Trump's War on the First Amendment

[Kishkumen]

I think that there is another twist going on here.

Remember Alex Jones and Sandy Hook? $1.5 billion dollar judgment for saying stupid crap. Very stupid crap. Like, the stupidshittest of all the crap. Folks thought this was justice. Little did they know, by the time that judgment came down, Jones was broke.

And the left cheered. Many cheered. There was no tears for the first amendment then.

Here is the funny part. It was only a matter of time before someone with a billion dollars said something equally stupid, deranged or harmful. Enter Kimmell. You don't think folks are silent pointing at Jones and saying... "I mean..... if that was 1.5 billion worth from a POS saying dumb crap, imagine what we can get from Disney and Sinclair and Kimmel"?

You have a really fascinating moral compass, Whiskey. I have to hand it to you!

[Whiskey]

I think that there is another twist going on here.

Remember Alex Jones and Sandy Hook? $1.5 billion dollar judgment for saying stupid crap. Very stupid crap. Like, the stupidshittest of all the crap. Folks thought this was justice. Little did they know, by the time that judgment came down, Jones was broke.

And the left cheered. Many cheered. There was no tears for the first amendment then.

Here is the funny part. It was only a matter of time before someone with a billion dollars said something equally stupid, deranged or harmful. Enter Kimmell. You don't think folks are silent pointing at Jones and saying... "I mean..... if that was 1.5 billion worth from a POS saying dumb crap, imagine what we can get from Disney and Sinclair and Kimmel"?

You have a really fascinating moral compass, Whiskey. I have to hand it to you!

Moral compass or not. Do you see the move here? "We accept your conditions." It was interesting when Jones was slapped for 1.5 billion. Anyone paying attention knew that Rachel Maddow was joyful about it, but her bosses were like..... "uh..... hang on, holy crap, what? Some journalist just got sued for saying something dumb. Hang on. This may not work out. Our lawyer says this may not work out for us. Don't think she is just not being a Karen. She may be on to something here"

[Res Ipsa]

What say you, so-called "conservatives"?

Real conservatives believe in the First Amendment. For them, it is not something to barter away for power, profit, or passion.

What say you?

What say me? A so-called "conservative".

Well. the first thing I will say is that I was intending to take a break from the utter lunacy, that is entirely driven by ideology, that runs rampant on this board. But, like driving by a horrific car crash, it's hard to look away.

This has nothing to do with free speech. Nothing. It has nothing to do with a joke or comedians.

It has everything to do with ABC and their broadcast license (given by the federal government via taxpayers) to broadcast in the public interest (especially on matters of public interest). This was about a malicious lie that Kimmel told his audience. The decision to remove Kimmel, whether one happens to like it or not, was entirely about the liability that ABC/Disney would face if they did not respond to the dangerous lie that Kimmel told to millions.

Kimmel can say whatever he wants - on the streets, in an interview, in a seven eleven parking lot. He just can't say whatever he wants on a federally licensed broadcasting network.

Hi Ceeboo,

You’ve set off my nonsense detector and choosing to respond. Kimmel did not lie. You and the MAGA right are acting in utter bad faith. The truth: before Charlie Kirk’s blood had cooled on the ground, MAGA opinion leaders and politicians did exactly as Kimmel described: frantically, desperately accused all kinds of people of murdering Kirk based on no evidence. They all knew that the most recent political assassination was a radicalized Trumper who impersonated a police officer and slaughtered three Democratic legislators. And he had a long hit list of democrats he planned to get to. So, what Kimmel said was absolutely true: the right was desperate to pin the murder on anything but one of them. And the government assisted in that effort by leaking the false claim that the bullet etchings symbolized “trans ideology.”

Kimmel did not say what you are pretending he said. He did not say that the murderer was MAGA. That’s a lie and a malicious one.

This is use of the government power to punish speech. Show me any example from the past where the FCC threatened local stations or a network with retaliation if they didn’t fire someone for their speech. It’s, as we say, arbitrary and capricious.

The head of the FCC threatened a corporation that is planning a merger with fines and regulatory action based on a “distortion of news.” News?? Jimmy Kimmel doing a stand up routine??? Trump had already targeted Kimmel for firing, and has even identified his next two targets. This was the government using its power to punish speech because Trump has a thin skin and can’t tolerate being the subject of a joke.

