Duck Dynasty News: Alabama to Pass Law in Support of Phil Robertson, Petition to Reinstate Phil Surpasses 250K Signature Goal
Next month the Alabama state legislature will convene to deal with top issues facing the state including school budgets, state government and... Duck Dynasty?
Yes, the wildly popular A&E series Duck Dynasty is one of the top issues on the docket for Alabama lawmakers when they gather in the new year. Republican state senator Jerry Fielding has plans to introduce a resolution in support of Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson.
Robertson has come under fire in recent weeks as a result of comments he made to GQ magazine about homosexuality. In an interview for the January edition of the magazine, Robertson remarked that homosexuality is a sin akin to bestiality and promiscuity, CNN reports.
His comments caused an uproar in the gay community and the A&E network faced intense scrutiny by gay rights groups including the Human Rights Campaign. In response to the public outcry, A&E suspended Robertson from the show.
And in response to A&E's response, Senator Fielding announced via Facebook that he plans to file legislation expressing support for Robertson and condemning the A&E network for suspending him indefinitely from Duck Dynasty for "relaying his Christian beliefs."
"If you're a fan of the show Duck Dynasty like I am, you may also be shocked at A&E's decision to fire the Robertson family patriarch Phil from the show for espousing his Christian values after liberal interest groups cried 'intolerance'," Fielding wrote on his Facebook page on Dec. 22.
"There has never been a more important time to stand up for our right to observe and hold fast to our Christian values. That's why I wanted you to be the first to know that on Monday, I will pre-file a resolution standing in support of Phil Robertson."
Fielding also posted to his Facebook page the text of the resolution:
Another Alabama politician, Rep. Patricia Todd, is the only openly gay lawmaker in the state and she told reporters that she agrees that Robertson has a right to express his views. Todd admits to being a fan of the show and says she wasn't surprised by Robertson's perspective.
"Yes, I've watched 'Duck Dynasty.' I thought it was quite amusing. I liked it. I still will continue to watch it," Todd told reporters. "[For] most of us, it was like no big deal. Who cares? Yes, of course he thinks like that."
Todd told CNN that she expects Fielding's proposed resolution to easily pass in the state legislature.
And Fielding is not the only one standing in opposition to A&E's decision to suspend Robertson. An online petition from Faith Driven Consumer, a 46-million person strong Christian rights activist group, has achieved its goal of garnering over 250,000 signatures for an online petition calling on A&E to reinstate Robertson or face a national boycott of the network by their group.
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