During the late 80’s and early 90’s, I spent five years of my life traveling the country as a stand-up comedian. I had some great gigs where I opened for people like Jerry Seinfeld, Sam Kinnison, Lewis Black and the band Chicago.

I also played some hell holes in small towns where there weren’t more than 8 people in the audience.

I learned a lot during that time. I learned that America is a vast, diverse place. I learned that comedy is very subjective and that jokes that worked in Seattle, Washington, might not get the same response in Mobile, Alabama and vice versa.

And some jokes just don’t work anywhere.

I didn’t think that the joke Jimmy Kimmel did about Melania Trump having the look of an expectant widow was all that funny. Kimmel has much better stuff. But like I said, comedy is subjective.

Timing is everything in comedy and the timing of that joke was unfortunate to say the least. Anyone with a lick of common sense would know that that joke was not a call to have the president killed.

If the First Lady was that upset about the joke, she should have said something the following Friday or Saturday before the dinner, but it didn’t bother her enough then to speak out.

But after the attempt on the president’s life, it gave the White House the chance to have Melania play the victim and act like the hurt, loving wife.

I obviously don’t know Melania, but she doesn’t appear to me to have a great sense of humor in the first place, or, for that matter, an undying look of love towards her husband.

But it was a great excuse for Donald Trump to ramp up his wars on Jimmy Kimmel, free speech, and the First Amendment.

After ABC refused to fire Kimmel, the Trump administration sicced the FCC on the ABC-owned and operated stations to have their broadcast licenses reviewed. I have no doubt that ABC is in total compliance with all the FCC rules and regulations but will now have to spend time and money dealing with the mob-like intimidation tactics our government is putting on them.

While working the comedy club circuit, a drunk heckler would sometimes get out of control and be kicked out of the bar. He’d be 86’d if you will.

I can honestly say that anyone who was ever 86’d from the bar was never killed or even beaten to a pulp. They were just asked to leave, and 99.99% of the time, they left peacefully.

But that doesn’t stop the Trump administration from again using mob tactics and the power of the government to go after one of the President’s perceived enemies. Trump is having the Department of (in)Justice file charges against James Comey for a picture of seashells that read 8647.

Todd Blanche, the president’s sycophant, I mean, acting Attorney General, claims that it was a blatant call for violence against President Trump. Blanche dutifully filed charges against Mr. Comey that will undoubtedly go nowhere.

In the press conference after the attempt on his life, President Trump admitted that he was going to attack the press at the dinner that celebrates the First Amendment. He almost seemed bummed that he’ll probably have to be nicer to them when the dinner is finally rescheduled.

If America loses its sense of humor or is afraid to say that they disapprove of whoever the president might be, we have lost the heart and soul of this country.

I would love it if the next time a reporter interviews the president, they ask him what makes him laugh. Ask him who or what he finds funny. I can’t recall a time I saw the Commander-in-Chief genuinely laugh, certainly not at himself.

If I had any power, I would make it mandatory that during every presidential debate, they ask the candidates to tell a joke or at least an amusing anecdote just to see their spirit.

Reagan, Clinton, Obama, and both Bushes all had a sense of humor. They all let criticism roll off their back. They probably didn’t like it, but they knew it was all part of the game.

I played forty-four of the fifty states. America is a beautiful, diverse country, but it will become a lot less beautiful and a lot less diverse if we have a government that arrests people for criticizing our leader and doesn’t know how to take a joke.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka’s Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.

Opinions expressed by columnists in The Daily Record are not necessarily those of its management or staff, and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation. Any errors or omissions should be called to our attention so that they may be corrected. Contact us at news@omahadailyrecord.com.