Republicans have embraced some of the worst abuses of cancel culture progressives. Speech is speech. Violence is violence. They are not the same. Not too long ago when the cancel culture left was ascendant, the “speech is violence” sophism was used to punish conservative views at certain workplaces and colleges. Left-wing campuses would rid their public spaces of views they disagreed with by claiming views the disagreed with was violence. When they ran out of conservatives to attack, they would turn their censorship on their fellow lefties in a quixotic quest for ideological purity. Today, right wing Americans have embraced these same methods, but in many ways it’s far worse because it’s pushed by more authoritarian-minded executives. Yascha Mounk calls this “the power theory of free speech.” Writing for The Dispatch, Mounk says,
President Donald Trump uses executive authority to punish speech he doesn’t like. His Sept. 25 “Countering Domestic Terrorism and Organized Political Violence” memoranda uses acts and threats of violence by lone actors as an excuse for a government crack down on organizations that oppose him. The memoranda threatens the use of law enforcement and the IRS against groups whose speech seeks to “change or direct policy outcomes,” which is another way of saying “petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” I know it’s just an excuse for Trump because if he genuinely believed speech is violence he wouldn’t post this: The memoranda designates Antifa a terrorist organization, which doesn’t make any sense because Antifa isn’t an organization. It’s a label, short for “anti-fascism,” that some people identify with, much like some people identify themselves as MAGA. In response, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced an effort to “identify, investigate, and infiltrate” leftist organizations in his state, because “Corrupted ideologies like transgenderism and Antifa are a cancer on our culture and have unleashed their deranged and drugged-up foot soldiers on the American people.” Paxton’s press release sounds more geared toward boosting his bid to become a US senator than actually fighting crime, given that a true law enforcement effort probably wouldn’t announce their plans to infiltrate groups. Nonetheless, Paxton’s ambitions to use political authority against political foes could hurt real people, as he has already done. Trump has no interest in protecting freedom of speech for his political opponents. Trump made this clear yesterday when he said he “took the freedom of speech away.” Trump was referring to his August 25 executive order claiming his administration will prosecute anyone who burns the American flag as an act of protest. In this single EO, Trump is claiming both legislative authority by creating new law and judicial authority by overturning a Supreme Court ruling. “When you burn an American flag, you incite tremendous violence,” Trump claimed. While feigning concern for violence, his own federal agents are engaged in state sponsored violence in Chicago. There are too many reports to mention them all here, but here’s one example. Rev. David Black was speaking to three ICE officers standing on the roof of a detention facility. “I invited them to repentance,” Black told RNS. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.” The officers responded by firing pepper balls at him and the crowd, hit Black in the head, and starting laughing. CW: protester being struck in the head by a pepper ball
Footage I took earlier of the moment Reverend David Black, a regular protester outside of the Broadview Detention Center, was shot in the head with a pepper ball by ICE agents on the roof of the facility. ![]() Sat, 20 Sep 2025 02:22:06 GMT View on BlueskyBlack’s speech was not violence. The officers’ response was. Professor Mike Austin addresses Meghan Basham’s false claims about AVC’s J29 CoalitionWhat Else We’re ReadingArthur Brooks: How to Heal Our Country? Love Your Enemies.
Texas Monthly: “An Austin Church Strove to Be Apolitical. Then Charlie Kirk Was Killed.”
Ministry Watch: “Canon Press Offer for Christianity Today Nothing More Than Publicity Stunt”
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