SEGMENT 1.1
CLIP 1
CLIP 2 Kimmel Suspended
Jimmy Kimmel has been suspended indefinitely from his late-night talk show for comments he made about the public assassination of Charlie Kirk. The FCC Chairman stated yesterday on The Benny Johnson Show that the FCC could take action against ABC for Kimmel's comments. And within hours, ABC and Disney decided to pull Kimmel from the air.
This brings up, once again, the concept of cancel culture — something you’ve heard me and others talk about for years.
Cancel culture is a tool used primarily by the political and cultural left to silence dissenting views, especially conservative and Christian viewpoints. Through public pressure — or through the institutional power of universities, corporations, media outlets, or social media mobs — people are punished or shut down simply for expressing ideas that challenge progressive ideology. It doesn’t punish truly egregious actions. Instead, it targets speech that promotes alternative political or cultural beliefs.
So is Jimmy Kimmel’s cancellation a form of cancel culture?
Well, he's certainly being canceled — but not necessarily because of social pressure. Maybe ABC and Disney heard the comments made by the FCC and decided to preempt any action the commission might take. But to my knowledge, the FCC didn’t make any calls to Disney or ABC. Those two media companies acted without any direct contact from the government.
Maybe they saw the disturbing trend — a segment of Americans actually celebrating Charlie’s death — and decided they didn’t want to be associated with anyone even remotely pandering to that crowd.
Or maybe… they’re just as sick and tired of Jimmy Kimmel as the rest of us are, and they saw this as their chance to cut him loose.
Honestly? That’s what I’m inclined to believe.
Now, as much as I hate cancel culture, let me break this down into two distinct types — because they’re not the same.
First: Cancel Culture as a Product of Social Consequences
This happens when someone says something controversial, and people rise up in protest — loudly. As a result, others — including businesses — decide to distance themselves. Maybe they unfollow your social media. Maybe they end a professional relationship. Maybe they stop selling your products or buying what you’re offering.
That’s the marketplace of ideas in action. Sometimes one side is just louder. Sometimes the market feels the need to respond — not out of morality, but out of brand preservation or protecting the bottom line.
Think about Nike. They took positions that many Americans — myself included — considered to be un-American. They recalled sneakers featuring the colonial Betsy Ross flag because Colin Kaepernick claimed it was racist. They’ve promoted men competing in women’s sports to support the transgender agenda. They made Kaepernick one of their key celebrity endorsements — not for athletic achievement, but because he refused to stand for the national anthem.
I haven’t bought a Nike product in years — and I’m not alone.
Or look at Cracker Barrel. Just recently, they waded into the cultural waters with ideas their customers didn’t appreciate — and the backlash was so loud, they did a complete 180 in just a few days.
People vote with their pocketbooks.
At the end of the day, whether it’s Nike, Cracker Barrel, or Disney and ABC — companies will either double down and suffer the consequences of unpopular decisions, or they’ll change course and realign themselves with mainstream America.
So how do you keep your side from being canceled in the marketplace or the marketplace of ideas?
You speak up. You get louder. You get more persuasive.
Not with more laws. Not with more regulations. You win the argument. You convince people that the voices being silenced are actually worth listening to.
Second: Institutional Cancellation — the Real Danger
This is the most clear and present danger to a free society — when the cancellation comes from institutions.
For example, when a university cancels a scheduled speaker because a quarter of the student body protested.
A university is supposed to be the very place where controversial ideas are debated. Shutting out that debate is like a surgeon banning scalpels from the operating room because they might cut someone. It defeats the entire purpose of the institution.
And when a university — especially a publicly funded one — censors debate, their request for more tax dollars becomes laughable. You can’t demand public money while suppressing public discourse.
Right now, people are posting online — for the entire world to see — their demonic, uncontrollable laughter and excitement over Charlie Kirk’s public execution.
And they’re not hiding. They’re doing this in their cars, in their offices, in their homes — voluntarily. They’re recording themselves. They’re typing comments. They’re hitting “post.” And many of them have their employer’s name right there in their bio, next to the video or post celebrating Charlie’s death.
Others have taken it upon themselves to catalog those posts and notify employers.
