On Saturday September 14th the nation tuned in to ESPN to watch the show ESPN College Gameday, a traveling show where four men talk about the college football games of that weekend, especially focusing on the game where they are located that week.  That day it was in Ames, Iowa in preparation for this year’s in-state rivalry football game between the Iowa State University Cyclones and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. It was a hard fought game on both sides, but a muffed punt late in the game by the Cyclones sealed the Hawkeye’s victory this year.

But that wasn’t the biggest story that came out of this game.  A 24 year old man named Carson King was in the crowd at the ESPN College Gameday broadcast and, like many others, he was holding a sign.  Many people’s signs had various messages expressing support for their team, disdain for the other team, or attempts at humor.  Carson’s sign basically stated that he was out of beer money to buy Busch Light, and would like people to donate. 

Donate they did.  Within hours it was several thousand dollars, prompting this young man to decide that he would not keep the money, but after buying one case of beer he would donate everything else to the University of Iowa Stead Children’s Hospital , which famously receives a wave from everybody at the Iowa home football games next door right after the first quarter of the game ends.  The campaign went viral. Both Anheuser Busch and Venmo (the company that was handling Carson’s account) declared that they would match any funds reached, thereby tripling whatever people send in. A few days ago the donation total broke the one million dollar level, meaning that the Children’s Hospital is going to get a very sizable donation.  All because of the kindness and unselfishness of Carson King.  Anheuser Busch jumped on the PR train, announcing they would be delivering “a year’s supply” of Busch Light to Carson, and that the cans would have his picture on the side. Carson was also given tickets to the next Hawkeye home game (this Saturday) so that he could participate in the wave to the children for which he had raised so much money.

This was a happy story all around, a feel-good story about the generosity of people and bonds that transcend any college football allegiance. And then the Des Moines Register stepped in.  The ultra-left-leaning newspaper evidently could not leave this man alone, but decided, in the spirit of #metoo and “cancel culture”, that Carson King must be destroyed.  And so they began scouring his social media accounts looking for any dirt they could find and report on.  And they found something, reporting that eight years ago when Carson was a sophomore in high school, he had two tweets that contained racist jokes in them.  They asked him about them, and of course, Carson did not even remember them.  He deleted them, expressed remorse for ever saying them, and even provided evidence from 2016 (four years later) that he did not really feel that way, with a tweet that read “Until we as a people learn that racism and hate are learned behaviors, we won’t get rid of it. Tolerance towards others is the first step.”   That tweet was written when he was 21 years old, and much more mature. 

But as a result of these tweets being revealed, Anheuser Busch, the company that produces millions of barrels of beer each year, causing untold suffering in the United States, has decided that they cannot be connected with a man who told two bad jokes almost a decade ago. They have cut ties with Carson, stating that his posts do not align with their values.  The irony is almost palpable. 

There are two lessons that we can learn from this whole thing.  First of all, Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 “But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.” unfortunately for some of us, judgment day doesn’t come soon enough to please the Des Moines Register.  They want Carson to be judged today.

And secondly, the left doesn’t care who they have to destroy in their quest for ideological purity.  This man, whose greatest crime in his life is telling a couple of off-color jokes, is now being criticized and rejected.  Nobody is safe.  I have always tried personally to ensure that everything I say and do online is acceptable to God and is true to my values and morals that I have learned from the Bible.  But I am almost positive that you could go through anybody’s social media and find something that would embarrass them like Carson found out today.  And the sad thing is that Carson could have avoided all this if he had identified as a Democrat, or even a political progressive.  If you disagree that those people get preferential treatment by the cancel culture/metoo crowd then please explain how Justin Trudeau is still in office. Please explain how Governor Northam of Virginia is still in office. Even Bill Clinton, when he was credibly accused of rape, was excused by the left, when people like Brett Kavanaugh who was accused of sexual impropriety (not even rape) was raked over the coals, received death threats, and is even now being threatened with impeachment because some other woman decided that she thinks she remembers something from 20 years ago (don’t hold me to those details, I haven’t researched them). 

So people, watch what you say, because somewhere out there is a liberal who will bring up your every mistake to the world, invalidating anything good in your life.  I feel sadness for Carson King.  But I feel indignation for the Des Moines Register and their editorial staff. They are the ones who should be ashamed of themselves.