Conservatives and other free-speech advocates criticized Attorney General Pam Bondi for declaring that the Department of Justice will “go after” those spreading “hate speech.”

“There’s free speech, and then there’s hate speech. And there is no place, especially now, especially after what happened to Charlie, in our society. We will absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” Bondi stated during a Monday interview.

‘Arresting people for “hate speech” is about as liberal as it gets. Every conservative should oppose it.’

The backlash for the comment prompted Bondi to clarify her stance in a post on X Tuesday morning.

“Hate speech that crosses the line into threats of violence is NOT protected by the First Amendment. It’s a crime. For far too long, we’ve watched the radical left normalize threats, call for assassinations, and cheer on political violence. That era is over,” Bondi wrote.

Free-speech advocates have long warned that the purpose of the First Amendment is to protect unpopular speech, including what some may consider “hate speech.” They caution that failing to uphold this principle would result in restrictions on freedom of expression.

Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk stated in May 2024, “Hate speech does not exist legally in America. There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America free.”

RELATED: When words became ‘violence,’ bloodshed was inevitable

Attorney General Pam Bondi. Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

He argued that hate speech is “subjective” and that any laws restricting such expression would “be used against conservatives before it’s used against leftists.”

In July, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) slammed a California Senate bill that would penalize online platforms for failing to censor users.

“California wants to fine platforms $1 million if they don’t censor what they call ‘hate speech,'” Mace wrote. “Translation: Silence conservatives … or pay the price.”

By contrast, during a 2022 news interview with MSNBC, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stated, “There’s no guarantee to free speech on misinformation or hate speech, and especially around our democracy.”

RELATED: Tim Walz says misinformation and hate speech is not protected speech in resurfaced video and gets lambasted on social media

Charlie Kirk. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

This remark was mentioned by then-Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) during last year’s vice presidential debate.

Vance told Walz, “You guys attack us for not believing in democracy. The most sacred right under the United States’ democracy is the First Amendment. You yourself have said there’s no First Amendment right to misinformation. Kamala Harris wants to use the power of government and Big Tech to silence people from speaking their minds. That is a threat to democracy that will long outlive this present political moment. I would like Democrats and Republicans to both reject censorship.”

Matt Walsh with the Daily Wire previously called hate speech “a meaningless term, and it should never be used as a pretense to ban, censor, arrest, punish or silence anyone, ever, under any circumstance.” He also stated, “Arresting people for ‘hate speech’ is about as liberal as it gets. Every conservative should oppose it.”

On Tuesday, a reporter questioned President Donald Trump about Bondi’s comments.

“What do you make of Pam Bondi saying she’s going to go after hate speech?” the reporter asked. “A lot of your allies say that hate speech is free speech.”

“She’ll probably go after people like you because you treat me so unfairly. It’s hate,” Trump replied. “You have a lot of hate in your heart.”

“We want everything to be fair. It hasn’t been fair. And the radical left has done tremendous damage to the country, but we’re fixing it,” he added.

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The Houston Texans gave a peculiar reason for why they chose not to honor Charlie Kirk before their “Monday Night Football” game.

Kirk was shot and killed on September 10 during a campus tour stop in Utah. The assassination sparked vigils and memorials across the world, and most NFL teams chose to honor Kirk over the weekend, with only five teams declining to do so.

‘It’s our hope that together, we condemn all forms of violence.’

Before losing 20-19 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night, the Texans announced a message over the public address system at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. At about 6:40 p.m., according to OutKick‘s Armando Salguero, the stadium paused for 10 seconds to honor victims of violence and destruction generically.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are asking all families to join us in a moment of silence to honor all the victims of violence and natural disasters across the country,” the statement said, which was broadcast on ESPN. “It’s our hope that together, we condemn all forms of violence. Thank you.”

As KHOU-TV reported, the moment of silence did not mention Kirk. However, the franchise later offered an explanation for the omission.

RELATED: Here are the NFL teams that held a moment of silence to honor Charlie Kirk — and the ones that didn’t

“We held a moment of silence pregame to honor all victims of violence and natural disasters across the country,” the team told OutKick in a statement.

The Texans added, “Unfortunately, there have been a number of recent tragedies, so we did not think it was appropriate to single any of them out and minimize the others that have occurred.”