And many employers, in order to protect their brand, have decided to distance themselves from these people — by letting them go.
That’s social consequence. That’s how the marketplace works.
SEGMENT 1.2
State Representative Justin Sparks
Redistricting because the MO Consitituion does not prohibit when they can redraw congressional lines although it does say they have to redraw them after the census.
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) v. Perry, 548 U.S. 399 (2006)
Issue settled - Texas has similar constitutional language.
In that movie, an opposing team objects to Buddy, a basketball-playing golden retriever, subbing into a game. Buddy’s coach points out that while there is no rule explicitly stating that a dog can play basketball, there is no rule saying that a dog cannot play basketball. The referee then allows Buddy to play.
In similar fashion, defenders of the new map have argued that the lack of a specific prohibition on mid-decade redistricting in the Missouri Constitution is effectively an authorization for the legislature to redraw congressional lines when they want to.
“I guess it could be an example of a real-world example of the 'Air Bud' rule, and maybe that's what they should call this congressional redistricting the 'Air Bud' clause,” said Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins.
When reminded of the scene from the film earlier this month, state Rep. Bill Hardwick, R-Pulaski County, said the "Air Bud" premise is based on a concept known as exclusio unius – a Latin phrase that “if you omit the mention of one thing, it means that you're not authorized to that thing.”
“If I say the legislature has the power to legislate about desks and couches and chairs and doors, then that would imply the legislature doesn't have the authority to legislate about windows,” said Hardwick.
SEGMENT 1.3
Turning Point USA announced Thursday it "unanimously elected" Charlie Kirk's widow Erika Kirk as the new CEO and chair of the board of the organization.
"In prior discussions, Charlie expressed to multiple executives that this is what he wanted in the event of his death," the organization said in a post on X.In remarks to the press while standing alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the president criticized the handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under President Joe Biden and said he had "a little breaking news."
"We're trying to get it back," Trump said. "We're trying to get it back because they need things from us."
SEGMENT 2.1
Dr. Randy Tobler
A quarter of respondents who identified as “very liberal” said violence can sometimes be justified to achieve political goals, along with 17 percent of those who identified as “liberal,” 9 percent of moderates, 6 percent of those who said they’re “conservative” and 3 percent of those who identified as “very conservative.”Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is getting blasted on social media after posting a picture supporting American Federation of Teachers (AFT) chief Randi Weingarten’s new book that suggests her political opponents are "fascists."
"Congratulations to my friend [Weingarten] on ‘Why Fascists Fear Teachers.’
Medical ethics call for treating every patient equally, regardless of political affiliation. But when you see fellow medical professionals publicly celebrating a political assassination, does it shake your faith in the neutrality of your field??
Would you feel confident referring a visibly conservative patient to a colleague who has openly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s death on social media??
Is it time for professional medical associations to adopt policies that reaffirm a nonpartisan commitment to care — and publicly discipline those who promote violence or gloat over death based on political views??
SEGMENT 2.2
Story Time:
If your going to stand up, prepared to get hit.
Courage is a choice. Standing up in the face of fear of the unknown or maybe worse yet the known.Know your Convictions.
Know what you believe and why you believe it. Get out f the echo chamber and away from the confirmation bias. Let yourself be challenged and see if you can overcome the obstacle.Opposition confirms the value of your cause.
Peo don’t attack what doesn’t matter. (Easter Bunny vs Christ)
Expect the hit. Count the potential cost so when it hits you, you’re not rattled wondering what just happened - you already know what happened and your ready to continue the fight.
Condition yourself for the impact.
How do you absorb the blow? What answer do you give to strike back and advance.Find your people:
Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to admit him, welcome him with all your heart and soul. Speak as boldly with him as with yourself…Regard him as loyal and you will make him loyal. - Senneca
Two are better than one…for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.
Stay in the fight.
This matters because your family needs a defender.
Because America needs some heros on the home front right about now.
These are men and women who fight for their family.
Who knowing the potential fallout still decide to stand up in front of the school board meeting, in front of oth3er parents at gathering, to the city council, and speak the truth becuase they know the truth matters and they can’t let it die because their children need it.