Think about changing that headline to "Capitalism and the Attack on Free Speech." Because we're watching it happen in real time as big corporations kowtow to the demands of our anti-democratic president and his administration. Too many USians think of democracy and capitalism as inseparable, if not the same thing. They aren't. Democracy and capitalism run on separate tracks. Democracy is a political system in which "we the people" make the rules with our votes, through our elected representatives. Capitalism is an economic system where money talks. Since the Reagan administration, money has been talking louder than the citizenry. With a big assist from the Supreme Court, it's been rigging the rules in its favor. This godawful administration is its endgame -- and, I hope, one last wakeup call to "we the people."
Well put, Susanna. It we all can pull together to get us out of the mess we're in, I hope that the experience will move us toward a different approach to how our economy works and attention to the priorities that drive it. Other democratic nations, both east and west, are doing it, and are absolutely dumbfounded at how things work in the United States. Our system has been dysfunctional for a long time, and that dysfunction contributed a great deal to the situation we now find ourselves.
Everything you have so eloquently and fearlessly stated is as alarming as it is true. I read this morning that Senator Rick Scott has put forward a resolution to make Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder into a Day of Remembrance. Need I say more? Need I????
The felon has always had very thin skin. One of the main reasons he attacked President Obama was because of a joke Obama told about him at the White House Correspondents dinner. That was shortly before the birther conspiracy began. The felon never could take a joke.
Anyone in public office should expect to have comedians make jokes about them, it’s always been that way. Most public figures laugh along with everyone else.
Thank You Steven ... You are so clear about what is happening and what has happened. I refuse to lose my energy and I promise to keep standing up for our country for as long as I can. I don't get watch too much late night tv because I go to bed early. I remember when Jimmy Kimmel's son was born with a heart problem I think .. He came out and he cried. He went on to make a plea for nationalzed health care . Of course money was not an issue for his child's care he was thinking of all of us. Sad and lost in america.
How to fight back? Hulu and Disney Plus and ESPN are all owned by Disney. Cancel your subscriptions. Break your children’s hearts and cancel your Disney trips and your Disney cruises and explain to them why Donald Trump made this happen. And when Monday night football comes on, read a book. It all sounds frivolous but nothing gets big business’ attention like seeing their stock valuations drop. Bob Iger and Steven Miller don’t care if a bunch of “old hippies” hold signs outside of the White House but maybe they will notice when the real majority of this country who respect the first amendment take a stand.
As those who have experienced despotism and those who study authoritarianism keep telling us, we fight back by showing up and speaking out, and we keep doing it for as long as it takes. We show up in whatever way we can, the streets, letters to editors, online posts, calls to our Congresspeople, over and over and over. I don't have TV or cable by choice, and I don't use my computer to access commercial entertainment. My life won't change if Disney is on the air or not. I am partially disabled and may not be able to stand in crowds (though when I can, I do).
But by gosh, there are a lot of things I can do that are NOT PASSIVE that will contribute to our voices being heard, and I do them. At least one thing every day. It keeps me sane, and it reminds me that I am still part of America's aspirations. All of us together can make a loud noise that can't be overlooked. Trump is full of fear. Let's get under his skin.
I find it encouraging that some on the right are not onboard with the FCC or president choosing who can broadcast. Some podcasters thought this was a step too far and TED CRUZ! (Although the thinks Carr is a ‘good guy.’) They feel threatened if things go this way.
• NY Post Ted Cruz rips FCC’s Brendan Carr, compares him to Mafia boss for Jimmy Kimmel attacks: ‘Right out of Goodfellas’
• Alabama.com — GOP senator sides with ABC, says FCC chairman acted like mafia boss over Jimmy Kimmel
Perhaps as important is that grassroots level folks have begun quietly distancing themselves from Maga and its proponents. I cringe every time I see or hear someone demeaning them as less than. They are every much the victims as the rest of us. In fact, perhaps more so, as they have been used, lied to, and stand to lose their dignity as their world betrays them.
