Preserving American Values

While what Kimmel said regarding the far-right’s reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death may have been partially inaccurate and unnecessarily combative, it certainly did not warrant the FDC Chair’s reaction or ABC’s decision to indefinitely suspend him.

What did Kimmel say?  “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”

I don’t think the MAGA pundits were saying that the “radical left” had fomented the murder in order to say that Robinson was not one of them.  That was never a question in anyone’s mind.  So I think that that part of Kimmel’s statement was inaccurate.

But as to his statement that they were trying to score political points, there’s no question that they were using the assassination as an opportunity to enrage their base and, if you will, make points.

But this discussion of what he said or what it meant is besides the point; it is irrelevant. The right of free speech is absolute, unless it falls into specific categories that have been restricted either by the courts or by Congress.  This speech clearly does not fall into any of those categories.

Thus his suspension is a violation of his right of free speech.  Trump obviously doesn’t see it this way, saying that he applauded Disney’s move in suspending him.  This from a man who in his second inauguration address said that he would “immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.”

But as with so many things, he and the MAGA universe only are concerned with their rights.  They have no concern for the rights of people they disagree with; those people have no rights as far as they are concerned.