For starters, despite his prominence within the American conservative movement and American politics at large, I have written very little about Charlie Kirk over the years.
However, given today's tragic events, a few words are in order.
Charlie Kirk did not deserve the manner of his final fate while speaking on a university campus in Utah. A young man struck down a month shy of his 32nd birthday leaving behind a widow and two small children.
Even if one believed his views to be repugnant, the First Amendment permits such speech. A free people can choose to accept, reject or ignore it.
What happened to Charlie Kirk today is every bit as wrong as what happened to Minnesota Democratic State Senator Melissa Hortman last June. No one should lose their life for expressing their point of view, right or wrong.
As of this writing, Utah Republican Governor Spencer Cox has announced "a person of interest" is in custody. If this is indeed the person responsible for killing Charlie Kirk, then that person should be prosecuted and sentenced to the fullest extent of the law.
With that being said, I fear that President Trump and his allies will use Kirk's assassination as a justification to use our military to suppress political speech they dislike up to and including shutting down media outlets and imprisoning (and even executing) people they deem to be subversive.
Following the attempt on then GOP nominee Donald Trump's life last year, JD Vance made holding Democrats responsible for the actions of an individual who would have been every bit as content to assassinate former President Biden. The only difference now is that Trump and his minions have virtually unlimited power.
While we can and must condemn the act which ended the life of Charlie Kirk, we must not whitewash his legacy. As previously mentioned, I did not write a great deal about him but when I did write about him it was not to lavish him with praise. However appalling the circumstances of Charlie Kirk's death, it doesn't change the fact that he judged African Americans by their color of their skin instead of the content of their character. I will lament his death, but I won't ignore his bigotry and hatred of others. R.I.P.
No comments:
Post a Comment