Composed among the ashes of World War II is a poem that begins:
First they came for the Communists
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a Communist
The repeated line “And I did not speak out” is offered as the state then came after trade unionists, then socialists, and then Jews until:
Then they came for me
And there was no one left
To speak out for me*
It is important to remember that this poem was crafted in the wake of the most devastating war in human history and that 60 million human beings lost their lives in most unnatural ways because “I did not speak out.”
As I write in late September of 2025, the comedians in my title are late-night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel and recent events have turned that old dark poem on its head. I am not sure exactly how the corporate powers-that-be decided to reverse themselves by returning Kimmel to his late-night spot, but it is clear that the First Amendment came to bear.
For now, Kimmel’s free speech rights have been honored. We should all take hope in this example as the pressure on his employers seems to have come from many fronts.
There were specific high-profile individuals that used their platforms to defend Kimmel. Petitions were drafted to demonstrate solidarity among those in the entertainment industry. Many of our elected representatives spoke out. And, if social media is to be our guide in these things, there was a loud and often hilarious general outcry over the injustice.
While all of these activities are forms of protected speech, as is the political satire of Jimmy Kimmel, those who dared to “speak out” were potentially putting themselves in the cross-hairs of the current administration.
Indeed, exercising free speech often comes with its own set of perils. And, given the scattershot nature of Trumpian oppression, it is difficult to predict where the hammer may fall next. So, should I take a small measure of comfort that it is very unlikely these words will make it to the president’s desk? And even if it did, what are the chances that this famously unlettered ignoramus would dedicate the few minutes required to understand that I have written these unflattering things about him. Problem is… the very fact that this thought occurred to me, that I hesitated even a bit to describe Trump in this way, is clear evidence that free speech is under attack, even in this remote outpost of the mediaverse.
The evidence suggests, sadly, that given the time, there very well may come a day when they come knocking on my door because, of course, the current wave of oppression emanating from the state did not end with the comedians. In fact, in less than a year, the state has “come for” academic institutions, individual college professors and teachers, immigrants, museums, history books, lawyers who have challenged them, municipal governments, peaceful protestors, rational conservatives, and anyone else who dares get in their way.
These attacks, directed by the state, constitute a full frontal assault upon the free flow of ideas in this country. Despite the challenge this poses, I am heartened by the reaction of the American people. Many—but not all—of those who have come under attack are fighting back. Organized lawsuits have successfully challenged some of these oppressions in court. Massive nationwide protests have demonstrated that millions of people are paying attention and willing to speak out. Writers are doing their thing to speak up… comedians too.**
It really seems as if this healthy dose of outrage may hold the fascistic behavior at bay. And, even as we are often prone to be outraged for a day and forget about it the next, I think we can safely rely upon the Trump administration to keep adding bundles of sticks to the fire.***
Real challenges remain. Can we keep it up until the next round of voting begins? Can we overcome the very real attempt by the state to undermine the meaning of that vote? And, perhaps most importantly, how do we approach the many thoughtful people in this country with legitimate grievances which have drawn them to Trump.
If my Trumpian friends and family are to be an example, I am convinced that many supporters of the current administration are simply unaware of what is happening in this country. Sure, the racists, misogynists, and bigots love what they are seeing. And many white Christian nationalists welcome the chaos as biblical prophecy preceding the end of times; another flood in which God wipes out the evil in preparation for restoring the earth to its rightful Christian condition. These Trump supporters are not to be swayed.
For the rest, and I believe there are tens of millions of them, I still have hope that the First Amendment can do its thing. I, along with many of you, have long recognized that the key driver of social and political division in the United States today is that large and separate swaths of the country pay attention to widely different sources of information.
Unfortunately, much of the media consumed by otherwise thoughtful conservatives does not pass the smell tests of reliability, validity, reasonableness, and truth. Simply put, to assume that others in our society are seeing the injustices as we do— and presumably ignoring them —is to fail to understand the fractured media world in which we live. This is the huge obstacle that must be overcome and I wish I could offer some advice as to how we might go about it.
I can safely say, though, that to do nothing means we lose. Yeah, they came for the comedians and we spoke out. Now, we just need to keep it up.
*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_They_Came
** Unfortunately, the historically reliable judiciary is not to be respected as it once was and many academic, legal, and media institutions have capitulated to Trump.
***Fasces are a bundle of sticks, a symbol representing the original fascist, Benito Mussolini.
