Now that A&E has suspended Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson over his recent comments about homosexuality in GQ magazine, one Georgia county sheriff has told the network that they are no longer welcome to film in his county.
Sheriff Phil Miller of Douglas County, Georgia posted a message to his Facebook page saying that he understands that A&E has made a business decision, but their actions have caused him to make a business decision of his own. He is halting all assistance to film crews from the cable network.
"A&E has suspended Phil Robertson for talking about his conservative Christian beliefs," Sheriff Miller wrote. "None of us are without sin and I am not judging anyone. I am sure A&E made what they believe is a good business decision. Many people who disagree with A&E might choose to remain silent and there was a time when I might have done the same, but no longer. In my mind the punishment is unreasonable."
Miller continued saying, "I know it will not matter to A&E, but it will make me feel better. A&E has produced more than a half dozen programs with the assistance of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office. They will not do any more with my assistance while I am sheriff. It is time for someone other than Hollywood and the news media to stand up for what is right!"
A&E has not filmed Duck Dynasty in Sheriff Miller's county in Georgia, of course, but the cabler has filmed several projects in Douglass County, including scenes from the series Beyond Scared Straight.
Sheriff Miller's personal Facebook page is set to private, but the group Douglasville & Douglas County for Civic Action posted a screenshot of the sheriff's comments.
A local newspaper, the Douglas County Sentinel, contacted Sheriff Miller, and he said that he feels it is wrong for the network to punish Robertson.
In a phone interview, Sheriff Miller told the paper, "I guess I need to learn to keep my mouth shut too. But they are punishing a man for being honest and answering a question that he was asked. When he answered and gave his understanding, pulling from his Christian beliefs, this happens. It’s not right and I had to say something about it."
"I don’t hate anybody and you can ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you the same thing," he continued. "But where we are in this country now, where you are punished for simply saying what your understanding of your Christian beliefs are is just too much for me."
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