The team’s inability to specifically mention Kirk was rare in that most teams did honor him, while the teams that did not declined to have a moment of silence altogether.

One team, however, that did happily put Kirk up on the big screen was the Dallas Cowboys, which scored easy marks with a classy comment from owner Jerry Jones.

RELATED: Carolina Panthers fire employee for showing his true colors after Charlie Kirk’s death

Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images

“We just all abhor violence. And it’s impacting us all. And, certainly, we all stand together on any front, relative to the threat of violence,” Jones said, per the Athletic’s Jon Machota.

Jones added, “I was a young guy, but aware, in the ’60s when we had huge violence, lost President Kennedy and his brother and many, many others, Martin Luther King. It’s something that we all really need to just be aware of, support our law enforcement, and do everything we can to keep the violence in check.”

The Green Bay Packers were the first to honor Kirk ahead of their “Thursday Night Football” game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field.

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Cracker Barrel is walking back its country store revamps by removing the modern decor.

Cracker Barrel’s infamous rebrand blunder in August changed its classic store model and even removed the Old-Timer character and the barrel itself from the restaurant logo. This caused massive consumer backlash and even drew criticism from one of the company’s top investors.

‘We hope that today’s step reinforces that we hear you.’

The brand has gone through a long journey of reversing course in hopes of getting customers back, and as of Monday, that included completely abandoning the new, modern rebrand.

The company posted a video from Smyrna, Tennessee, showing a rebranded Cracker Barrel having its new logo and design completely disassembled. The letters of the new sign were removed from the storefront and replaced with the “Old Country Store” sign.

A display that had 20 tin cans on it was shown being taken out of the store along with a series of cutting boards that were also hung up on the wall inside the restaurant.

“Like any good relationship, sometimes you just need a little tune-up,” the company wrote on X. “We’re going back to the things that made us all fall in love in the first place.”

Cracker Barrel then sent a message to customers that they need not be worried.

RELATED: Cracker Barrel saves its old-timey decor — but will we settle for a Potemkin past?

Cracker Barrel announced that it was “suspending” its remodels, according to Fox News, telling the outlet, “If your restaurant hasn’t been remodeled, you don’t need to worry; it won’t be.”

The spokesperson continued, “With our recent announcement that our ‘Old-Timer’ logo will remain, along with our bigger focus in the kitchen and on your plate, we hope that today’s step reinforces that we hear you.”

This was not the only big change the company made regarding its rebrand; it seemingly abandoned its diversity and overall woke initiatives, at least on paper.

RELATED: The decline of customer service — and why it matters

Photo by Paul Weaver/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Over the past year, Cracker Barrel has consistently made changes to its once-robust “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging” page.

The page was eventually changed to “culture and inclusion,” but still included bizarre initiatives about “empowering” women and “strengthening Cracker Barrel’s relationship to the LGBTQ+ community.”

There was also a program called “Be Bold,” which had a mission to develop “Black Leaders” through “allyship, mentorship, and education.”

At the time of this writing, no diversity messages or initiatives appear on the company “Culture & Belonging” page. This was replaced with “The Herschel Way,” honoring the Old-Timer with messages of “warmth,” serving “with a story,” and “going above and beyond” for guests.

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The coward who took aim at Charlie Kirk on September 10 clearly wanted to silence the patriot and neutralize his legacy. In the wake of Kirk’s assassination, multitudes of Americans have signaled a desire to voice and amplify the Turning Point USA founder’s message — to share his love of Christ, to share his love for the family, and to champion the country’s restoration.

Just as Kirk’s message survived his assassination, so have his podcasts, which a number of Kirk’s conservative friends have agreed to guest-host and/or feature on this week — friends including Vice President JD Vance.

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck revealed on Tuesday that on Wednesday, he will be filling in for Kirk on “The Charlie Kirk Show.”

“It’s going to be really hard, really hard tomorrow,” said Beck.

“His carpet is just going to be soaked in tears after you get done with this,” said BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere. “I know you were close to him, and I mentioned this the other day to somebody: This isn’t just like, he’s one of us as a conservative. He’s one of us as in he was an audience member of this show in high school.”

RELATED: JD Vance tells supporters to call out people who celebrate the murder of Charlie Kirk: ‘Hell, call their employer!’

Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images

“I’m so proud of him,” said Beck, “and everything he accomplished.”

