“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.”

First Amendment

To the U.S. Constitution

When our daughter was just six months old, she was diagnosed with a potentially deadly heart abnormality. As her health was failing, she was admitted to the University of Minnesota’s Variety Club Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.

She would have an 11-hour surgery to fix her heart. It was the start of our own heart-wrenching 104 days at the hospital; 97 in intensive care. She would have two cardiac arrests, a respiratory arrest, have her gall bladder removed after it became infected, and become vent dependent.

Unit 4E at the hospital was for the worst non-cancer children’s cases. Parents of the children on the ward sat together in a small waiting room sharing their fear and grief, prayers and hopes. We were among the lucky ones who brought their child home. 

We have vivid memories of parents standing outside their child’s room, looking through the window, as a team of medical staff did their best to keep their child alive. In the time we were there, 16 children died.

So, when we saw the photo of Charlie Kirk with his wife and two young children, we felt a deep sadness for a family torn apart. While we may have disagreed with what he preached, we adamantly supported his right to speak his views. We have compassion for a wife whose husband was murdered and the children who will no longer get a hug from their dad.

A sense of compassion seems to be fading from the American people. Tolerance, which is a companion of compassion, is being stripped away to be replaced by rigid, angry language and acts.

Kirk’s very conservative views on guns, sexual orientation, immigration, and affirmative action endeared him to the most conservative wing of the Republican Party but were vigorously opposed by many on the left. 

Charged with the shooting is a 22-year-old white male Utah man who grew up in a Mormon, Republican family, but apparently became angered over Kirk’s stands on social issues. As with all young male shooters, Kirk’s alleged assassin obviously has deep mental health issues. His political convictions were likely shallow, but his sense of isolation and the rejection of who he was as a person created intense anger. His motives were personal.

After Kirk’s assassination, and before much was known about his shooter, national TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel went on the air and stated in his monologue, “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.”

He made the assertion with no knowledge of who the shooter was or his motives. He was correct in that many of the right went after those on the left, claiming his death was the result of leftist activist ideology.

Kimmel should have gone on the air when he found out he was wrong and apologized for his error. He could have then gone on to criticize threats of retribution against all people and institutions with left-leaning ideology.

Instead, the Trump Administration’s Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr went on the air stating, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct and take actions on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead,” he said. He was talking about ABC, which hosts Kimmel’s show.

On another program, he said, “We at the FCC are going to force the public interest obligation. There are broadcasters out there that don’t like it; they can turn in their license in to the FCC.” 

The implication is that if they don’t take on a state-approved message, they will lose their broadcasting license.

Nexstar, the largest owner of local television stations in America, said it intended to pull Kimmel’s program, acting in line with Carr’s threat. ABC then announced Kimmel’s program was suspended “indefinitely.” 

“Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Yet, today, that First Amendment right is under assault and not necessarily by Congress.  Rather, it is attacked by the power of a consolidated national media and business interests that seek approval for even more mergers and need the Trump Administration’s approval.

“The American idea is not one of forced conformity and blind loyalty. It is one of open debate, free expression, and a vibrant civil society in which citizens can come together to advocate for change,” Norman Eisen writes.

The degree to which you have the right of free speech is reflected in the degree to which you accept that others with views different from yours have the right to express themselves as well.

It has been argued for decades that allowing the government to have a financial role in supporting newspapers would lead to its control of what is published. Yes, that is a concern. However, the greater concern today is the role of the consolidation of ownership of TV networks, newspapers, and businesses in restricting free speech.

Fear permeates all of them. Fear of lost revenues. So, free speech is silenced.

America’s representative democracy is weakened when the dream of vigorous free speech and criticism of government is suppressed out of fear of governmental pressure or economic ruin.

Many who oppose Trump say he can’t take a joke and seeks retribution against those who ridicule him. Humor deflates egos. It illuminates, entertains, and humanizes, giving us new insights into people, society, and those who govern. It creates a sense of camaraderie in the audience. These are powerful characteristics of satire that can anger and threaten some in positions of power.