Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Free Speech

When Justice Becomes Partisan, Freedom Dies
Rocky Mountain Voice, Commentary, National, Top Stories

When Justice Becomes Partisan, Freedom Dies

By C. J. Garbo | Guest Commentary, Rocky Mountain Voice Picture, for a moment, a reversal of roles. Suppose a radical on the right assassinated one of the most visible voices on the left in front of live cameras. Imagine if, after that horror, crowds of conservatives cheered, called for more, and excused the violence as justified. Picture further attacks - one shouting slogans, another storming a newsroom, a sniper targeting a Planned Parenthood clinic - and all of them part of an ongoing pattern.  Would there be any question how the left would react? Their calls for action would be immediate, sweeping, and relentless. This thought experiment matters because it exposes a double standard. Violence should not be judged by the ideology of the perpetrator. Violence is viole...
VSSA teacher apologizes—debate persists over classroom remarks about Charlie Kirk and Trump
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

VSSA teacher apologizes—debate persists over classroom remarks about Charlie Kirk and Trump

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice A storm continues to brew at Vail Ski and Snowboard Academy (VSSA) after a longtime teacher’s controversial remarks in class. The comments came shortly after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, setting off heated debate in the community about free speech, professional boundaries, and accountability in schools. The issue dominated last Wednesday night’s school board meeting, where the teacher publicly apologized but many parents and students left split over whether she should keep her job. Public apology follows superintendent’s rebuke At the September 24 meeting, Superintendent Philip Qualman called the remarks “unacceptable, inappropriate, and unprofessional.” He told the audience the district had followe...
Durango 9-R’s Monday update comes as parents dispute the “misinformation” label
Rocky Mountain Voice, Local, Top Stories

Durango 9-R’s Monday update comes as parents dispute the “misinformation” label

By Jen Schumann | Rocky Mountain Voice Durango School District 9-R holds its State of the District tonight at the Impact Career Innovation Center. The district’s event page bills it as a community update with test-score dashboards and a Q&A. The Durango Herald said leaders plan to confront “misinformation.” Parent Jason Mietchen hears it differently: “We’ve had to counteract the misinformation for years. The school puts out a ton of it.” Why attention spiked this month The Herald also referenced Heidi Ganahl’s twelve-part ‘Durango’s 9-R Dirty Dozen,’ a wide-ranging critique of district policy, practice and the outcomes families are talking about. Topics span CMAS proficiency, gender-support steps, the ACA name-change policy, flag resolutions and the government-speech argument,...
House Minority Leader Caldwell rebukes Democrats’ online comments about Charlie Kirk, urges post deletion
Colorado Politics, Approved, State

House Minority Leader Caldwell rebukes Democrats’ online comments about Charlie Kirk, urges post deletion

By Marissa Ventrelli | Colorado Politics The new Republican leader of the Colorado House sharply criticized Democrats over recent comments about conversative activist Charlie Kirk, who was assassinated earlier this month during an event at a university in Utah. In a letter to the House speaker and the majority leader, Jarvis Caldwell, R-Colorado Springs, asked that the chamber reaffirm its commitment to “non-violent civil discourse” and condemn “demeaning characterization of private citizens, especially following a tragic death.” Caldwell also asked House Speaker Julie McCluskie and Majority Leader Monica Duran to direct certain Democrats to remove their posts on social media and notify a state employee’s supervisors to determine whether the person’s conduct is allowed under the s...
Prove him right: The American Idea is worth fighting for
Think Again USA, Approved, Commentary, National

Prove him right: The American Idea is worth fighting for

By Melanie Sturm | Commentary, Think Again USA Substack Can we restore the American Idea — for our children and our humanity? When Talking Stops I’m glad I waited to watch Charlie Kirk’s memorial before finishing this post. For days I struggled to write — distracted by the “he-had-it-coming” justifications of his murder, and by the claim that finding common ground is no longer possible. But I refuse to accept that. This essay is my attempt to prove why — and to enlist you in restoring dialogue at a moment when America desperately needs it. They say grief comes in waves. This summer I lost two dear friends far too soon, and then came the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a 31-year-old husband and father of two. Though we were only acquaintances, the footage replaying on my f...
Google Promises Free Speech After Years of Political Censorship on YouTube
Breitbart, Approved, National

