I actually ran across this article two days ago, and it infuriated me so much that I couldn’t write about it then. This senator. Oh, my, she said something that I can’t believe came out of her mouth in this day and age. She wants more restrictions on something we all value, something *important*. I’m going to be polite-ish and say that she ought not be doing this, as opposed to what I *want* to say. From AlterNet:
One Republican member of the U.S. Senate is now hinting that she may be in support of curbing First Amendment rights in the future, given the current political climate. Semafor recently reported that Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) is adjusting her attitude toward the First Amendment (which guarantees freedoms of speech, press, assembly, religion, and petition) in the wake of the murder of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk last week. Lummis said Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Brendan Carr was justified in threatening to revoke the broadcast licenses of ABC stations that continued to air late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show (after Kimmel’s Monday night monologue accusing “the MAGA gang” of trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s death).
See what I mean? Now you know why I was, and am, furious. She is thinking we should restrict something that’s one of the few protections we have left. Trump has already trampled on so much in the Constitution. We don’t need that, either! And now she says we should restrict it? Oh no, you don’t, woman!
“An FCC license, it’s not a right. It really is a privilege,” Lummis told Semafor. “Under normal times, in normal circumstances, I tend to think that the First Amendment should always be sort of the ultimate right. And that there should be almost no checks and balances on it,” she continued. “I don’t feel that way anymore.” “I feel like something’s changed culturally. And I think that there needs to be some cognizance that things have changed,” the Wyoming Republican added.
Excuse me? Really? SHE can talk about anything because she’s protected as a GOP senator. We aren’t. Does she not want to face her constituents and face the hard truth? If she doesn’t like something someone says, then she can have them dragged out and thrown in jail? We couldn’t have protests anymore. We here at Pz couldn’t speak out anymore. NO ONE could speak out in any way except the far right, the people like Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon, and so forth.
What do you do when you are angry about something, and you can only speak about it in whispers? We’re not just under authoritarianism. We’re rapidly heading toward a dictatorship, just like other countries whose leaders Trump admires. I don’t want to live under that and be afraid before I say anything, having to be so precise about what I want to say. I don’t want to have to be effusive about our god Trump because I detest the man. So what can you say under that? Nothing.
After Carr said that ABC stations could do things “the easy way or the hard way” over their FCC licenses, media conglomerate Nexstar announced it would preempt Kimmel’s show with other content. Their statement was followed almost immediately by ABC saying Kimmel would be off the air “indefinitely.” ABC’s action has been widely condemned by both political commentators along with CBS late-night host Stephen Colbert, and even former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Nexstar is currently seeking FCC approval to acquire competitor Tegna, which would expand its reach to approximately 80 percent of U.S. households if approved.
What the hell, folks. What the hell. Is this what we’re coming to? Not just the restrictions on the First Amendment. Trump is using the military to take over cities he doesn’t like. Red states are blatantly gerrymandering to keep Congress Republicans in power. And Trump intends to make himself stay in power for a third term, something expressly forbidden in our Constitution. He’s going to be well into dementia by then, if he doesn’t pass away first from all the physical issues he has.
He’s crushing our Constitution. I’m trying to fight back where I can, supporting those who have spoken out about Trump and paid a price for it. We need the blue states to fight back. We need the people “in power” even more now. We need them to keep speaking out. I’ll keep speaking out. It may only reach a few people, but that’s how rebellion starts.
Friends, I know everybody begs you for money. I promise you that of all of the outlets bugging you for spare change, we are the smallest and the hardest working. We’re a bunch of old, disabled people, except one writer in his mid-50s. But the rest of us are in our sixties and seventies, and this is a labor of love. All we’re asking for is the ability to continue our quest to tell the truth about Trump and help ensure democracy survives. If you can help, please do. Thanks. Ursula
You’re definitely doing your part Susan, and thank you for that! Keep speaking up as long as you can.
Yes, things have changed, no doubt! Who was the main driving force behind this change? None other than Donold and the MAGA crowd! Or actually the republican congress critters singing back up. They have coarsened(sp?) and degraded the public discourse in this country, not to mention encouraging violence or flat out condoning it, if it comes from their side of politics. I am right there with you, Susan! I’m so angry I can’t say my actual thoughts.