What is the Deal with Caryn Elaine Johnson?
By Jan A. Larson You may not be asking, “What is the deal with Caryn Elaine Johnson?” but instead, “Who in the heck is Caryn Elaine Johnson?” Caryn Elaine Johnson, of course, is the birth name of comedienne Whoopi Goldberg. Goldberg was given the nickname “Whoopi” as a result of her excessive flatulence. Last week she lived up to that nickname with an exhibition of excessive flatulence of the mouth at a Democratic fund-raiser in New York. As a result, she was canned as a spokesperson for Slim-Fast. Some are being critical of Slim-Fast for taking a step that is somehow an affront to Goldberg’s right to free speech. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Constitution provides a guarantee that the government will pass no law that restricts the freedom of speech. This situation has nothing to do with government or the law so any discussion of free speech is not germane. When a person takes money from a business owner or company to represent that business as a spokesperson, there is a
