Jawbone of an ass

First published in the Brunswick Beacon, 10.09.25

In the Bible, Samson used the jawbone of an ass to vanquish his foes. Unscrupulous government officials don’t need donkey mandibles. They “jawbone” critics into compliance by threatening unlawful government action. In 2024 a unanimous Supreme Court ruled that a New York official unlawfully pressured companies not to do business with the NRA, saying: “the First Amendment prohibits government officials from wielding their power selectively to punish or suppress speech.”

Jimmy Kimmel criticized Trump supporters for trying to “score political points” from Charlie Kirk’s murder. Brendan Carr, Trump’s hand-picked Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), demanded that Kimmel’s employers punish him. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr said. “These companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel, or there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Fearing government retaliation, Disney and its subsidiary ABC suspended Kimmel “indefinitely.” Trump celebrated Kimmel’s suspension, then demanded that other late-night hosts get the axe: “That leaves Jimmy and Seth, two total losers, on Fake News NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!!”

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) likened it to “a mafioso coming into a bar going, nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if something happened to it.” Trump supporter Joe Rogan said the government should never dictate “what a comedian can or cannot say in a monologue” and warned conservatives, “You’re crazy for supporting this because this will be used on you.”

In 2019 the same Brendan Carr said, “The FCC does not have a roving mandate to police speech in the name of the 'public interest.” In 2022 he said, “Political satire is one of the oldest and most important forms of free speech. That’s why people in influential positions have always targeted it for censorship.” Old Carr proves that New Carr knowingly violated the First Amendment, and exposes him as a braying, bullying ass.

Laura McGann

Leland