Absolutely. I do feel that seeing maga poster children speak out helps encourage their voters to see another side.
And yes, the need to punish and demean is self-defeating for Dems. ‘They do it too or first’ doesn’t matter unless folks want to leave votes on the table again. Aside from being ugly, it reinforces the image of Dems as elitists looking down on everyone else. No one joins with those who mock them.
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” - Robert A Heinlein
“If we still believe in America and reject Trump’s regime and the expanding capitulation of corporate sell-outs abandoning our sacred right of free speech, we must not let them. We must speak out. We must say this is wrong. We must stick together. We must take to the streets in the millions to display our collective power.”
Thank you Steven⬆️
May I add:⬇️
We can all plan now to participate in the Oct 18 No Kings peaceful protests across our nation.
Please locate your state events at the link below.
The hypocrisy is stunning, starting at the very top. The Orange Buffoon and his penchant for giving nicknames and mocking people with disabilities shows how thin his skin really is almost daily. That his sycophants in positions of authority show fealty and kiss his ass at every opportunity, we see our democracy getting flushed down the toilet. That this regime allowed for the consolidation of so many large media and commercial entities presents a dilemma to those of us who would like to express our disapproval through economic means (boycotts, etc.), make even that difficult to do. Free speech is just the beginning. Watch out for assembly next. Then redress. Then the realization of the dream of the thuggery to make Christianity the official religion. If “We The People” do not rise up against this repressive and illegal movement, then we will lose our beloved democracy. This is the one and only time I wish for armed insurrection and the arrest and detention of every idiotic member of the regime.
This is what Jimmy Kimmel actually said: "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." The firing of Mr. Kimmel by ABC has nothing to do with Kirk and what he stood for. Rather it confronts how the assassination (from the Arabic for “political murder”) is being used, politically. Furthermore, the move was endorsed/supported-by (Trump's) new FCC Chair, doing something no previous FCC Chair has never done --- entering a political conflict, with a clear political recommendation about what should be done about this kind of speech --- well beyond the job-description of previous FCC Chairs. Anyone who doesn't think that our nation has now clearly been taken over by TrumpRepubloFascism (see my definition elsewhere) has another think coming.
Poignantly written while exposing exactly the current state of the sustained attack on our Freedoms.
I too see that there are as yet still eyes and minds and hearts needing these stark revelations in order to be jarred into action.
Excerpt:
“For now—indeed as long as we have eyes, ears, minds and courage to keep using them—let’s continue to assert that we are a nation of laws, not men. Let’s take strength from President Theodore Roosevelt’s admonition in 1918:
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country.”
You see, the christian nationalists who are in charge now no longer view democracy as important. Their religious quest is all that matters and anyone who opposes their viewpoint (and those who espouse it) are SINNERS. period. The sinners need to be punished, vanquished, killed. This is all justified by their leaders. A very, very LOUD echo of 1930's Germany, yes?
Not too long before Nick Fuentes had dinner at Mar a Lago but after the 2020 election, he streamed his vision for the future. He began by acknowledging there were not enough of them who wanted the things he supports to win an election. So the plan must be:
• Get DJT in the WH “somehow”
• Dissolve Congress
• No more elections
• Impose certain “christian values” - where women don’t have rights — like a “catholic taliban” but in a “good way’
• Use the military for those who resist / refuse to go along.
Did I hear they have their sights set on “The View”??! Seriously?! If Obama knew that roasting Trump all those years ago would end up like this?? (Because that man baby never forgets when he’s being joked about) That we would have state sanctioned media only? Like Russia and North Korea? I hope we can stop this…
This is not all about Obama’s joke. This is a guy who manipulated the media long before he was in politics. He knew its power. He called in fake stories about himself under another name & cultivated tabloids to get his real name and face in front of the public.
trump has always tried to control how the media covered him - through threats, limiting access and by undermining credibility. From the very beginning of this awful saga he attacked news outlets & reporters to discredit and we let him. Who stood up for the reporters who were put in pens, mocked and threatened at his rallies? When the AP (and others) had to sue to get back in the press pool (which took months)? When reporters were being replaced by Breit Bart, News Max, OAN, podcasters & influencers etc?