Kirk emphasized to Beck back in December that he was optimistic about the future of the United States.

“Glenn, when we were chatting before, we asked the question, ‘Is God done with this country?’ And it’s so humbling to say, ‘No, He’s not,'” Kirk told Beck. “I joked around with you before we got on air — I have to check myself because I’m getting almost too optimistic. … Is it possible we’re entering a golden era? That an American renaissance is underway?”

“That’s absolutely possible,” said Beck.

‘Pray, please, for his family. And pray for our republic, which has lost one of its most faithful defenders.’

Kirk’s organization and friends appear resolved to continue the work of bringing about this American renaissance.

Beck’s executive producer, Rikki Ratliff-Fellman, told Blaze News, “We are not just honored, we are humbled that Turning Point USA would ask Glenn Beck to fill in on ‘The Charlie Kirk Show’ this week.”

“But how do you fill in for Charlie Kirk? How do you fill those shoes? You can’t,” continued Ratliff-Fellman. “So the next-best thing you can do is inspire millions more Charlie Kirks to carry his torch — and Glenn’s going to attempt to do that on Wednesday.”

— (@)

Vance appeared keen to attempt the same on Monday, noting at the outset of his time hosting “The Charlie Kirk Show” that “on a podcast a couple of months back, Charlie was asked about how he wanted to be remembered if he died. His answer: ‘I want to be remembered for courage, for my faith. That would be the most important thing. The most important thing is my faith,’ and that was Charlie.”

“In this dark moment for our country, I think that’s the greatest lesson any of us can take from Charlie: to have faith, to have faith in the Lord, and to be bold in how we glorify Him — to be bold in our pursuits,” said the vice president.

In the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, Beck wrote, “Pray, please, for his family. And pray for our republic, which has lost one of its most faithful defenders. I can only imagine the joy that must now fill his heart as he hears those words we all long to hear: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’ Rest well, Charlie. Until we meet again.”

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They haven’t quite pulled it off yet, but at least two corporate/academic entities are lately pushing research and tech efforts to pierce the last boundary of privacy, your inner monologue. This isn’t mind control or telepathy (yet), but it’s a big step on the road thereto and contributes to that larger project of remaking the human as cyborg.

MIT-associated startup AlterEgo just dropped a wearable device that detects subvocalizations, maps them to language, and translates to a robot voice that can be shared with others using their own device. Sort of a silent walkie-talkie. The X.com sales pitch for the product, Silent Sense, depicts two co-workers engaged in small talk. AlterEgo acknowledges, however, that the other intended percipient in the translation of your subvocal thoughts is AI.

If the inner monologue is absorbed, as it were, into the Borg, our very humanity and relationship to the divine will be (perhaps irrevocably) altered.

When humans think or read, most of us silently and imperceptibly, even to ourselves, work the speech muscles around the throat as we parse text or form the precursors to a vocal expression. This is the organic subvocalization process that the company seeks to map in full. One imagines that if that map is completed and then combined with other research on the reciprocal neural activity relating to thought, actual telepathy and actual invasion of the interior will be very realistic indeed.

The other curiously timed entry into the contest to tap your inner monologue is a paper entitled “Inner speech in motor cortex and implications for speech neuroprosthesis.” It comes from a consortium of academic departments and authors and pushes a slightly different tack: Instead of the monitoring of mechanical (muscular) subvocalizations, the authors go directly to the brain’s motor cortex. It’s a short step to combining the two approaches to form a wider, more detailed map.

“We investigated the possibility of decoding private inner speech,” the authors state in their summary, “and found that some aspects of free-form inner speech could be decoded during sequence recall and counting tasks.”

The paper’s authors and their designs may be running parallel or in competition with AlterEgo — it’s not entirely clear at the time of this writing — but, along with almost 20 other university research labs, MIT is cited, and we know the academic-corporate-military-intelligence complex, now all huddling together beneath the tech umbrella, has demonstrated countless times that it isn’t interested in shouldering the burden of moral consideration or consequence. It is, of course, beholden to pressure related to funding.

