Back in 2001, Kevin Smith made a little flick called Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Because of a large number of what was perceived as anti-gay jokes, Keven Smith paid $10,000 to GLAAD, the hyper-sensitive gay advocacy group, for anti-gay comments in the film. One of them, according to the official commentary, was when Justice told the leader of the theives she was "so gay." The joke, according to the commentary was that she was, in fact, gay.

Hey! I didn't buy it, either. But I also didn't agree with his fine. And just exactly when did GLAAD become an enforcement body like the RIAA? Smith said he paid a $10,000 fine. To whom? And why? To keep GLAAD from picketing his movie? So, Kevin Smith paid $10,000 to keep people from objecting to his movie in a public place? It sounds like a protection racket to me. "Give me money and nothing will happen at your premiere."

Anyway, I ran across this article and I had to stop and scratch my head. Over in the UK, the host of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, called the Daihatsu Copen "a bit gay", adding: "It's a bit ginger beer."

Is anyone in England complaining about the word "gay"? Oh hell no! According to the Oxford dictionary, gay means "foolish, stupid and occasionally inappropriate, disapproved of and lame". They're objecting to the Cockney rhyming slang that means gay.

I shit you not.

"In this edition of Top Gear, the presenter's use of a Cockney rhyming phrase made clear he intended to give a particular meaning to use of the word 'gay'... ie not to restrict its meaning simply to foolish or stupid, but clearly linking the reference to homosexual people. This, in Ofcom's opinion, meant that the use of the word became capable of giving offence. In the context, there was no justification for using the word in this way."

So "gay" is okay in the UK. "A bit ginger beer" is cause for a jihad.

Thank the FSM we live in a tolerant society. You know: where there is something called Free Speech. Unless someone objects to what we say.