• “President Trump told Lesley Stahl he bashes press ‘to demean you and discredit you so ... no one will believe’ negative stories about him” —
And it worked. His voters don’t pay attention to what is reported about him. His base listens to “his” media — which now has the stamp of legitimacy from the WH.
What is most scary and frightening is all of Trump's efforts to canonize Kirk. Flags at half-mast. Rides on Air Force Two. A professionally produced video of Kirk's widow and mourning followers put out by the White House. The firing of Kimmel because he even spoke Kirk's name. It isn't about Kirk, it's about Trump's insatiable need for attention and power. It is sickening to see him and the regime exploit a tragedy so blatantly. If the FCC's action against Kimmel's show does not bring the people into the streets on October 18, No Kings Day, then we are well and truly screwed. Stand up! Speak out! Meet the Moment! Do not be afraid. Here's the WH video, slick and to the point: https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/a-tribute-to-charlie-kirk/
Think about changing that headline to "Capitalism and the Attack on Free Speech." Because we're watching it happen in real time as big corporations kowtow to the demands of our anti-democratic president and his administration. Too many USians think of democracy and capitalism as inseparable, if not the same thing. They aren't. Democracy and capitalism run on separate tracks. Democracy is a political system in which "we the people" make the rules with our votes, through our elected representatives. Capitalism is an economic system where money talks. Since the Reagan administration, money has been talking louder than the citizenry. With a big assist from the Supreme Court, it's been rigging the rules in its favor. This godawful administration is its endgame -- and, I hope, one last wakeup call to "we the people."
Point well taken.
Well put, Susanna. It we all can pull together to get us out of the mess we're in, I hope that the experience will move us toward a different approach to how our economy works and attention to the priorities that drive it. Other democratic nations, both east and west, are doing it, and are absolutely dumbfounded at how things work in the United States. Our system has been dysfunctional for a long time, and that dysfunction contributed a great deal to the situation we now find ourselves.
Everything you have so eloquently and fearlessly stated is as alarming as it is true. I read this morning that Senator Rick Scott has put forward a resolution to make Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder into a Day of Remembrance. Need I say more? Need I????
The felon has always had very thin skin. One of the main reasons he attacked President Obama was because of a joke Obama told about him at the White House Correspondents dinner. That was shortly before the birther conspiracy began. The felon never could take a joke.
Anyone in public office should expect to have comedians make jokes about them, it’s always been that way. Most public figures laugh along with everyone else.
He also deeply resents Black people who have power or authority.
Thank You Steven ... You are so clear about what is happening and what has happened. I refuse to lose my energy and I promise to keep standing up for our country for as long as I can. I don't get watch too much late night tv because I go to bed early. I remember when Jimmy Kimmel's son was born with a heart problem I think .. He came out and he cried. He went on to make a plea for nationalzed health care . Of course money was not an issue for his child's care he was thinking of all of us. Sad and lost in america.
CALL THEIR BLUFF !!!
Lets see if TACO TRUMP Would really remove the license of media giants Disney and ABC
I would bet that TRUMP WOULD BACK DOWN -
we the people can not give up our right to free speech
An eloquent plea Steven. If only more people would listen.
How to fight back? Hulu and Disney Plus and ESPN are all owned by Disney. Cancel your subscriptions. Break your children’s hearts and cancel your Disney trips and your Disney cruises and explain to them why Donald Trump made this happen. And when Monday night football comes on, read a book. It all sounds frivolous but nothing gets big business’ attention like seeing their stock valuations drop. Bob Iger and Steven Miller don’t care if a bunch of “old hippies” hold signs outside of the White House but maybe they will notice when the real majority of this country who respect the first amendment take a stand.
