What happened to free speech absolutism?
The bottom line here is Nexstar wants to buy Tegna for $6.2 billion and if they want the deal to go through...
That was the criticism of the Biden administration, it stifled free speech.
But any major dude will tell you, especially an attorney, that free speech is not guaranteed on a private platform, which Facebook, et al, are. They are not public institutions owned by the government and therefore you're not entitled to spew anything you want on the services.
As for imploring social media sites to pull down Covid screeds that do not align with government policy...
We can debate the right choice in the future, but this was a unique situation, Covid...none of the populace had experienced a pandemic, and isn't the first obligation of the federal government to protect its citizens?
Well, if you follow the RFK, Jr. b.s... Sure, RFK, Jr. is entitled to spew his anti-vaccine crap, as long as he doesn't inflict this garbage upon the public at large.
As for the truth about vaccines...
The truth doesn't matter. That's the world we now live in. Where the President obfuscates and lies outright and his minions accept it. Hell, you don't want to go against the orthodoxy on Fox News, the training ground for Trump's cabinet. There is one view and one view only. Is this the democracy we thought we were living in?
What the death of Charlie Kirk has taught us is that most people get their news online. The public has detached from the mainstream media nearly completely, at least the younger generations. Most of the older generations had never even heard of the guy! As for college students...
Generation Lab polled 1,030 students, and found out 94% had heard of Kirk. As for their opinion of his views... 70% said they "strongly disagree" or "somewhat disagree," while only; 30% said they agreed. (This info is from Puck, the article is behind a paywall...)
So, we've got politicos who are not on social media telling us that Charlie Kirk was a hero to college students, and this might be true, but not the MAJORITY!
Let's be clear, Charlie Kirk did not need to die. But in the wake of his death the right has come down on the left, talking about Antifa, saying the woke mob is organized and violent when even the Cato Institute said Republicans commit more political violence than Democrats.
But screw the truth, that's irrelevant!
Meanwhile, if the President doesn't like what you're saying, he'll sue you, and do his best to extract cash and commitments to his liking. Law firms? Colleges? Newspapers? Did you see Trump tell that ABC reporter to watch out, since his company settled with him for millions?
Actions have consequences. Rust never sleeps. And neither does Trump. Nothing appeases him, nothing goes away.
And he was duly elected, but...
If I have to listen to his crap, how come Jimmy Kimmel can't blow back?
Once again, this illustrates that distribution is king. Doesn't matter what the content is if you can't see/hear it.
So did Jimmy Kimmel yell "fire" in a crowded movie theatre? Did he spew falsehoods about public personas with absolute malice? These are the only exceptions to free speech under the law, but if you don't agree with Trump, the rules don't apply.
Let me be clear here. I'm angry at this amping up of rhetoric by the right against the left, but what truly troubles me is THE CHILLING EFFECT!
To the point where if anybody e-mails me something anti-Trump they say not to use their name.
If you're a musical act and you're on stage... Better watch your words! You might be playing in a Live Nation venue, and they added Trump ally Richard Grenell to their board.
As for social media sites themselves... Did you see all the tech titans kissing the ass of Trump the other day? They're going to protect their businesses first and foremost.
How do you lose a democracy?
Very slowly and then all at once.
Meanwhile, Trump has the Democratic brass tied in knots, afraid to say anything he doesn't agree with for fear of the right wing machine.
At what point does the public stand up and say NO MAS!
Well, now there's a precedent of the military in the streets, and if you rise up...Trump ain't gonna think twice about sending troops to your burg, maybe even your house!
Bottom line is unlike cable TV, network television functions under the auspices of the FCC. So, Kimmel on ABC...
This is how far we've come, Jimmy Kimmel is a pariah, but Vladimir Putin? He's to be trusted. and when he crosses the line it must be a mistake. Yeah, right.
But the last laugh is on America. Yup, under the rubric of America First, our country is cratering. India moved into the hands of Xi and Putin and will buy energy from Russia.
Spain refused to buy American military planes.
As for the tariffs? A lot of European companies have stopped shipping here.
The tariffs are killing our economy. But we're supposed to wait and it will all work out. Exactly how does that work? After you extract your pound of flesh from your ALLIES, do you expect them to come running back into your arms?
As for the environment.... The "Financial Times" said air pollution has been determined to cause Lewy Body Dementia. But you can't trust the mainstream press, right?
You don't have to. That's your choice.
You have the right to be ignorant. And you have the right to spew your ignorance. But if someone voices a contrary opinion...
Just when I'm overwhelmed with the autocratic actions by Trump and his minions and decide to disconnect, one more piece of straw is put on the camel's back. At what point does said camel collapse?
As for all you Trumpers who are going to blow back, never mind cancel your subscriptions... I'm supposed to be afraid of you and your opinion?
But the truth here is you are not immune. Cuts in government, tariff policies, will hurt you. If you think Trump is looking out for the little guy...I wish you were smarter than that.
But you hate the libs! Hope that keeps you warm at night when you can't afford oil for heat.
As for Kimmel, he's now become a martyr. He's a rallying cry for the left. Intelligent actors would have let sleeping dogs lie. How many people even saw Kimmel utter his words?
He averages 1.772 million viewers a night, in a nation of 340 million. Mr. Beast and a ton of influencers reach more. And they should be worried about saying anything that might piss off Trump.
Kimmel's words would have been forgotten, but they had to pour gasoline on a tiny little fire that was nearly out.
This is not how you run a country.
And it's not only Nexstar, the FCC has come down on Kimmel.
But I've got to ask, if Charlie Kirk can be a national hero, why not Jimmy Kimmel? Sure, he didn't die, but the truth is if you say anti-Trump words you might need a bodyguard.
I'm taking a risk here. I lost three digits of subscribers when I wrote about Charlie Kirk and I'll probably lose more after this.
But at some point you have to take a stand.
What about you?
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