Watching self-described conservatives defend government suppression of political speech will never fail to blow my mind.

[Res Ipsa]

You have a really fascinating moral compass, Whiskey. I have to hand it to you!

Moral compass or not. Do you see the move here? "We accept your conditions." It was interesting when Jones was slapped for 1.5 billion. Anyone paying attention knew that Rachel Maddow was joyful about it, but her bosses were like..... "uh..... hang on, holy crap, what? Some journalist just got sued for saying something dumb. Hang on. This may not work out. Our lawyer says this may not work out for us. Don't think she is just not being a Karen. She may be on to something here"

Hi Binger/Mayan Elephant. You can’t help but give yourself away.

[Jersey Girl]

[Doctor Steuss]

I'm not sure if anyone has posted it yet (I'm an incredibly slow reader, so I have trouble with some of these long threads, for which I sincerely apologize -- something I've worked hard on improving, but my brain's wiring isn't as efficient as most of yours), but here are Kimmel's words:

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. In between the finger-pointing, there was, uh, grieving on Friday − the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.

<<Video Clip of Trump Plays>>

Yes, he's at the fourth stage of grief: construction. Demolition, construction. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend; this is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish, OK? And it didn't just happen once. And then we installed the most beautiful chandelier. Responses you wouldn't believe. Who thinks like that, and why are we building a $200 million chandelier in the White House? Is it possible that he's doing it intentionally so he can be bad about that instead of the (Jeffrey) Epstein list?

[Res Ipsa]

Your conclusions aren’t facts. Your assumptions aren’t reality. Your victimhood isn’t convincing. Your gaslighting isn’t working. But yes — your tantrum is genuine.

The fact that a tenured professor can post this at all proves rights are perfectly intact — you’re just free to air your whining, bitchy declaration of victimhood.

Your AI dribble is silly. If you have anything of substance to add, please do. I am not falling for empty rhetoric.

It’s not AI dribble. It’s Binger/ME dribble.

[Whiskey]

What say me? A so-called "conservative".

Well. the first thing I will say is that I was intending to take a break from the utter lunacy, that is entirely driven by ideology, that runs rampant on this board. But, like driving by a horrific car crash, it's hard to look away.

This has nothing to do with free speech. Nothing. It has nothing to do with a joke or comedians.

It has everything to do with ABC and their broadcast license (given by the federal government via taxpayers) to broadcast in the public interest (especially on matters of public interest). This was about a malicious lie that Kimmel told his audience. The decision to remove Kimmel, whether one happens to like it or not, was entirely about the liability that ABC/Disney would face if they did not respond to the dangerous lie that Kimmel told to millions.

Kimmel can say whatever he wants - on the streets, in an interview, in a seven eleven parking lot. He just can't say whatever he wants on a federally licensed broadcasting network.

Hi Ceeboo,

You’ve set off my nonsense detector and choosing to respond. Kimmel did not lie. You and the MAGA right are acting in utter bad faith. The truth: before Charlie Kirk’s blood had cooled on the ground, MAGA opinion leaders and politicians did exactly as Kimmel described: frantically, desperately accused all kinds of people of murdering Kirk based on no evidence. They all knew that the most recent political assassination was a radicalized Trumper who impersonated a police officer and slaughtered three Democratic legislators. And he had a long hit list of democrats he planned to get to. So, what Kimmel said was absolutely true: the right was desperate to pin the murder on anything but one of them. And the government assisted in that effort by leaking the false claim that the bullet etchings symbolized “trans ideology.”

Kimmel did not say what you are pretending he said. He did not say that the murderer was MAGA. That’s a lie and a malicious one.

This is use of the government power to punish speech. Show me any example from the past where the FCC threatened local stations or a network with retaliation if they didn’t fire someone for their speech. It’s, as we say, arbitrary and capricious.

The head of the FCC threatened a corporation that is planning a merger with fines and regulatory action based on a “distortion of news.” News?? Jimmy Kimmel doing a stand up routine??? Trump had already targeted Kimmel for firing, and has even identified his next two targets. This was the government using its power to punish speech because Trump has a thin skin and can’t tolerate being the subject of a joke.

Watching self-described conservatives defend government suppression of political speech will never fail to blow my mind.

I'll bite. Why not?

