1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

All government officials must respect 1st Amendment free speech rights. They are not suggestions; they are rights guaranteed to everyone in contact with the United States government. “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.” The FCC and the Executive Branch have placed undue pressure, exerted punitive measures against individuals and corporations, and threatened continuing actions against others for exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights to freedom of expression. While the cancellations of Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert are garnering the most attention in our entertainment-driven society, no less concerning is the fact that the Executive is stifling free expression on college campuses, asserts it is using law enforcement to rifle through social media platforms for posts it finds offensive, and calling for the employment termination, visa cancellation, and passport revocation of those it disagrees with. It is not enough to call for those targeted by the government for their constitutionally protected speech to engage the courts for relief, as Chuck Shumer shrugged. Congress must unequivocally affirm the government’s obligation to protect our right to say things the government disagrees with. It must clarify that no agency created by Congress can abridge freedom of speech, as no agency so created can have powers constitutionally forbidden to Congress itself. And Congress must remove the FCC chair if he will not resign following this obscene violation of our constitutionally protected right to free expression.