynching was a reality for african-american men. and mexicans, by the way. and it was one of the most vicious systemic acts of injust

jim crow segregation era happy and singing. >> that's not what phil robertson said.said what he saw. he was relating what he saw because he said he worked in the field with them because he was basically white trash as he described himself he got to know folks. he was recounting his observations. >> his comments were very over the top. >> white supremacist that was seriously over the top. >> that's part of the race baiting culture, isn't it? dyson and maybe someone said sharpton and jackson you have got to keep it going. keep the flames going. not to say there is not intolerance and race. not to say there isn't in every culture. our society is probably more pluralistic and open. maybe the exception of brusmtion or france. and yet when i look at this a&e thing and i talked to folks over the last couple of weeks about it. there really a divide in the country, right? it's obvious. because i think more traditional americans they see a lot of what happens in the culture as offensive to them. they see a lot of what happens on, i don't know, i don't watch any of these shows.

it seems to me that phil robertson did not want to apologize.pushed a&e to have to do something he didn't want to do. >> you would have said, cutters, okay if you apologize i won't suspend you, if you don't apologize i will suspend you. for how long? bring him back in 10 days? what are you going to do. >> i think they will try to bring him back because without him there is no show. make a lot of money and get even bigger ratings. everybody has heard of "duck dynasty" now. a&e should not be surprised to learn that this guy who they hired as a bible toting, praying, big mouth outdoors man is shooting off his mouth. >> of course they shouldn't be surprised. both of you would have suspended him had he not apologized. so we are on the record there final question for both of you, bernie first. is it unreasonable, all right? for the american public to be angry about this? both sides, all right? so people who think robertson is a religious fanatic and a threat, they are angry and the people who think he is just sticking up for the bible, they are angry.

this is not the first time phil robertson has made homophobic remarks. >> reporter: tonight, no further us, if they do speak, they'll speak as a family. for "nightline," matt gutman, abc news, miami. >> abc is a part owner of the a & e networks. so, what do you think? is phil robertson exercising freedom of speech? or hate speech? let us know. tweet us @nightline." >>> next, from a sexy spread to all covered up. why this model is going modest. the #1 selling pain reliever, in one cold medicine. advil congestion relief. it delivers a one-two punch at pain and sinus pressure with the power of advil and a nasal decongestant in a single pill. advil congestion relief. in a single pill. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about trying or adding a biologic. this is humira, adalimumab. this is humira working to help relieve my pain. this is humira helping me through the twists and turns. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for over ten years. humira works by targeting and helping to block a specific sour

phil robertson. i love all of humanity. okay.uld all be better off if we loved god and loved each other. gene, it strikes me as absolutely absurd. that the a & e knelt works. is getting rid of some one because he said something that 45% of america believes. they believe it within their religious teachings. >> if that's the reason -- i think you make an argument. what he says the statement, honorable, one of the words. in my experience. go home to orangeberg and went to what had been the white high school in orangeberg. look, they, they, they don't delude themselves anymore. even if they did. at one point. but they, you know -- they saw -- black people using the other -- water fountains and the other restrooms. and not being allowed on the playground. they no longer harbor this revisionist fantasy of happy negros in the field. it is just not. and so that is just a ridiculous thing to believe in this day and age. and even more ridiculous thing to say. >> joy, i just want to go on record in this segment, as never having supported th

tweets on phil robertson getting the boot from "duck dynasty."ght to say what he wants and there is a right to fire him. and another, a and e was correct and it is a corporate decision and has nothing to do with freedom of speech and religion. and another, he can say what he wants lose show, followers and political correctness is fashist. and another, the upcoming season is moot. it will blow over and then a and e will have the another hick show. i can't keep an eye on every local newscast in the country, but have i some help. none other than conan o'brian through some investigative reporting his show found a striking similarity this season among america's local anchors. >> who are you really shopping for this holiday season? it is okay. you can admit if you bought an item or two or 10 for yourself. >> it is okay. you can admit it if you have bought an item or two or 10 for yourself. >> you can admit it. you bought an item or two or 10 for yourself. >> you can admit it. if you have bought an item or two or 10 for yourself. >> you can admit it. >>