As those who have experienced despotism and those who study authoritarianism keep telling us, we fight back by showing up and speaking out, and we keep doing it for as long as it takes. We show up in whatever way we can, the streets, letters to editors, online posts, calls to our Congresspeople, over and over and over. I don't have TV or cable by choice, and I don't use my computer to access commercial entertainment. My life won't change if Disney is on the air or not. I am partially disabled and may not be able to stand in crowds (though when I can, I do).
But by gosh, there are a lot of things I can do that are NOT PASSIVE that will contribute to our voices being heard, and I do them. At least one thing every day. It keeps me sane, and it reminds me that I am still part of America's aspirations. All of us together can make a loud noise that can't be overlooked. Trump is full of fear. Let's get under his skin.
I find it encouraging that some on the right are not onboard with the FCC or president choosing who can broadcast. Some podcasters thought this was a step too far and TED CRUZ! (Although the thinks Carr is a ‘good guy.’) They feel threatened if things go this way.
• NY Post Ted Cruz rips FCC’s Brendan Carr, compares him to Mafia boss for Jimmy Kimmel attacks: ‘Right out of Goodfellas’
• Alabama.com — GOP senator sides with ABC, says FCC chairman acted like mafia boss over Jimmy Kimmel
https://www.al.com/politics/2025/09/gop-senator-sides-with-abc-says-fcc-chairman-acted-like-mafia-boss-over-jimmy-kimmel.html
Perhaps as important is that grassroots level folks have begun quietly distancing themselves from Maga and its proponents. I cringe every time I see or hear someone demeaning them as less than. They are every much the victims as the rest of us. In fact, perhaps more so, as they have been used, lied to, and stand to lose their dignity as their world betrays them.
Absolutely. I do feel that seeing maga poster children speak out helps encourage their voters to see another side.
And yes, the need to punish and demean is self-defeating for Dems. ‘They do it too or first’ doesn’t matter unless folks want to leave votes on the table again. Aside from being ugly, it reinforces the image of Dems as elitists looking down on everyone else. No one joins with those who mock them.
Thank you, Ann. Very well said, and compassionate. We need to stop drawing lines, for our own sake as human beings.
“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” - Robert A Heinlein
Break, break, break…🌊🌊🌊
Another excerpt from your article:
“If we still believe in America and reject Trump’s regime and the expanding capitulation of corporate sell-outs abandoning our sacred right of free speech, we must not let them. We must speak out. We must say this is wrong. We must stick together. We must take to the streets in the millions to display our collective power.”
Thank you Steven⬆️
May I add:⬇️
We can all plan now to participate in the Oct 18 No Kings peaceful protests across our nation.
Please locate your state events at the link below.
Now is the time!
https://www.nokings.org/
Amen. I will be there, and hope my family is able to join me, as they have in the past.
💙💙🇺🇸💙💙
“YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO REMAIN SILENT, BUT I DON’T RECOMMEND IT.” We need to speak out while we can.
The hypocrisy is stunning, starting at the very top. The Orange Buffoon and his penchant for giving nicknames and mocking people with disabilities shows how thin his skin really is almost daily. That his sycophants in positions of authority show fealty and kiss his ass at every opportunity, we see our democracy getting flushed down the toilet. That this regime allowed for the consolidation of so many large media and commercial entities presents a dilemma to those of us who would like to express our disapproval through economic means (boycotts, etc.), make even that difficult to do. Free speech is just the beginning. Watch out for assembly next. Then redress. Then the realization of the dream of the thuggery to make Christianity the official religion. If “We The People” do not rise up against this repressive and illegal movement, then we will lose our beloved democracy. This is the one and only time I wish for armed insurrection and the arrest and detention of every idiotic member of the regime.
