Sheriff Phil Miller is telling A&E that they are no longer welcome to film in Douglas County, Ga., after the network suspended a “Duck Dynasty” star for anti-gay remarks.
“I don’t want to do anything to hurt the economy in Douglas County, but some time somewhere somebody has got to stand up and say what about us, too?” Sheriff Miller said Monday on CNN. “I believe in tolerance, I love everybody, but I simply believe tolerance works both ways.”
Phil Robertson, one of the stars of the show about a family of duck call makers, was suspended after making anti-gay comments and paraphrasing from the Bible in a GQ article released last week.
“Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right,” Mr. Robertson said.
While “Duck Dynasty” is not filmed in Douglas County, Sheriff Miller said in his statement that the network has produced several shows with the assistance from the sheriff’s office, the Douglas County Sentinel reported.
Sheriff Miller said the right thing to do is allow Mr. Robertson to continue appearing in the show, saying that no one should be punished for belief in the bible.
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“If the punishment is for what he said that the Bible said, I think the right thing to do is no harm, no foul and let him do what he was doing,” he said.
The Robertson family released a statement last week implying that the show may be cancelled if an agreement can’t be reached with A&E.
“We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith, which is his constitutionally protected right. We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but, as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm,” the Robertsons wrote on their website, duckcommander.com.
“We are in discussions with A&E to see what that means for the future of ’Duck Dynasty.’ Again, thank you for your continued support of our family,” they concluded.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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