Google Promises Free Speech After Years of Political Censorship on YouTube

By Sean Moran | Breitbart Google on Tuesday promised to restore YouTube accounts that have been banned for political speech, admitting that the Biden administration pressured it to censor Americans that did not violate the company’s terms of service, in a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH). “Reflecting the Company’s commitment to free expression, YouTube will provide an opportunity for all creators to rejoin the platform if the company terminated their channels for repeated violations of COVID-19 and elections integrity policies that are no longer in effect,” a lawyer representing Google wrote to Jordan. The letter would likely affect pro-Trump political commentators such as White House counterterrorism chief Sebastian Gorka, War Room host Steve Bannon,...
Texas parents pressured by activist group to block conservative TPUSA chapter
The Post Millennial, Approved, National

Texas parents pressured by activist group to block conservative TPUSA chapter

By Thomas Stevenson | The Post Millennial "Please please please send emails to two teachers who are rumored to have agreed to sponsoring a club that will sow division and hate among our students." The vice president of a local Democrat club in Texas Adults attempted to rally adults in a private Facebook group to pressure teachers at Stratford High School in Texas to refuse to sponsor a Turning Point USA chapter (known as Club America at the high school level) at the school. Details of the chat were leaked by adults into a private Facebook group page. They also spread falsehoods about the identity of the killer of Charlie Kirk, who founded TPUSA. Andrew Kolvet, spokesman for Turning Point USA and close friend to the late Charlie Kirk, said on X, "Some grown adults in...
Sinclair holds firm: Rejects airing Jimmy Kimmel while ABC parent-company Disney touts return
Daily Wire, Approved, National

Sinclair holds firm: Rejects airing Jimmy Kimmel while ABC parent-company Disney touts return

By Virginia Kruta | Daily Wire Sinclair owns nearly 40 ABC affiliates across the United States, including one in Washington, D.C. Sinclair Broadcasting Group doubled down on Monday, saying that despite an agreement reached earlier in the day by ABC and late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel, their ABC affiliates would not air “Jimmy Kimmel Live” when it returns to ABC on Tuesday. Sinclair owns nearly 40 ABC affiliates across the country — including one in the nation’s capital — and while those affiliates will preempt Kimmel’s show for the time being, the broadcasting group released a statement indicating that a deal could be reached in the future. https://twitter.com/WeAreSinclair/status/1970266039532306593 “Beginning Tuesday night, Sinclair will be preempting Jimmy Kimmel Live!...
1776 Project PAC launches accountability campaign against teachers celebrating Kirk’s assassination
Fox News, Approved, National

1776 Project PAC launches accountability campaign against teachers celebrating Kirk’s assassination

By Andrew Mark Miller | Fox News Conservatives have been successfully calling on teachers to be fired for justifying Charlie Kirk's murder A conservative political action committee launched an effort to expose teachers across the country justifying Charlie Kirk’s assassination online and is pushing back on claims from the left that conservatives are being hypocritical about free speech. Stefano Forte, executive director of 1776 Project PAC, spoke to Fox News digital about the new form live on the organization’s website where users can flag teachers and administrators who have justified Kirk’s killing online, a form he says has already yielded an "endless stream of tips." "Many people are essentially happy that Charlie Kirk has been killed. And these people are in char...
Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks
Rocky Mountain Voice, State, Top Stories

Free speech and consequences: CU Boulder lecturer and Vail teacher face scrutiny over Kirk assassination remarks

By Shaina Cole | Contributing Writer, Rocky Mountain Voice Editor’s note: This story was updated on Sept. 23 to include a statement from CU Boulder spokesperson Nicole Mueksch. Freedom of speech is one of America’s most cherished rights. But too often it is misunderstood as a free pass to say anything without consequence. The killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month has made that painfully clear. Across the country, people who publicly cheered Kirk’s death — whether at work, online, or in classrooms — soon found out that words can carry real consequences. Some were fired. Others were suspended. Many faced a wave of anger from the public. In Colorado, questions about free speech and accountability are now playing out in two very different settings. One invol...

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