wants a dialogue with them and phil robertson. there be a dialogue when it comes to sitting down with christians and having more tolerance with their points of view? >> phil can say what he wants to. folks at a&e and g.l.a.d. and those who spoke against phil have the right to say the language is offensive. in the g.q. article he talks about how no african-american said jim crow was a bad thing. >> he never said jim crow. >> he said during the jim crow era african-americans were doing well. >> that's not what he said. >> did you read the same interview we read? >> read the quote. don't put words in his mouth. >> he never said jim crow. >> we could sit here all day. >> we can. if you don't want to talk about the facts what's the point of having a discussion? >> i'm trying to talk about the facts. we could sit here all day -- >> you are making up quotes. defending him on a false quote. when did he say jim crow. >> he said it in the gq article. in the text of the article. >> richard, here is the thing. you cannot put words in their mo

we will be right back. ♪ " patriarch phil robertson will not be missing any episodes of the hit seriesst a week after suspending robertson, a and he has reversed its decision. "ou may recall, "duck dynasty has pulled in as many as 12 million viewers, making it the most-watched cable reality series. this is quite a turn of events over the last couple of days. what is our takeaway? >> an indefinite suspension took about a week to find a solution. both sides needed a solution here. this is one of the most-watched shows on cable television. it is the biggest revenue televisionor a&e networks, which is co-owned by disney and hearst. this show, as you mention, is averaging this season almost 15 million viewers per episode. both sides wanted to find a solution. the family came out last week and apologize for the course phil robertson used -- apologized for the coarse language that phil robertson used but said they could not envision going forward without him. a&e said they could have some public service announcements that will run nationally on all that willworks encourage tolerance and under

both phil robertson comments and suspension sparking outrage. >> the liberals have won again. quoting the bible. >> duck dynasty star phil robertson has been suspended indefinitely now by a and e. >> robertson was suspended for saying, this and i'm quoting: everything is blurred on what's right and what's wrong. start with homosexuality behavior and more out from here. >> down in the south you explain the birds and bees to the grandson via the craw fish. >> idolater

patriarch of phil robertson. >> i'm tolerant of people on issue contrary to mine but i'm not tolerant of the intolerance the one. >> many gathered outside of school yesterday, remembering the 17-year-old senior high school student and paid their respects. >> honestly this has been a tragic event for the community. and there are literally thousands of people and we are praying for them. bill: it appears that davis was shot at random. the governmental then killed himself and was likely targeting a librarian. the library and escaped unharmed. martha: it is decision time for those who have yet to sign up for health insurance under obamacare. if you want coverage to start generate first, and roll today is the deadline. but the sticker shock is forcing people to take the cheapest plan available to them, but they could be facing major out-of-pocket costs on the backend with the plan. joining me now is a former economic adviser to president reagan. how are you doing this morning? >> i'm doing well. martha: individuals go

phil robertson did nothing wrong. he just did not shy away from the parts of accepting christ that make people uncomfortable. he loves people so much he's not willing to give people a fast pass to hell by not telling them they're not sinners. he did not judge. he just held up the yardstick. where is the middle on someone who believes that because you are gay you are going to hell, that you yourself are a sin, that your entire being is sinful? where do you find the middle on that. >> people are entitled to their opinions, beliefs, you can say what you like. >> you said meet them in the middle. >> we can meet them in the middle when it comes to kbal rights for gay and lesbians. >> what do you think about phil robertson? >> what's happened is people didn't ask, people didn't want to put the conversation out there. they immediately want to -- >> i think people tried to ask and say, what's going on here. part of what happened as to someone's own grandfather called me a sin because i'm mixed race, looking at his comments wh

