Over the course of the last week, the blatant anti-American, intolerant rhetoric being spewed by members of Congress has dominated the news cycle. Any attempt to criticize or question the vile, divisive remarks put forth by a trio of freshman Representatives and their allies has been characterized as “inciting violence,” and putting the lives of these lawmakers in jeopardy (never mind that Republican lawmakers actually have been shot at, and one critically injured, in an attempted mass murder).

You know the spotlight’s getting to harsh and too close to the reality of what these totalitarians believe when their allies in Hollywood jump in.

On Friday afternoon, the public relations team for CBS’s “The Good Fight” sent some tweets publicizing the show’s latest episode, “The One Where a Nazi Gets Punched.”

https://twitter.com/thegoodfight/status/1116770136877174784

We’re all well aware that “Nazi” is the word of choice used by leftists to describe anyone they feel isn’t sufficiently “woke.”

The main story line during the episode in question centers on two of the series regulars (good leftists, of course) performing volunteer work as poll watchers in the suburbs (filled by racist Republicans, of course). The story takes some twists and turns, which are described at Vulture and other outlets – from a purely leftist point of view of course – that culminate in a fight where both the Good Fight regulars and the Republican poll watchers unite against “white nationalists,” or Nazis in leftist parlance.

The show’s Twitter account then posted a clip showing a monologue delivered during the episode by Jay DiPersia, portrayed by Nyambi Nyambi. (The show’s original tweet was deleted; this post has been updated to include a copy of the video a Twitter user had saved.)

CBS has apparently deleted this, I have no idea why. pic.twitter.com/isbrpCWrxY

— 🌺F.H. ﾌｧｲﾅﾝｽ・ﾐﾆｽﾀｰ🥛 (@792×33) April 13, 2019

Here is the text of the monologue:

“Is it all right to hit a Nazi unprovoked? I was always taught never to throw the first punch, never to instigate. Defend, but don’t attack. But then I saw a video of the white nationalist Richard Spencer being punched in the face during an interview. I realized Spencer was in a pressed suit, wearing a tie, being interviewed like his opinion mattered — like it should be considered part of the conversation, like neo-Nazism is just one political point of view.

“And then I realized there’s no better way to show some speech is not equal. Some speech requires a more visceral response. It’s like Overton’s window — that’s the term for which ideas are tolerated in public discourse. Well, Overton’s window doesn’t mean shit unless it comes with some enforcement. So yeah, this is enforcement. It’s time to punch a few Nazis.”

Whose “enforcement”? Who gets to decide what speech is not equal? Perhaps DiPersia, or those who write his lines, should read some First Amendment case law.

Knowing the backlash that would soon follow, the show followed up with this tweet:

https://twitter.com/thegoodfight/status/1116815729821544448

What exactly is CBS trying to do with this storyline? Are they inciting violence against those who would wear a MAGA hat? (Spoiler: People wearing MAGA hats are already being physically attacked.) Are they attempting to chill the speech and expression of opinion of millions of people who don’t agree with their worldview?

I would argue that it’s both, and that that fact is readily apparent. It’s a sad, perilous time for our country.