In Donald Trump’s second presidential inaugural address, he promised, “After years and years of illegal and unconstitutional federal efforts to restrict free expression, I also will sign an executive order to immediately stop all government censorship and bring back free speech to America.”
As a writer, I love that sentiment. Admittedly this is a low bar, upholding the Constitution, but I encourage it. I have hung my hat on the first amendment since I was a journalism major in college.
And why wouldn’t I? It is Number ONE!! The first of the first ten, America’s badge of honor. Americans can walk a little taller, a little prouder, when we tell the rest of the world that we are the land of the free, the home of the brave, a place where even your idiot uncle can lampoon his Congressperson, his Senator, or even his President, without fearing retribution or deportation.
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
That’s it. The FIRST AMENDMENT in the Bill of Rights. No ifs and buts, no “only if the Attorney General approves your words.”
Free speech is still free; just not as free as it was yesterday.
Charlie Kirk’s murder last week was a tragedy, and as with every senseless killing by any lunatic, right or left, we can all solemnly swear that things need to change, the rhetoric needs to be toned down, we need to start listening to each other instead of attacking one another.
But that’s not what we mean.
We mean that “the other side” needs to change. We’ve done nothing wrong. Those people are causing all the problems. We said that after Minnesota lawmakers were gunned down this summer. We say it after all of these events.
But those are other people that need to change. We legislate our words depending upon who is getting hurt. But listen to Charlie Kirk in 2024 — “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And all of it is protected by the First Amendment.” And he was right.
At least he used to be. Because the current U.S. Attorney General, who apparently hasn’t yet had time to read the Constitution, came out this week with an incredible statement, “There is free speech, and there is hate speech.” She added that the Department of Justice “will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech.”
Translation: Free speech is free, unless it offends me, embarrasses me, or makes me uncomfortable.
And, as we redefine free speech, the Department of Justice has decided this is a good time to purge some data from their website. After several GOP leaders detailed, without evidence, how a huge majority of political violence is initiated by left-wing nuts, the DOJ took down their 2024 study that revealed statistics showing exactly the opposite.
“Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives,” the study states. “In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.”
You’ll have to take my word on that study because those results that were published on the Department of Justice website, are now being “reviewed.” Who thinks the study will be reposted after the “review?” Pick the date.
And while we’re on the subject, let’s check in on Jimmy Kimmel. Yep, he is suspended. Why? Nobody’s quite sure since the FOX News anchor, who last week advocated lethal injections for homeless people, is still anchoring. But it seems just a little coincidental that Nexstar, the company holding Kimmel’s paycheck, is also trying to push through a $6.2 billion merger with Tegna that requires FCC approval.
A merger like that, much like the Paramount merger that resulted in Steven Colbert’s firing, could go more smoothly if the network’s late-night host wasn’t mocking the President with nightly monologues about his embarrassing speeches, his bible, tennis shoes, NFT trading cards and AI-generated super-hero pictures, or his sons’ latest investment scams.
So, we have a president who promised to bring back free speech, an attorney general who promises to take it away if she doesn’t like what you say, a Justice Department that will only publish studies that align with whatever the administration chooses to say today (not what they said at the inauguration), and media that promises you can laugh at satire unless mergers are on the line.
It is encouraging that some GOP leaders have pushed back. We hope their backbones will hold, but past performance does not inspire confidence. This is a huge issue, an American (not partisan) issue. We need to get it right.
Let’s leave it with something Benjamin Franklin said. “Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.” Food for thought.
Curt MacRae, a resident of Coldwater, MI, publishes regular opinion columns
To be notified by email when a column is published, or to offer feedback email rantsbymac@gmail.com
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