some people agree with what phil robertson said, some don't agree. thought the language was unnecessarily inflammatory. i didn't think he necessarily needed to be suspended. i think a&e would have been happier had phil robertson said he was sorry. >> no, in fact, the family put on a statement last weekend saying we do not see how we can move forward without the great patriarch. they didn't say great. that's me. but that is a shot across the bow to a&e number one. and then he said in that church last sunday in louisiana i'm not backing down an inch. well, that's defiance. a&e rolled over instantly. >> well, you know, let me circle back to your earlier answer that when you get into these, it's all about money. there is no question there is a lot of money at stake here. merchandise and everything else. i guess a&e deserves credit for creating this show. people say they don't care about the beliefs of christians. but when you hire phil robertson, you probably know he's a controversial guy who is going to say controversial things. a&e could have just put

and "duck dynasty" patriarch phil robertson will be back on television as a&e has decided to resume shooting the hit reality series with the entire cast. we begin with breaking news -- apple is putting investor carl icon -- carl icahn's proposal up to vote and urges shareholders to vote against it. he wants apple to commit to buying back at least $50 billion worth of stock. in a proxy filing, apple says the company believes the management team and board are in the best position to determine what is the best long-term interest of the company's business. apple says it is reviewing its buyback and dividend plan and will announce any changes by the spring. for more on this breaking news, we are joined on the phone by an analyst at wedge partners who covers apple very closely. he joins us from salt lake city, utah. what can you tell us about this? apple has been pretty quiet up until this point on this issue. is that not true? >> yes, they have been quiet. icahn has been vocal on this, making clear via twitter and television what he would like to see apple do, but this is the first time we have h

however, a&e apparent had a representative with phil robertson during this gq interview. he checks from the show. they didn't feel like their consciences were aching employing someone with these reprehensible views. they were happy to get rich with them. >> i am now thinking a&e is getting exactly what they want out of this. we're talking about duck dynasty. >> people are boycotting them, too. >> but believe me, if they decide to say, oh, by the way, we have a mea clpa, it will only increase their audience. >> there are lessons to take from this. we had father morris johnson on. he said he agreed with phil robertson's views and there are lots of way toes express your faith, to express your understanding of christian doctrine and he could have done it maybe in a way that wasn't as polarizing. but there's no changing the fact that the robertsons are right about one thing, for sure. and that is people in tv, in the entertainment side have total contempt for evangelicals. i know them. trust me, there's no doubt about that. and by the way, people in power in the united states i

asked in a gq interview phil robertson asked what was sinful, start with homosexual, go from there. bestiality, sleeping with this woman, that woman. don't be deceived -- the right was predictably outraged by a & e's decision. >> knee-jerk reaction kicking phil to the curb. >> the fact is sexuality immorality whether it's homosexuality, heterosexual relation out of marriage, that was the point he tried to make. quit trying to hold to those that hold to a natural view of marriage and morality. >> freedom, free speech. so many american families have spilled blood and treasure to guarantee phil robertson and everybody else's right to voice their personal opinion. once that freedom is lost, everything is lost in our country. >> all about freedom. sensing an opportunity to exercise their bona fides some presidential contenders weighed in. you should be dismayed over the treatment of phil robertson. louisiana governor bobby jindal defended his home state hero. >> to me this is an issue about religious liberty, freedom of expression. it's about the fact left keeps saying they are for tolera

they just announced they are lifting the suspension of the "duck dynasty" patriarch phil robertson. the company suspended the reality star just nine days ago after controversial anti-gay comments he made were made public. robertson stood by his comments and his fans stood by him. one online petition to have him reinstated surpassed its goal of gathering 250,000 signatures and a & e ran a "duck dynasty" marathon on christmas day. joining me, our senior media correspondent and host of reliable sources, of course. this is a big topic on your show last sunday. we've been talking about this. this is more than just a television show. this particular story, brian, struck a cultural nerve. how is a & e justifying its decision? >> they are trying to do that with a five paragraph statement that said, well, well, the family acknowledged some of his words and well, we're going to put on a psa campaign with commercial that's promote tolerance. the truth is there is not a lot they can say. they say "duck dynasty" is not a show about one man's views frlg it resonates a large audience and is for fa

