The Constitution — The King Donald Version.*
When the British Monarch became dissatisfied with the Catholic church, he created the Church of England. The best-known version of the Bible is the King James version. The best-known version of the Constitution may soon be the re-written version by Donald Trump et al.
And you think I must be joking. But when you consider the abuses of the original Constitution already performed by this Administration, and its blatant disregard for the protections therein, this looks like nothing less than the forerunner of a Trump Edition — extended, expanded, and self-serving.
So when Jimmy Kimmel was pulled from the air only an hour before going live, the world was introduced to the kind of control more often associated with autocrats.
The pressure on the TV channels was extreme: “We will not grant you the rights to the expansion you have requested if you do not remove each and every presenter critical of our administration.”
Not the overt comments of a sane member of Trump’s team (if any such exist), but the underlying threat was ever present. Concerned about their future and the growth demanded by investors, respect for the First Amendment slipped sliding away down the gutter of Trumpism.
For those interested in what the First Amendment guarantees:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
And how did Kimmel’s comments challenge the Trump team’s “understanding” of that text? Who really knows. Libel laws may permit private suits, but the state has no right to demand that certain statements be forcefully removed.
Yet the almighty Duck has again exceeded his power, using the office unwisely bestowed to extract vengeance on critics, in the name of a nation distracted, divided, and drifting.
Kimmel returned to the media stage less than a week later, once the parent company felt the weight of receding subscriptions from subscribers unhappy with such desperate decision-making.
The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech. Laws exist to address genuinely false and harmful statements — though not always executed — but nowhere does it allow a politically driven blackmail attempt by questionable authorities.
Not all nations have such clear constitutions, but most treat what they do have with far greater respect.
This is just one more episode of a leader appointed to govern, preferring instead to silence enemies and settle scores, while the real needs of the people remain unattended.
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