OPINION:
A famous politician once said, “Words matter.” That person was Hillary Clinton.
The problem in this country is that the Democrats think that statement applies only to Republicans and other conservatives. When Democrats spew their poisonous statements, they call it free speech under the Constitution. Yet not all speech is protected under the Constitution.
After President Kennedy was assassinated, Congress passed 18 U.S. Section 871, which provides that anyone who threatens the president, vice president or people next in the line of succession to those offices will be fined and serve not more than five years in prison. So such language is also not protected under the First Amendment, not even for Democrats.
In a recent press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt provided a list of some of the blatantly false and threatening remarks made about President Trump and his administration by Democratic members of Congress. These include statements that Mr. Trump is attempting to “take over this country as a fascist dictator” and “Heads need to roll in this administration.”
Such talk is incendiary and leads to violence, as we saw in the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the three assassination attempts on Mr. Trump’s life.
Yes, Hillary, words matter. The poisonous statements of the Democrats and their allies in the media warped the mind of a man, Cole Tomas Allen, who got a bachelor’s degree at Caltech and a master’s degree at California University and was portrayed as a “genius” by a longtime friend.
This young man, who could have done so much for people, wrote in his manifesto, “I want to cry for all the things I wanted to do and never will.” Mr. Trump has said Mr. Cole is “sick.” No, he is not. He has been indoctrinated.
Congress should amend 18 U.S. Section 871 to add that a person who knowingly and falsely depicts the president and others in the line of succession is liable in a civil action for any harm resulting from that language. Members of Congress shall not be exempt.
GREGORY MCCARTHY
Rancho Palos Verdes, California
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