mtutiger

The academic research is interesting, but it's really just the difference between a liberal democracy and illiberal/totalitarianism... In a liberal democracy, we have the rule of law. In totalitarianism, the laws are irrelevant, what the government says is the law is the law. We aren't to the latter yet... But there is no doubt in my mind that if this administration has its way, it's where they want us to end up.

Your statement really applies beyond politics as well. The American public is more wise to this administration than the elites are... Yet the elites keep aquiescing anyway. Media, very smart pundits (ie. Ezra Klein, Yglesias, etc.) law firms, universities, corporations.

Another blast from the past lol

Among the de jure Nuremberg Laws was prohibiting Germans and Jews from marriage and intercourse. That's a terrible law that infringed upon the rights of the German population. But it was legal, so...

The Nazi Party controlled Germany and were the ultimate arbiters of what was legal and illegal within Germany until they fell from power.

Incredible stuff

Does Trump have the law behind him here? It's an open question. Either way, taken to its logical conclusion, merely disagreeing with any political action by any President makes one a child so long as it's technically legal. That's dumb and not how politics has ever worked.

Does that make Republicans children for every time they complained about something Obama or Biden did?

It's not even clear the bosses know what was problematic...

Yeah, the discussion of whether Carr, obo Trump, technically has the right to do this kinda glides past the question of whether he should do it in the first place. Or what it says about this administration and how it feels about speech it doesn't like. Either way, one thing that distinguishes this action from Colbert is that that action was more subtle... and the talking point about his shows profitability muddied the waters enough to make it seem innocuous. The smoking gun (ie. Carr's appearance on Benny Johnson) makes it is pretty clear what happened here. People shouldn't be obliged to play dumb about any of it

The FCC has the right to regulate the airways. But if it's chair uses his position to coerce ABC to fire a personality for speech it doesn't like, that's potentially a 1A case. At least per Ken White. Again, pretty straightforward.

It's also not even clear whether the state has the right to do it either, particularly if they were to fire him outright

Thats an interesting position for a Libertarian to take

Another piece of evidence post-act. Entirely government driven.

https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-news/jimmy-kimmel-out-abc-charlie-kirk-comments-1235430078/ Earlier on Wednesday, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chairman, Brendan Carr, publicly called on licensed broadcasters to stop airing Kimmel’s show. “I think that it’s really sort of past time that a lot of these licensed broadcasters themselves push back on Comcast and Disney and say, ‘Listen, we are going to preempt, we are not going to run Kimmel anymore, until you straighten this out because we, we licensed broadcaster, are running the possibility of fines or license revocation from the FCC if we continue to run content that ends up being a pattern of news distortion,’” Carr said Wednesday, speaking with conservative podcaster Benny Johnson. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr added. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action, frankly, on Kimmel or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.” I'm sorry, but this is happening because he the state compelled this action. Pretty easy story to tell

While they're at it, would also like to hear why it's a big deal when Brian Kilmeade, who advocating executing the mentally ill homeless, is still on the air and employed. I'm sure we'll be waiting a while for a response.

Can't wait to see which comedians the state hand selects for us to laugh at

I don't doubt it. But it doesn't take many disillusioned folks to make a political impact either

Don't even know where to begin with this one.... but we'll at least start with the fact that if you're gonna go through the effort of doing this cynical video, at least have your staff find a paint color that even remotely blends in with original concrete coating there.

https://farmpolicynews.illinois.edu/2025/09/usda-again-increases-corn-planted-acreage-production/ The weather has been really dry recently in the Midwest, but it's a bumper crop for corn and (pretty sure) for soybeans as well.... a lot of economic factors at play, article mentions inputs but tariffs and just the ability to sell the product is a big one (soybeans has gotten a lot of attention in this regard re. China)

It's also just attrition.... the boomers are retiring, and there are less of us than there are any of us. Am sympathetic to farmers, especially given where we live. They are getting hammered right now and are pissed.... politically, you see it with the Iowa special elections, for instance. But it was very very predictable nonetheless.

Charlie never mattered to any of these people, he was just competition....

This is what happens when you outsource everything to AI....