Joan Rivers needs a lesson in civics...

I bet you did not know that Joan Rivers is a graduate of Barnard College with a degree in English Literature and Anthropology.  Apparently, that education did not include instruction in U.S. Government and/or Civics.  Why?  Because she's a freaking idiot when it comes to understanding just what our freedom of speech rights are.

Yesterday she caused a ruckus at a Costco in Burbank, where she staged a publicity stunt to draw attention to the fact Costco won't stock and sell her newest book, which I will not give additional free exposure to here.  She handcuffed herself to a woman's shopping cart, and made a general nuisance of herself.

That's all well and good.  That makes her a fame whore, much like the Kardashian women, but unlike them she actually has a talent other than being able to look good after stylists, makeup artists and personal trainers mold, shape and paint them into looking as best they can.  Joan Rivers can make people laugh.  If this had been the end of the matter, it wouldn't merit comment.

But then in her continued frenzy to publicize the incident and sell more books, she went on talk-radio on a local station last night.  Peter Tilden, who is on late at night, is always interesting to listen to, happens to be close with Joan and he had her on his show to talk about what happened.  Near the end of the interview, she made a comment that made me stop in my tracks.  This isn't an exact quote, but it's close.  "It isn't fair of Costco to violate my freedom of speech rights by not selling my book."

Alrighty then.  Come here Joan, and sit in the desk at the front of the class, and welcome to Civics 101 and our explantion of just one of those ten amendments that make up our Bill of Rights.  Let's read together:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." 

Now before we break this down, a reminder that the 14th Amendment made states, counties, cities, and any other level of government below the federal level subject to the same limitations as the federal government is, when it comes to the Bill of Rights.

Okay, Joan, please read those first five words again.  No?  Okay, I'll repeat them.  "Congress shall make no law..."

Joan, Congress didn't make a law here.  California didn't make a law here. Los Angeles County didn't make a law here.  Burbank didn't make a law here.  Costco made a business decision.  They chose not to sell your book.  That is NOT an infringement of any of your rights whatsoever.  Just as you don't have the right to go into a Costco, assemble the customers and charge them each $10 in cash for 20 minutes of you doing stand-up in the aisle where people buy toilet paper by the pallet, you also have no right to demand or expect that anyone put your book on their shelves and sell it.  It isn't censorship.  It isn't violating anyone's freedoms.  It's a business decision. 

Booksellers get to choose what they sell from their shelves.  Authors have no right, no expectation, and no standing to insist that a bookseller market their works.  You can certainly ask.  Once the answer is no, learn to live with it.  You're free to make a fool of yourself about it, within the law, but claiming your rights were violated?  That's the biggest crock of bull you've spewed in years.

Go home and write another book.  Maybe you'll have better luck getting Costco to sell it if you don't put stuff on the back cover they object to.  But don't waste anyone's time screaming "my free speech waas violated".  That's just bullshit.