As ye sow, so shall ye reap

Charlie Kirk, the conservative wunderkind who built a huge platform for promoting his ultraconservative ideas, was shot and killed yesterday as he spoke on an Utah college campus. He was 31.

He was just 18 when he co-founded the conservative platform Turning Point USA and rocketed up as the Right became ultra-right. He became a darling of the MAGAsphere.

We do not know the facts of the murder other than Kirk was at one of his debate events on campus. He was speaking about mass shootings when a sniper shot him in the neck. We do not have a suspect, nor a motive. It's widely believed that it was a political assassination. But as of this writing we do not know the facts.

When I heard about Kirk's death, my first thought was "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." 

I did not feel sad. I did not mourn. 

I do not mourn his death, but I do not celebrate it. 

Against Charlie Kirk's very own wishes, though, I do feel empathy. I feel deeply for the people who loved him. He leaves behind a wife and two small children. Their lives have been torn apart and their hearts will never be whole again. Gun violence has entered their lives, a trauma that will last them forever. This is truly tragic. No one should have to endure that. My heart aches for them.

Also against Charlie Kirk's own beliefs, I believe that one gun death is too many. Every life is precious. We don't count lives as currency; no lives are expendable. 

Kirk himself would think that his own death was an acceptable "cost." He would be ok with being a victim of gun violence as he was for thousands of others, calling it a cost that is "worth it" to protect the Second Amendment.

"I think it's worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect out other God-given rights." (Charlie Kirk, 2023).

And so, I do not mourn the loss of this man. Would he want me to?

He made millions spreading ideas that were toxic, detestable, and demeaning. He was racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic. He embraced hate and advocated violence. 

I wish he had been silenced by louder, more righteous voices, but I do not mourn the silencing of his words. 

Today, the Right is shouting from the rooftops that the Left is "at war." It is as if the Left invented political violence, that they are the perpetrators of hate. 

Once again, they are simply holding up a mirror. 

Political violence? You wanna talk about it, MAGAts? 

Let's talk about January 6.

Let's talk about the beating of Paul Pelosi (which would have been the murder of Nancy Pelosi under a different circumstance).

Let's talk about the kidnapping attempt of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Witmer.

Let's talk about the assassinations of Minnesota State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and the attempted assassination of Hortman's colleague Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife.

Let's talk about the arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro.

All of those were met by shrugs at best or applause at worst from the Right, including the Apricot Pol Pot.

When it's one of their own – and I condemn the "assassination attempts" on djt – their outrage suddenly emerges (though some of it half baked, as it was for the man who actually lost his life at the shooting in Pennsylvania).

Let's talk about Dear Leader's rhetoric from day one. He has advocated for violence his whole political career – probably his whole life. His leadership for those who embrace violence has given permission for a legion of bad actors to commit hate crimes, and yes, political violence.

You know the stuff. There has been an abundance of violent rhetoric from his fetid maw. LSR outlined much of the crap in this post.

The most pertinent example: Candidate Cantaloupe called for "Second Amendment People" to stop Hilary Clinton from choosing Supreme Court candidates.

This is who they worship.

After Kirk's murder, Dear Leader went on TV, fanning the flames and riling up his base. No calls for calm, of course. No calls for waiting for the facts. He went straight to blaming the "radical left."

Political violence breeds political violence. It's not ever right. It does not solve problems. It is wrong in every instance. 

Charlie Kirk's murder by gun? It was just another day in the United States. One more gun death. His family mourns just as deeply as the families of the two children critically injured at Evergreen High School near Denver yesterday.

No, Charlie. It's not worth it.

"A lie doesn't become truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good, just because it's accepted by a majority." – Booker T. Washington