did phil robertson's comments about homosexuality deserve so much discussion? and "60 minutes" facing a third round of criticism and clock is ticking for american correspondents in china. will they be allowed to stay in the country? we'll have that and a revealing interview with the ceo of politico and we'll be talking about this tweet that started a social media witch-hunt this weekend. it's time for "reliable sources." >>> good morning. welcome to a freakishly warm washington. there were a lot of big stories this week. congress passed a budget. the stock market reached record highs, a roof collapse on a packed london theater, a federal judge said nsa's bulk collection of our telephone records was likely unconstitutional and the government continued to stone wall reporters who keep asking why the pentagon launched a drone strike that killed innocent people in yemen. those stories barely stood a chance against this. >> "duck dynasty" star phil robertson making comments. >> the home of "duck dynasty" has declined all of our interview requests this week. before i

i don't think they'll say if phil robertson will be in them.ays it will be all across their other channels, involving talent from all those networks in the public service announcements about unity and tolerance. we'll see in a few months if the robert sons are a part of those or not. it was interesting to hear the spokesman say there will be 134 sort of dialogue. >> and also he said he didn't see this as a reversal at all. >> yes. >> i know in a way you talk to groups that have worked on something, and if something appears to maybe not go their way, or what will -- maybe they realize that's not realistic, but they certainly want to -- i would say they've had an impact on the dialogue. is that accurate, this is not a reversal? >> you know, it's the kind of thing, when a & e came out nine days ago, they said it was an indefinite hiatus. clearly that's not the case. they have given up quite a bit of ground. they're going to be back filming in the spring. you know, i think that kind of says it all, but at least these groups can say the psas will be

think for huckabee and republicans broadly is while that kind of language appeals to the base, phil robertsonactly the wrong kind of mascot for the republican party. he's this back woodsy, long beard, ignorant seeming -- if republicans think they're going to broaden the tent by embracing people like phil, that's exactly the wrong way for them to go. it may please a few folks. >> i guess this is your point. it fires up the base, but it doesn't expand into the middle. the "duck dynasty" comments produced a wave of reaction from the right. and here are some of the highlights. >> to me this is an issue about religious liberty, an issue about freedom of expression. it's about the fact that the left says they're about tolerance except for people that disagree with him. it's surprising to me miley cyrus would still be on tv and phil gets kicked off. >> sarah palin also weighed in. >> this is all about freedom, free speech. so many american families have spilled blood and treasure to guarantee phil robertson and everybody else's right to voice their personal opinions. and once that freedom is lost, s

the suspension remains against phil robertson. mily has rallied around him saying they don't know if they want to continue if the patriarch isn't part of this. we had fox news host bill o'reilly, he called robertson's remarks about this in reference to the lgbt community a mistake. did that surprise you? >> well, it did surprise me. maybe bill is too caught up with the war on christmas to take -- to launch another battle here, but you had newt gingrich, who is an admitted adulterer coming out and saying that he thought phil robertson sounded like pope francis. i don't think pope francis would be talking about comparing gay rights and homosexuals to beastiality. reality shows often don't show us the full reality. they certainly didn't with sarah palin's reality show. now we're seeing who this guy really is and americans have the right to judge him, not judge him, watch him, not watch him and a & e has the right to keep him on as the face of their channel or not. this is real reality. sorry. >> it's where capitalism meets free speech

quick thinking. >>> those are your headlines for this hour over to you. >>> "duck "dynasty"" phil robertsonericans and gay people in an interview with "gq." the "dynasty" clan is suggesting the show may not continue if phil is at the helm. what are the standards that govern a situation like this, was the right thing done or wrong thing done? joining us is michael medved, co-host of "sneak previews." merry christmas, happy holidays. >> we've been off the air since 1996, but great to hear "sneak previews." i appreciate the credit. >> clearly an error. how do you feel about this situation, michael? what's your gut on it? >> well my gut on it is that committed media malpractice. for them to come forward with a statement that never articulated what it is exactly they were objecting to. one of the points here is that everyone's saying that phil robertson made vile remarks, hate-filled remarks. what he said was coarse, it was crude, but there was nothing here that seemed to be a red line that was crossed. if that red line was there, what was it. is it somehow a red line to say that most men instin

