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Mr. Bushart's case would be alarming even if it were the sole instance of institutional overreaction to a response to Mr. Kirk's killing. But it is not unique. A recent review by Reuters of court records, local media reports and public statements found that more than 600 Americans have been fired, suspended, investigated or disciplined by employers for comments about the Kirk assassination. Mr. Bushart, too, lost his job

because he was in jail.

None of this diminishes the horror of Mr. Kirk’s killing. He was shot to death while speaking — apparently, for speaking — to students on a college campus. That violence sent a chilling message.

It’s the same message jailing Mr. Bushart sends: Some ideas are too dangerous to express, and those who give voice to them may lose their lives, their liberty or their livelihood.