RELATED: Whispers of a new terrifying Chinese AI ‘species’ ripple through tech circles

Photo by NurPhoto / Contributor via Getty Images

Neuroprosthesis sounds like a project geared toward helping return the power of communication to human beings. Sounds great, but the dominant operable value system is, however, still just plain cash. It’s not human well-being. We’re a long way from money funding altruistic science. We would do well to concern ourselves with all the other likely uses and misuses, places this research is going to go up for sale, and how it will be reapplied to suspect ethics, before the critical moment is reached and “the science” actually pierces the inner monologue.

Beyond the laundry list related to surveillance, pre-crime, geopolitical espionage, and so forth, what about the undeniable and patently insane trend toward talking (a lot) to an inanimate, corporate-government-owned robot personality? The criticality related to the inner monologue isn’t just about your secrets getting out, although that is absolutely on the table and of its own immense concern. Worse, though, if the inner monologue is absorbed, as it were, into the Borg, our very humanity and relationship to the divine will be (perhaps irrevocably) altered.

Why? Neither science nor religion can claim to fully understand the communication apparatuses available between our inner selves, other humans, the world at large (animals, electromagnetics, Sheldrakian morphic resonance, etc.). Consider that every religion of note has put primary importance on the inner psychic condition. And science has jumped on board, too, because the conscious awareness and control of the inner monologue is the gateway to spiritual — to say nothing of functional/survival — importance.

The inner monologue is essential in the application of discernment, yet another attribute highly prized in all of human history! So, as these many and various institutions, once highly esteemed, put the finishing touches on psychic penetration, we may want to inquire here, just before leaping: Would we be best served at this point in history, or any other, turning over our internal, personal, and ultimate barriers of privacy to another? Would that ever be a good idea?

​Tech 

The Charlie Kirk assassination last Wednesday lifted the veil of the darkest corners of the internet, revealing an astonishing number of people celebrating the cold-blooded murder of an innocent political leader. For foreigners living in the United States on a visa, the State Department has a clear message.

Since the shooting, the State Department has been working tirelessly to revoke the visas of foreigners who celebrated the death of Charlie Kirk. As firings continue across the country, bloodthirsty students, workers, and travelers on visas should get ready for a rude awakening.

‘I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country.’

“America will not host foreigners who celebrate the death of our fellow citizens,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on X. “Visa revocations are under way. If you are here on a visa and cheering on the public assassination of a political figure, prepare to be deported. You are not welcome in this country.”

Rubio stated in the video in the post that those on visas should be held to a “very high” standard of behavior as guests in our country. “We should not be giving visas to people who are going to come to the United States and do things like celebrate the murder, the execution, the assassination of a political figure.”

RELATED: JD Vance tells supporters to call out people who celebrate the murder of Charlie Kirk: ‘Hell, call their employer!’

Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reinforced Secretary Rubio’s message the morning after Charlie Kirk was assassinated: “In light of yesterday’s horrific assassination of a leading political figure, I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country. I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action.”

“Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people,” Landau added.

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There’s a big difference between firing a teacher for believing children shouldn’t undergo transgender surgery and firing a teacher for publicly dancing on the grave of a beloved family man like Charlie Kirk.

And Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck knows why.

“Is every speech controversy the same?” Glenn asks, before answering himself.

“The answer to that is clearly no. I mean, we’ve seen teachers and pastors and doctors and ordinary citizens lose their jobs now just for saying they don’t believe children under 18 should undergo transgender surgeries,” he says.

“Now, on the other hand, you have Charlie Kirk’s assassination. And we’ve seen teachers and professors go online and celebrate, not criticize, not argue policy, but celebrate that someone was murdered,” he says, noting that some of them have even said it’s “not a tragedy, it’s a victory.”

And this, Glenn argues, is far different than just debating whether or not children should be given transgender surgeries before they turn 18.

“To say Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a good thing, that’s not debate. That’s not even an idea. That’s rejoicing in violence. It’s glorifying death. There’s no place in civil society for that kind of stuff. There’s not. And it’s a difference that actually matters,” Glenn says.

“When a teacher says, ‘I’m glad Charlie Kirk is dead.’ Is that cancel culture if they’re fired? Or is that just society saying, you know, ‘I don’t think I can trust my kid to that guy or that woman. That’s not an enlightening mind. Somebody who delights in political murder, I don’t want them around my children,’” he continues.

“Scripture weighs in here, too,” he says, quoting, “‘Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh.’”

“Matthew,” he asks, “What does it reveal about the heart of a teacher who celebrates assassination?”

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