and phil robertson is a part of that season. all these cast members, the family members are saying they will not do the show without phil. that isn't going to happen because of something called an ironclad contract. the show will go on and i believe that phil will also come back for another season. >> this season's already taped. >> this season's already taped. but i'm saying, season six, he'll be back on. >> first amendment's being thrown around, but the first amendment's about protection from government. is this issue really a first amendment issue? or is it more about the right to say what you want regardless of your belief without blowback? >> well, this is what particularly bothers me here. i think you have so many elites out there who have gotten used to over so many decades to see a particular demographic made fun of, you know. we saw it during the "beverly hillbillies," with a lot of like the new york, l.a., boston -- >> go after the turn of the cheek crowd. >> exactly. and they're okay with that crowd as long as they don

. >>> the fire storm over phil robertson's gay comments continued today. a & e might be fine walking away from phil, but the robertson family made clear they are sticking by him. in a statement, the family said, quote, we are disappointed that phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. we can not imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm. we are in discussions with a & e to see what the future is with "duck dynasty." the gay community has since split in their reaction. here is glad reacting. last night on the kelly file. >> this is not a free speech issue. what this -- the defenders of phil robertson are seeking is freedom from consequence. none of us are entitled to that. if i were to say something to you outlandish, glad would never allow me back on here again. we all have to answer to our employers. >> but openly gay feminist professor camille, who is a liberal, slammed the backlash, saying the legacy of free speech is all but dead. >> this is a level of punitive pc utter

so when the star phil robertson said what he said to "gq" magazine, it was not the reality show phil robertson talking, it was presumably the real phil robertson which led the network to suspend him. the question tonight. is any of this worth fighting over? one thing is clear, to a&e, it's worth millions. in 2012, this family made their debut on a&e. "duck dynasty" is a reality show that made a fortune in products for duck hunters. >> 40 years ago, my father phil robertson invented a revolutionary duck caller that changed the duck industry and our way of life forever. >> the pat reark of the show, phil robertson. >> my happiness is killing things. >> reporter: robertson is plain spoken religious traditional sort of guy. >> here is the deal, cell phones, not for me. texting i'm like no, shut it down, turn it off. >> reporter: in the four seasons the show has been on the air, he's never been afraid to express your opinion. >> if you're making cooks better, than your mama, you got one. >> reporter: it's that unfiltered opinion that makes it the most-watched program on america. >> kids in

if you don't like what phil robertson, then say what you think. but what phil said was not directed toward an individual. they said like what martin bashir said about sarah palin. that is a big difference. martin bashir was speaking about an individual and that was in fact hate speech because it was targeted toward a person. what phil said was a matter of his opinion based on scripture. which is not really all that off the wall of an opinion. >> mike, before we go and we don't have a lot of time. it strikes me a couple of months ago or a year ago, you were involved in this, the chick-fil-a dust-up. tell us how this is different -- or how it is being treated different, phil robertson versus chick-fil-a. >> there is a similarity and it is this. christian people don't like to be against something but they are willing to be for something. with chick-fil-a and robertson, they are not boycotting as they are standing with someone that they think has taken a stand that reflects their own views and their own values. and that is what is similar and i thinks

>> thank you very much. >>> now, some are defending phil robertson, you heard that. no one is defending, though, the woman whose tweet was not only offensive and tasteless but shocking, considering her job. cnn's pamela brown explains. >> reporter: social media is calling it the tweet heard around the world. going to africa, hope i don't get aids, just kidding, i'm white. now three days after a p.r. executive justine sacco sent out that tweet, she's out of a job and apologiapologizing. on sunday she said words cannot express how sorry i am and how necessary it is for me to apologize to the people of south africa, who i have offended due to a needless and careless tweet, for being insensitive to this crisis and to the millions of people living with the virus, i am ashamed. sacco was head of p.r. for iac, the media company owned by barry diller that operates websites like the daily beast, college humor and match.com, but on saturday, the company said sacco is no longer a good match, firing her. the now former p.r. exec found herself the target of a social media mob on