“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. In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving. On Friday, the White House flew the flags at half-staff, which got some criticism, but on a human level, you can see how hard the president is taking this.” [Kimmel then showed a clip of President Trump responding to a reporter asking how he was holding up after Kirk’s death, to which Trump replied, “I think very good. And by the way, right there where you see all the trucks, they just started construction of the new ballroom for the White House, which is something they’ve been trying to get, as you know, for about 150 years, and it’s gonna be a beauty.”] “Yes, he’s at the fourth stage of grief: construction,” Kimmel quipped. “This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he called a friend. There’s something wrong with him, there really is. Who thinks like that? … Why are we building a $200 million ballroom in the White House? Is it possible he’s doing it intentionally so we can be mad about that instead of the Epstein list? By the time he’s out of office, the White House will have slot machines and a water slide.”

Additional comments from Kimmel’s Tuesday, September 16, 2025, monologue further fueled the controversy:“Many in Maga-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk.” [Kimmel accused Vice President JD Vance of blaming the left for Kirk’s death without evidence, referencing Vance’s statement: “While our side of the aisle certainly has its crazies, it is a statistical fact that most of the lunatics in American politics today are proud members of the far left.”]

First claim. "We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang". Not a lie. Also not a fact.
Second claim: "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." Not a lie, just like, his belief man.
Third claim: "Many in Maga-land are working very hard to capitalize on the murder of Charlie Kirk." Not a lie. Depends on what your definition of are is.


Okay. In light of all that, Trump should have just gone on national television and called Kimmell a ****. But that would have offended people with ****s. So this was probably better since Kimmell wasn't trying to offend anyone. Anyways, I still think Sinclair cares more about the Alex Jones verdict than a host with weak ratings. After popping Roseanne and who knows who else, nobody cares if the muscle came from the alphabet. Sinclair made their choice.

[Whiskey]

Your AI dribble is silly. If you have anything of substance to add, please do. I am not falling for empty rhetoric.

It’s not AI dribble. It’s Binger/ME dribble.

Goddamnit. Do not accelerate this, Res Ipsa.

[ceeboo]

What say me? A so-called "conservative".

Well. the first thing I will say is that I was intending to take a break from the utter lunacy, that is entirely driven by ideology, that runs rampant on this board. But, like driving by a horrific car crash, it's hard to look away.

This has nothing to do with free speech. Nothing. It has nothing to do with a joke or comedians.

It has everything to do with ABC and their broadcast license (given by the federal government via taxpayers) to broadcast in the public interest (especially on matters of public interest). This was about a malicious lie that Kimmel told his audience. The decision to remove Kimmel, whether one happens to like it or not, was entirely about the liability that ABC/Disney would face if they did not respond to the dangerous lie that Kimmel told to millions.

Kimmel can say whatever he wants - on the streets, in an interview, in a seven eleven parking lot. He just can't say whatever he wants on a federally licensed broadcasting network.

Hi Ceeboo,

You’ve set off my nonsense detector and choosing to respond. Kimmel did not lie. You and the MAGA right are acting in utter bad faith. The truth: before Charlie Kirk’s blood had cooled on the ground, MAGA opinion leaders and politicians did exactly as Kimmel described: frantically, desperately accused all kinds of people of murdering Kirk based on no evidence. They all knew that the most recent political assassination was a radicalized Trumper who impersonated a police officer and slaughtered three Democratic legislators. And he had a long hit list of democrats he planned to get to. So, what Kimmel said was absolutely true: the right was desperate to pin the murder on anything but one of them. And the government assisted in that effort by leaking the false claim that the bullet etchings symbolized “trans ideology.”

Kimmel did not say what you are pretending he said. He did not say that the murderer was MAGA. That’s a lie and a malicious one.

This is use of the government power to punish speech. Show me any example from the past where the FCC threatened local stations or a network with retaliation if they didn’t fire someone for their speech. It’s, as we say, arbitrary and capricious.

The head of the FCC threatened a corporation that is planning a merger with fines and regulatory action based on a “distortion of news.” News?? Jimmy Kimmel doing a stand up routine??? Trump had already targeted Kimmel for firing, and has even identified his next two targets. This was the government using its power to punish speech because Trump has a thin skin and can’t tolerate being the subject of a joke.

Watching self-described conservatives defend government suppression of political speech will never fail to blow my mind.

Hey Res,

Gald to see you back posting.

Kimmel lied.