(Todd A. Smith)
Over the past nine or 10 years, especially last year, I have marveled at how clueless some of President Donald Trump’s supporters are about his desire to become a dictator.
More importantly, I have marveled at how apathetic some Americans have been to the threat he poses to America, believing that a Democratic president would be no different than the current one.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) threatening ABC/Walt Disney to suspend late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel for saying something that President Trump did not like is a brazen assault on the First Amendment.
Many clueless Americans said that suspending Kimmel is not a violation of the First Amendment because a private employer can choose to suspend their employee indefinitely.
True, companies have First Amendment protections too, and the First Amendment does not protect an employee from termination if a company chooses to terminate their employment.
But the government cannot coerce speech, either.
And threatening to snatch the FCC licenses of networks that report on Trump in a way that he does not like is the textbook definition of coerced speech, which is an infringement on Kimmel and ABC’s First Amendment rights.
And if Trump doesn’t care about the First Amendment and is allowed to violate it, what stops him from ignoring the entire Constitution he swore to defend and protect?
Alexander Hutzler and James Hill of ABC News reported, “President Donald Trump on Thursday suggested the Federal Communications Commission reexamine licenses for television broadcasters who repeatedly criticize him…
“Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna moved to subpoena (FCC chairman Brendan) Carr to appear before the House Oversight Committee, an effort Khanna said was ‘to stop the intimidation of private businesses and to stand up for the First Amendment.’
“The House panel tabled Khanna’s motion in a 24-21 vote, but the committee leaders said they’d try to have Carr testify voluntarily.”
In a statement about Carr’s words and actions, House Democrats said, “He has disgraced the office he holds by bullying ABC, the employer of Jimmy Kimmel, and forcing the company to bend the knee to the Trump administration.”
Many conservatives will compare Kimmel’s suspension to Roseanne Barr getting fired for racist comments made towards certain high-profile Black women.
But the government did not force her termination.
Her boss at the time, Channing Dungey, who is a Black woman, decided to fire Barr.
That is not the government muzzling Barr, which is what is happening to Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.
That is an example of Barr being so stupid that she used racial slurs about Black women when a Black woman employed her.
If anyone insults their boss or the demographic they come from, they should expect termination of employment.
That is not a violation of their First Amendment rights or a case of cancel culture.
Barr was so arrogant and ignorant that she canceled herself.
Trump ran on a platform of removing censorship of the media.
His biggest supporter, Elon Musk, claimed to be a free speech absolutist.
But nine months into his presidency, Trump is threatening to silence anyone who disagrees with him.
That is the epitome of a dictatorship.
And anyone who does not see it is blind, dumb or both.
But what should we expect?
Trump said himself that smart people do not like him.
Therefore, the people who do support him are not very smart, at least not smart enough to understand the Constitution or what distinguishes a democracy from a dictatorship.
America should not lose its identity to appease Trump’s evil desires.
True patriots should fight to preserve the rights of others, not just those with whom they agree.
But Republicans, especially MAGA Republicans, must remember that politics evolves.
The party in power is not always popular when the next elections roll around.
That is why the party in the minority often does well during the midterm elections.
And that is why voters chose Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.
But a wise person once said that it ain’t no fun when the rabbit has the gun.
If MAGA Republicans want Trump to be a dictator, do not get mad when the next Democratic president is a dictator too, and his/her policies oppress them.
Hopefully, that will not happen if a Democrat wins in 2028.
But if the next Democratic president wants America to continue the dictatorial path, there should be no complaints from the MAGA community because I see very few of them complaining now since their dear leader is “sticking it to the libs.”
Unfortunately, the left has already resorted to violence to protest Trump’s regime, with the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and, possibly, the drive-by shooting of the ABC affiliate in Sacramento, Calif, which might be in response to the suspension of Kimmel.
Thankfully, America still has judges who are strong enough to push back on Trump’s assault on free speech, tossing out the president’s $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times.
The judge has given the president 28 days to refile his lawsuit, but initially does not see a legitimate legal claim, calling it “improper” and “invective.”
Furthermore, even Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has criticized Carr’s mafioso tactics to upend the First Amendment just because his boss is unhappy with criticism because of his paper-thin skin.
The real question is whether Trump’s MAGA fans support his evil desires more than the country that they are allegedly trying to make great again.
Because our freedoms are what made America great.
The fact that we have choices makes America great.
If the president does not like Kimmel’s comedy, he should change the channel.
And if the president does not like democracy, he needs to get his ass out the White House, period.
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