Getting Jimmied

I had another article planned for today, but then late yesterday afternoon another story came along, and I couldn’t let it pass without notice.  Especially since it’s a companion to my piece yesterday on Trump and the MAGOP making an assault on the First Amendment by trying to create a new definition of “hate speech.”
 
The story, which you likely have seen by now, is that ABC has cravenly and temporarily "paused" the Jimmy Kimmel show because of the far-right and FCC being supposedly "outraged" over a comment and biting joke. 
 
There were some edgy comments in his joke, including one that is being called out a a supposed lie by MAGOPs, but is not a lie or even a mistake, but just awkwardly phrased -- and hey, I do understand that the standard for accuracy is high because, after all, Trump and MAGOPs never say anythinggggg even close to inaccurate in the MAGOP Bubble World, and that includes the other day when Trump defending his war crime action bombing another Venezuelan boat by saying that 300 million people die each year in America from drugs, even though last year only 62 million people died around the entire world from all causes, natural and otherwise, because he was speaking theoretically --  but the final quip that Jimmy Kimmel made (ironically) about far-right supposed "outrage" at commentary after Charlie Kirk's death was, “In between the finger-pointing, there was grieving.”
 
It should be noted, lest anyone think this was heartless and false that Trump (who previously had been blistering in his unjustified attack on the left for the shooting death of Charlie Kirk) was asked on camera how he was doing after the death of his friend Kirk and replied that he was doing fine – and immediately began talking about the trucks coming to the White House to build the new ballroom he wants.
 
We know this is fake "outrage" by the MAGOP world at Kimmel because they both were perfectly OK with Fox's Brian Kilmeade saying on air that the homeless who refused assistance should be "euthanized" and "killed."  And further, Fox was OK with it, too, since they didn’t reprimand Kilmeade at all.
 
By the way, there was just a mass attack on a group of homeless in Minnesota. 
 
Yes, it may have been purely coincidental.  But what a terrible look it is, even if so.  And that’s still an “if.”
 
And yes, this is ABC taking the action with Kimmel, not the government.  Sort of.  Because it comes after the far-right FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said, ““We can do this the easy way or the hard way… There’s actions we can take on licensed broadcasters. Frankly, I really think it’s past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back on Comcast and Disney and say ‘We’re not gonna run Kimmel anymore… because we licensed broadcasters are running the possibly of fines or license revocation from the FCC.’”
 
And comes after Trump had said, after Stephen Colbert’s show was cancelled, “Kimmel’s next.  Kimmel is gone.”

Which brings us back to pretty much literally that whole, y'know, First Amendment thing.  The government may not be making a law to silence speech Trump and the MAGOPs don't like, but they're making the wink-wink, dog whistle bullhorn threat to do so.  The whole "Who will rid me of the turbulent priest?" gambit.
 
So, there’s no hiding behind pretending this was just private business taking action.
 
And in a related story, Nexstar Media Group (that owns 200 broadcast stations in 116 cities) is was supposedly “outraged” by Kimmel’s monologue and announced that it is indefinitely pulling Jimmy Kimmel's show from its service.
 
One wonders if the “outraged” Nexstar carries "Fox News" because…well (okay, you know the drill here):  Brian Kilmeade called for the homeless to be "euthanized" and "killed"!!!  And Nexstar didn't announce that they had any problem with that.
 
And there was just a mass attack on a group of homeless people in Minnesota.
 
And yes, this is Nexstar taking the action with Kimmel’s show, not the government.  Sort of.  Because of that whole, y’know, pesky FCC Chairman statement and Trump’s.
 
Oh, and Fun Fact:  Nexstar is in the process of trying to get local ownership rules deregulated.  And need government approval.  Go figure.
 
And far-right fascist FCC Chairman Carr put out a tweet that began, “I want to thank Nexstar for doing the right thing.”  And ended with, “I hope that other broadcasters follow Nexstar’s lead.”

Which brings us back, again, to pretty much literally that whole, y'know, First Amendment thing.  Only this time without the dog whistle threat, and just straight to the bullhorn.
 
As the great Molly Ivins once wrote, “It reads better in the original German.”
 
Over a joke.  That was edgy.  And accurate.  And spot-on at the end. Because this is about threatening the press and media to fall in line.  Not actual “outrage.”
 
Because if you’re not actually outraged by a broadcaster not joking and literally saying that the homeless should be “euthanized” and “killed” – after which a group of home people are attacked! – then you’re not really “outraged" at all.
 
What you are is fascist.
 
And if someone fascist doesn’t like being called “fascist,” that’s on them.  Either look up what a fascist is – or stop enabling fascists, stop voting for fascists and stop being a fascist.