Should We Censor Jerks Who Make Ghoulish Posts About Charlie Kirk?

​In the last few years, we’ve documented the abuse of government power to shut down conservative speech. Does that now make it okay to use government power to shut down progressive speech, especially if it’s way out of line?

Here’s a little history: the State Department under the Biden administration used its now-shuttered division, the Global Engagement Center, to fund efforts through a London-based NGO to persuade advertisers to boycott conservative- and libertarian-leaning news outlets. We’ve reported on the Twitter files and from Meta-Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about threats from the White House to shut down conservative speakers.

The rationale for censorship was that conservative journalism, posts, and rhetoric were “disinformation” that was too “dangerous” to society to be permitted.

Now, in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder, some progressive voices are testing the patience of conservative critics of online censorship. Some posts about Kirk from progressives have been healing and compassionate, but some have been insensitive, cruel, and even gloating.

In reaction, Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who sits on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, posted this:

“I am going to use Congressional authority and every influence with big tech platforms to mandate immediate ban for life of every post or commenter that belittled the assassination of Charlie Kirk. If they ran their mouth with their smartass hatred celebrating the heinous murder of that beautiful young man who dedicated his whole life to delivering respectful conservative truth into the hearts of liberal enclave universities, armed only with a Bible and a microphone and a Constitution … those profiles must come down.

“So, I’m going to lean forward on this fight, demanding that big tech have zero tolerance for violent political hate content, the user to be banned from ALL PLATFORMS FOREVER. I’m also going after their business licenses and permitting, their businesses will be blacklisted aggressively, they should be kicked from every school, and their drivers licenses should be revoked. I’m basically going to cancel with extreme prejudice these evil, sick animals who celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination. I’m starting that today. That is all.”

Virtually everything Rep. Higgins said to characterize these speakers – running their mouths with “smartass hatred” – could be leveled at some conservative speech. Of course, actual endorsements of Charlie Kirk’s murder shouldn’t be posted by any company. Beyond that, once we start down the path of banning insensitive speakers “from all platforms forever,” pulling their business licenses and permits, “blacklisting” their businesses, we will have created a Leviathan government censorship machine that can be used against anyone at any time, including Rep. Higgins himself the next time a progressive administration is in power.

It is hard to accept, but the landscape of free speech is bound to include smartasses, jerks, smirkers, and ghouls who run their mouths. Narrow the horizons and all speech will ultimately be in danger. Besides, letting the jerks be jerks allows them to reveal their real selves to the public.

Rep. Higgins correctly notes that the late Charlie Kirk went into what can often appropriately be called “liberal enclave universities” armed with nothing but a Bible, a microphone, and – we would add – a smile. Whether you nodded in agreement or seethed in objection to what Charlie Kirk said, he had the courage to say it with good humor and to respectfully listen to those who disagreed with him.
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That’s the spirit America needs now, from people on all sides.

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