{"id":15097,"date":"2025-09-21T20:40:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T00:40:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/?p=15097"},"modified":"2025-09-21T20:40:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T00:40:14","slug":"whos-responsible-for-the-political-violence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dansdigitaldive.com\/web\/archives\/15097","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s Responsible for the Political Violence??"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Strap in boys and girls, this is gonna be a long one!  For the past few days, ok, the last week or so, I\u2019ve been in heavy discussion with my cat on the issue of free speech, or, in my opinion, the slippery slope of its erosion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am of the opinion that, in the America I know and love, freedom of speech is priceless, and those of us who have served know quite well that it involves heavy restraint.\u00a0 When someone expresses their right to burn the flag, as much as it pisses me off to see Old Glory burn. Free speech, even that speech that burns the hairs on the back of our necks, is allowable and should be tolerated.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t have to be liked or be popular; but the person\u2019s right needs to be acknowledged.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The uproar over the assassination of Charlie Kirk is understandable, but I have an issue with the politicalization of his death to further erode our society.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Before we start digging into the 1st<\/sup> Amendment; let\u2019s start with a recap of some past political violence. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025.09.10 \u2013 Charlier Kirk (Republican), conservative political activist is assassinated in Utah while debating with a student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025.04.14 \u2013 Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed, Sen John Hoffman and his wife shot and wounded (all Democrats of Minnesota).  All were shot by an individual who had a \u201chit list\u201d of 45 Democrats. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2025.04.13 \u2013 Josh Shapiro, Governor of PA (Democrat).  His house was set on fire while him and his family slept inside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024.12.04 \u2013 Brian Thompson (unknown), Healthcare CEO was assassinated in New York City on his way to work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024.09.15 \u2013 Donald Trump (Republican). While golfing, a person was taking aim at a member of Trump\u2019s security detail.  The shooter was shot at and fled the scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2024.07.13 \u2013 Donald Trump (Republican).  Presidential candidate was wounded in the ear by a gunshot during a rally in PA.  One attendee was killed, and two others wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2023.05.22 \u2013 White House (Democrat).  An individual with Nazi leanings tries to drive a U-Haul truck though the barriers around the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022.12.04 \u2013 Various Democrats.  A failed Republican candidate for state office, orchestrated four drive-by shootings of Democratic opponents in their homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2022.10.08 \u2013 Paul Pelosi (Democrat).  Nancy Pelosi\u2019s husband, attacked by a hammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021.01.06 \u2013A Pro-Trump (\u201cStop the Steal\u201d) mob stormed the US Capital disrupting the certification of 2020 elections, in which Joe Biden defeated Donald Trump. 140 police officers were injured, four police officers committed suicide within a few months, and one policeman died of a stroke the next day. Two protesters died of heart attacks.  One protester died of \u201cacute amphetamine intoxication,\u201d a drug overdose.  One of the pro-trump supporters was shot and killed by security as a mob attempted to gain access to House Chamber where members of congress were sheltering. Many of the pro-Trump supporters chanted for Nancy Pelosi (Democrat) and Mike Pence (Republican) to die (complete with a hangman\u2019s noose for Mike Pence for his failure to overturn the election).  Nine people needlessly lost their lives<\/em>.  Site-seers they were not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As my cat knows well, January 6th<\/sup> is a burn on my ass.  Our country will NEVER again be able to state we\u2019ve had continuous peaceful turnovers of power.  But that is a discussion I\u2019ve beat into the ground already.  Please see my short take on it at: Sometimes it\u2019s just better to be silent\u2026 \u2013 Dan’s Digital Dive<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

2020.10.08 \u2013 Gretchen Whitmer, MI Governor (Democrat).  13-men were arrested for a plan to kidnap the Governor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2011.01.08 \u2013 Gabby Giffords (Democrat), US Representative from Arizona was shot in the head, she lived, but 6 others died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2017.06.17 \u2013 Steve Scalise (Republican), wounded during an attack which injured four people in Alexandria, VA who were practicing baseball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2018.10.22 \u2013 Various Democratic leaders.  Packages were sent to Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, and Goerge Soros.  The packages each contained a pipe bomb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My point in listing the above, is to say that violence has been spewed by crazies on BOTH sides.  It is the \u201cnormalization\u201d of violence, the accepting of violence that worries me.  We should never accept violence\u2026 Never<\/u><\/em><\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we can move on to the 1st<\/sup> Amendment: among other things, this ensures that individuals can express their opinions without government interference or censorship.  The 1st<\/sup> Amendment has encouraged debate, the robust exchange of ideas that have allowed for the development of innovative and diverse cultural movements (think civil rights, end of segregation\u2026). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the key tenants of the Amendment include that we must tolerate speech we do not like.  As Bobby Block (Executive Director of the First Amendment Foundation) states: \u201cFree speech isn\u2019t just saying what you want to say; it\u2019s also hearing what you don\u2019t want to hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think we can all agree that Our President is pretty loose with facts and exaggerated statements. His supporters say \u201cthat\u2019s just the way he talks.\u201d\u00a0 Ok, sure, I get it; but he is using the office, the office of the President of the United States and the leverage that comes with this position, in ways that are not becoming of someone who holds this office.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0His administration has moved to punish critics and threaten media outlets that don\u2019t align with the administration.\u00a0 Do you honestly think Colbert was cancelled due to finances, or that Kimmel was cancelled due to poor ratings?\u00a0 If you do, I have a bridge, slightly used, I\u2019d like to sell you.\u00a0There are some other simularities, which are outside the scope of today’s post, I encourage you to read: The rise of totalitarianism \u2013 12 similarities between 1930s Germany and 2020s America – Part 1 | Pearls and Irritations<\/a> and The rise of totalitarianism \u2013 12 similarities between 1930s Germany and 2020s America – Part 2 | Pearls and Irritations<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are there limits to what can be said or done<\/a>, absolutely. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Private companies and universities have greater latitude on what they can restrict via their platforms.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Federal employees.\u00a0 When performing one\u2019s work duties, and performing in their role as a federal employee and acting on a \u201cmatter of public concern,\u201d they have limited protections.\u00a0 However, when not acting on a \u201cmatter of public concern; they retain the protections as any other citizen.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Speech that causes direct harm or violence.\u00a0 Speech which poses an immediate threat to public safety is not protected.\u00a0 Incitement (think 1\/6\/2021) is also not protected, as it encourages immediate, illegal acts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Obscene speech is not protected.\u00a0 Think child pornography, which is considered a direct harm to children.\u00a0 For other speech to qualify as obscene, the statement must pass the \u201cMiller Test.\u201d 1) the work, taken as a whole, appeals to a morbid, degrading, or shameful interest in sex.\u00a0 2) the work must depict, or describe, sexual conduct in a patently offensive way, as defined by state law.\u00a0 3) the work, again taken as a whole, must lack serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific values.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. False Statements of Fact. There are two flavors, Libal and Slander.\u00a0 Generally, public figures should have a higher burden of proof.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So the question is:  Should Colbert and Kimmel have been cancelled?  I don\u2019t think it passes the smell test.  There was a case in which a comedian\u2019s jokes are protected speech.  The  judge declared that many of the jokes were clearly statements of opinion, and not fact, and therefore protected under the 1st<\/sup> Amendment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In summation, I\u2019d like to close with a statement from my cat\u2019s friend:<\/p>\n\n\n