This is what Jimmy Kimmel actually said: "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." The firing of Mr. Kimmel by ABC has nothing to do with Kirk and what he stood for. Rather it confronts how the assassination (from the Arabic for “political murder”) is being used, politically. Furthermore, the move was endorsed/supported-by (Trump's) new FCC Chair, doing something no previous FCC Chair has never done --- entering a political conflict, with a clear political recommendation about what should be done about this kind of speech --- well beyond the job-description of previous FCC Chairs. Anyone who doesn't think that our nation has now clearly been taken over by TrumpRepubloFascism (see my definition elsewhere) has another think coming.
Yes, lost in the mix is what Kimmel posted in the aftermath of the killing —
https://deadline.com/2025/09/jimmy-kimmel-reacts-charlie-kirk-shooting-death-trump-1236528164/
Poignantly written while exposing exactly the current state of the sustained attack on our Freedoms.
I too see that there are as yet still eyes and minds and hearts needing these stark revelations in order to be jarred into action.
Excerpt:
“For now—indeed as long as we have eyes, ears, minds and courage to keep using them—let’s continue to assert that we are a nation of laws, not men. Let’s take strength from President Theodore Roosevelt’s admonition in 1918:
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country.”
Thank you
💙🇺🇸💙
Good one!
You see, the christian nationalists who are in charge now no longer view democracy as important. Their religious quest is all that matters and anyone who opposes their viewpoint (and those who espouse it) are SINNERS. period. The sinners need to be punished, vanquished, killed. This is all justified by their leaders. A very, very LOUD echo of 1930's Germany, yes?
Not too long before Nick Fuentes had dinner at Mar a Lago but after the 2020 election, he streamed his vision for the future. He began by acknowledging there were not enough of them who wanted the things he supports to win an election. So the plan must be:
• Get DJT in the WH “somehow”
• Dissolve Congress
• No more elections
• Impose certain “christian values” - where women don’t have rights — like a “catholic taliban” but in a “good way’
• Use the military for those who resist / refuse to go along.
Did I hear they have their sights set on “The View”??! Seriously?! If Obama knew that roasting Trump all those years ago would end up like this?? (Because that man baby never forgets when he’s being joked about) That we would have state sanctioned media only? Like Russia and North Korea? I hope we can stop this…
This is not all about Obama’s joke. This is a guy who manipulated the media long before he was in politics. He knew its power. He called in fake stories about himself under another name & cultivated tabloids to get his real name and face in front of the public.
This is a guy who kept a book of hitler speeches at his bedside. CPAC met in Hungary. Viktor Orban had advice: have ‘your own media’. https://gijn.org/stories/lessons-learned-from-witnessing-viktor-orbans-crackdown-on-the-free-press/
trump has always tried to control how the media covered him - through threats, limiting access and by undermining credibility. From the very beginning of this awful saga he attacked news outlets & reporters to discredit and we let him. Who stood up for the reporters who were put in pens, mocked and threatened at his rallies? When the AP (and others) had to sue to get back in the press pool (which took months)? When reporters were being replaced by Breit Bart, News Max, OAN, podcasters & influencers etc?
• “President Trump told Lesley Stahl he bashes press ‘to demean you and discredit you so ... no one will believe’ negative stories about him” —
And it worked. His voters don’t pay attention to what is reported about him. His base listens to “his” media — which now has the stamp of legitimacy from the WH.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/22/trump-told-lesley-stahl-he-bashes-press-to-discredit-negative-stories.html
What is most scary and frightening is all of Trump's efforts to canonize Kirk. Flags at half-mast. Rides on Air Force Two. A professionally produced video of Kirk's widow and mourning followers put out by the White House. The firing of Kimmel because he even spoke Kirk's name. It isn't about Kirk, it's about Trump's insatiable need for attention and power. It is sickening to see him and the regime exploit a tragedy so blatantly. If the FCC's action against Kimmel's show does not bring the people into the streets on October 18, No Kings Day, then we are well and truly screwed. Stand up! Speak out! Meet the Moment! Do not be afraid. Here's the WH video, slick and to the point: https://www.whitehouse.gov/videos/a-tribute-to-charlie-kirk/