Charles, I don’t think it is necessary to “lionize” Johnny Depp — in fact, I think it is a mistake even to raise the question.
Johnny Depp does not seem like an especially admirable man — so what? It is possible to slander a bad man, and a lie is a lie even when it is told about someone who — heavens! — does not share Republicans’ politics. There is too much easy slander and too much lying in our public life, and the price for engaging in it is too low. There are really only a couple of ways to combat that, and lawsuits are one. I think we should have more slander and libel lawsuits than we do — I think they should keep up with the slander and the libel.
If the truth is the truth only when it serves the interests of people we like and hurts people we don’t like, then we already have lost the game.