OK, not that one.

I try to stay away from politics in this blog. But sometimes the hounds of stupidity are let loose and the socio-political stuff strays over to the sports page.

Which is how Dana Jacobson of ESPN came into her fifteen minutes of fame. Drunk and disorderly at a roast for "Mike and Mike", the ESPN announcer used obscenity in a manner offensive to Christians and Notre Dame University.

Three days into the news cycle we've rounded up all the usual suspects. Bloggers, the media, various interest groups. And a consensus is forming that a one week suspension and stern talking to weren't enough. A group called the Christian Defense Coalition has demanded her firing.

A few weeks back it was Kelly Tilghman of the Golf Channel on the hot seat with Al Sharpton calling for her to be dismissed after she joked that Tiger Woods should be "taken into an alley and lynched" if the rest of the PGA field wanted a chance at winning.

Both the CDC and Sharpton want to enforce a free speech version of the death penalty. Say the wrong thing and you lose your job. No questions asked. Motivation isn't considered, seriousness isn't an issue. As the Buffalo Springfield once sang, "Step out of line, the man come and take you away."

Which is where we should step back and take a deep breath.

If stupid statements are outlawed, who among us shouldn't be unemployed? If our professional lives are judged on a few drunken moments, what then? If in one imperfect moment we can destroy what we've worked our lives to create, what is the value of a life's labor?

I'm a Christian. Not the best example of one, but I profess faith in Jesus Christ. I'm saddened that anyone would make the comments Jacobson made in Atlantic City. I can't help but wonder what the incident says about the challenges she is facing in her life. But I have no desire to see her lose her job.

I'm also curious as to why a Christian organization isn't more understanding. More understanding of the seriousness of the injunction to "judge not, lest you be judged". And more concerned about someone who found themselves in a public setting drunk and out of control.

Power can be used for good or as a weapon. It seems that various groups and individuals want to use their own personal sense of offense or outrage as a weapon. To have the power to take away people's jobs is the power to control their speech. To surpress thought. History has shown us leaders and groups that wanted that power, and they aren't a very appealing lot. I'd rather this country stay on the other side of that dark street.

It's worth noting that Jacobson didn't direct her insults at Christians as individuals, didn't call their faith foolish or say that it is the cause of wars or a constraint on human advancement, didn't call for voices of faith to be taken out of public discussion. There are plenty of public figures who have done just that and faced little, if any, rebuke.   And I don't think comments made in a vodka induced haze necessarily represent a person's true beliefs.

The problem faced by the various "thought police" after the Jacobson and Tilghman incidents is the implication it has for the "death penalty". The one week suspensions given in the recent incidents pale next to the dismissals and professional ruination faced by male announcers in not dissimilar situations. If compassion is shown Jacobson and Tilghman, it threatens the moral authority of self-appointed leaders to push their way into the spotlight and threaten future offenders.

Bottom line, these controversies are not about outrage, but power. It's time to pull the plug and let the market place work. If Jacobson's behavior reflects badly on her company, if viewers tune out, ESPN can rightly act in its own self-interest and terminate her. That's their right and their decision. And, if we are offended by comment or commentators, we can and should exercise our right not to watch.

As for me, I hope for the best for Dana Jacobson. Sometimes life walks up and smacks you in the face to get your attention.

Maybe this is one of those times.