Funny, isn’t it, that ‘freedom of speech’ as defined by some in this country only refers to speech that they agree with.  Take the well-publicized criticism by the Republican Party against Liz Cheney … they censured her and Adam Kinzinger for taking part in a commission established to investigate serious criminal activity on January 6, 2021.  They further censured Cheney for her criticism of Donald Trump, aka the former guy.  So, let me get this straight … freedom of speech means that Republicans can encourage and incite a destructive, death-causing insurrection, but that not a one of them is allowed, even under that First Amendment they cite so often, to criticize a ‘man’ who has earned criticism.  How, exactly, does that compute?  As the robot in the old television show Lost in Space used to say, “That does not compute.”  Even the infamous Mitch McConnell who I have referred to as a GOP lapdog, was aghast at the Republican National Committee’s verbiage, saying …

“We saw what happened. It was a violent insurrection for the purpose of trying to prevent the peaceful transfer of power after a legitimately certified election from one administration to the next. That’s what it was.”

The one possibly positive thing that may yet come of this mess is that it may ideologically split the Republican Party, thereby costing them seats in Congress this year, and any hope to regain the White House in 2024.

On February 7^th, a group of around 150 notable Republicans signed a statement strongly disagreeing with the censure of Cheney & Kinzinger …

Statement of Republican Leaders and Former Officials on the RNC’s Censure of Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger

Last week the Republican National Committee (RNC) made clear that it would rather be the “Big Lie” party than the “Big Tent” party by condemning two principled elected leaders while condoning conspiracies, lies, and violent insurrection. By censuring Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Congressman Adam Kinzinger for their role in investigating the January 6th attacks, they have betrayed the GOP’s founding principles and ceded control of a once-great movement to grifters and extremists. The RNC has also signaled that it no longer welcomes people of conscience.

The RNC’s description of the January 6th insurrection as “legitimate political discourse” is an affront to the rule of law, peaceful self-government, and the constitutional order. There can be no justifying the horrific attack that day, and we condemn the Committee for excusing the actions of men and women who battered police officers, ransacked our nation’s Capitol, called for hanging the Vice President of the United States, and sought to overturn a free and fair election.

History will mark this censure as a turning point for the RNC – a time of choosing between civility and patriotism, on the one hand, and conspiracy and political violence on the other. We stand firmly for the first set of values. We stand proudly next to principled leaders such as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. And we stand united against efforts to defile our democracy.

And it is signed by former members of Congress, Governors, Administrators, Cabinet Members and more – all Republicans!  Even some who served in the Trump administration signed the statement, such as Alyssa Farah Griffin, who served as former communications director in Trump’s White House before quitting over his stolen election claims and Anthony Scaramucci, also a former communications director under Trump.

Will this be the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back?  Will some in the Republican Party finally realize that the only things the party as a whole stands for are hatred and bigotry?  Will those with a sense of decency finally step forward and work toward re-structuring a badly broken political system?  We can only hope that there are enough in the Republican Party who put country ahead of party and who will work to rebuild a legitimate party with actual goals that will help the people in this country who most need help, not those who already live in the lap of luxury.