Today’s Newsmakers at Noon ranged from an Idaho coffee-shop controversy and the limits of free speech to election security, propaganda, forced technology and a little nostalgia for a time when everything didn’t require an app, password or monthly subscription.
We dug into the controversy surrounding an Idaho café owner who kicked out a group of peaceful, paying pro-life customers and compared their beliefs to the KKK. The distinction matters: this isn’t primarily a First Amendment issue—the First Amendment restricts government action, not the choices of a private business owner. The bigger conversation was about viewpoint tolerance, consistency and consequences. If a business publicly welcomes community groups but draws the line at customers whose political or moral beliefs the owner finds objectionable, consumers are free to take that into consideration when deciding where to spend their money.
But Denise and Hunter also drew a line when it comes to the online backlash: don’t leave a negative review claiming a bad customer experience if you never actually had one. Taking your business elsewhere is one thing; joining an online mob and misrepresenting your experience is another.
We also looked at reports that journalist Cam Higby was permanently banned from TikTok after posting videos alleging vulnerabilities involving Minnesota’s election-day voter-vouching system. That fed directly into another topic: Zuby’s observation that with effective propaganda, huge numbers of people can be persuaded to become angry at—or afraid of—almost anything or anyone.
Then we went decidedly old school. Columbia House, the mail-order music giant remembered for those “12 CDs for a penny” deals, sparked plenty of nostalgia and a broader conversation about why people are rediscovering the advantages of older technology. No downloads. No software updates. No streaming subscriptions. No microtransactions. And sometimes, no internet connection required.
That led to another question: Why should anyone—whether they’re 20 or 92—be forced to own a smartphone and download an app just to access basic services? Technology should make life easier, not become a mandatory gatekeeper to participating in everyday life.
Finally, Denise and Hunter compared the childhood they remember with what kids experience today—more independence, fewer screens and considerably less technology mediating everyday life. Many of those cultural changes were already well underway, but COVID dramatically accelerated them, leaving us to wonder whether some of the “progress” we’ve embraced is actually making life better.
Links from Today’s Show
- Idaho Café Owner Kicks Out Pro-Lifers, Compares Them to the KKK — Not the Bee
- Columbia House and the End of an Era — KING 5
- Cam Higby / Minnesota Voter-Vouching Claim — X
- Zuby on Propaganda, Fear and Public Opinion — X
