Listen to the Trump Administration and MAGA talking heads, and you might conclude that Charlie Kirk was a “good man.” President Trump would have us believe that leftists are to blame for Kirk’s murder, but extant evidence suggests that Kirk’s rhetoric and bigotry likely played a big part in his death. After carefully examining what Kirk said and did, it is hard not to conclude that he was a Christian Nationalist; a man willing to say anything — even if it is a lie — to advance his agenda. A good man, he is not.
Podcaster Stephen Woodford recently released a video detailing Charlie Kirk’s character and beliefs:
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Excellent video by Stephen, and captures my own thoughts on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I especially appreciate that he begins with a condemnation of political violence and murder, specifically Charlie Kirk’s. Any violence, particularly for political reasons, is abhorrent. The murder of the Democratic politicians in Minnesota. January 6th. And yes, Charlie Kirk.
That said, I agree with you Bruce that Kirk’s rhetoric cannot be divorced from his tragic end. I wholeheartedly believe in free speech, especially when it comes to an individual’s right to express and hold to their personal viewpoints. At the same time, this freedom needs reasonable guardrails. Preachers showing up to a gay pride event to hector the participants, for example. Not appropriate, any more than anti-theists showing up to someone’s church in order to disrupt the service. Both groups of folks should be able to participate in their activity with a reasonable sense of peace and tranquillity.
Kirk created an atmosphere of performance and specialized in making folks uncomfortable. I certainly do not feel he is a hero. At the same time, I don’t believe his or any else’s tragic death should ever be celebrated.
My wife had a good take on this- he lived by the sword, and ended up dying by it.
I agree entirely with what you say Bruce, with what John says above, and what Stephen says in his excellent video. Trouble is the whole sad event is being turned, somewhat paradoxically, into the polar opposite of what the Right want to portray Kirk as standing for. JD Vance is openly calling for any criticism of Kirk to be scrutinised for retaliatory action, and already there are many examples of people being fired from jobs for posting comments not dissimilar to those expressed in the video. Of course Kirk himself didn’t really believe what he espoused. Defending the rights of anyone and their neighbour to own guns as being the price to be paid for school shootings just can’t be squared with his rhetoric condemning the rights of others with whom he took issue, LGBT, transgender, climate scientists, gun control advocates, and indeed anyone to the left of his views. Then there’s the hypocrisy of the squalling and screeching coming from the Right about the ‘radical’ left and their tendency to violence. Where was their condemnation when Nancy Pelosi’s husband was shot, or other democratic politicians more recently? In fact, looking at the history of domestic terrorism and random gun violence in the US it is, almost entirely, undertaken by people with extreme right wing views. Trump saying that he doesn’t care about uniting the country is perhaps the most obscene thing he has ever said. He is President of all Americans, not just those who side with him.
@GeoffT Paul Pelosi was bludgeoned with a hammer, he wasn’t shot. This doesn’t change much as Kirk and the other right wingers (Don Jr. etc.) made fun of the incident. Charlie Kirk even asked his listeners to bail out the assailant. Other right wingers implied that the man wasn’t a Qanon right wing loon who broke into the house, but was a paid sex worker.
All this groveling by the mainstream media to white wash Kirk’s image is making me sick. Long ago, I blocked him on Twitter (before I knew who he was) because his tweets were so disgusting it would ruin my day.
One of the deep ironies of Trump, Musk etc decrying left-wing violence is that few of them, if any, denounced the murders of Melissa Hortman and her husband. When right-wingers wage aggression against the left, you hear crickets and nothing else from the right.
As per Bruce’s title and alluded to already, Charlie was only a “good man” for those that subscribe to a racist, intolerant, and hate filled ideological agenda.
As another pod caster stated, which reflects my own thoughts, citizens, even one so odious as Charlie should not be shot expressing views.
Do I feel “empathy” for Charlie – absolutely not. He stated publicly, multiple times, that American Citizens killed, including school rooms full of elementary age children, is an acceptable “collateral damage” for the ideal of unlimited gun rights. This is the raving of an unhinged lunatic. Ironically Charlie caught a bullet and is now part of the “acceptable” collateral damage.
Gun violence is the #1 cause of death among American youth. A staggering and disgraceful indictment and stain on the American character.
Latest published statistics: (2023) 46,728 Americans dead from gun related injuries (in a one year period).
Compare that with total USA military deaths during the Vietnam war (Aro 10 years) KIA: 58,281.
Of course the maga lunatics are using his death for “political capital” when there is zero evidence the shooter was in any way affiliated with left wing or liberal causes.
Of course not one “peep” from maga lunatics about the multiple shooting and killings of Democrats, most notably the husband and wife politicians from Minnesota, nor the Colorado school shootings on the same day, or the over 100 shootings and subsequent deaths of Americans on this, SAME DAY.
Citizens, I recommend you acquaint yourself with Nazi Martyr “Horst Wessel” and the burning of the Reichstag. If it is not clear by now, Trump and Maga intend to seize authoritarian control of the Government, eliminate the separation of powers, shred the constitution and incarcerate dissenting voices. If not Charlie, they will ultimately find their perfect Martyr (or event) as a reason to seize power soon, using the various police agencies and the military to declare martial law. They are in fact doing so now in various cities. It’s coming, as sure as the sun rising and setting. This was their agenda all along.
Perhaps the only hope for the preservation of the Union is if American military leaders refuse to implement the order.
I live next to a U.S. post office and was disgusted I had to look at the flag at half staff for a couple of days to honor this piece of crap. I won’t miss him, though I wish the shooter hadn’t thrown his life away. There are a lot of annoying people that say things you won’t like. But the pen is mightier than the sword, I truly believe that. Especially living in MAGA USA he could have been a seed of reason. (I’m assuming he was on the left, something not known at this time.) I should also mention the Charlie Kirk tactic of ambushing college freshmen, who likely aren’t skilled debaters, nor have had time to consider the nuances during debate is a sorry method of discourse. Kirk of course always did it with a smile and kindly disposition. Hostility just digs people in. It’s like a grown man beating up children and then strutting for his prowress. It truly is disgusting.
Our postmistress refused to lower the flag. ❤️
I am impressed, good for her. Did she say why?
People should be free to espouse their opinions. They should not be targeted violently for their speech. To do so is anathema to what the First Amendment of the US Constitution says. However, we teach our kids that words and actions have consequences and that we should be mindful before speaking and acting. Usually, the consequences of words are that someone’s feelings are hurt or offended, or uplifted. I think most decent people agree that violence is not the answer. However, given the current political situation, I am concerned that even saying what I said could subject me to punishment.