Charlie Kirk, September 2025

    This September we Americans entered a new chapter in our history, provoked by an assassin's bullet, which struck the neck of the very popular pundit, political commentator and activist, born in 1993. I must say that assassinations of key leaders and figures mark periods in our collective histories. I did not know that much about Charlie prior to this event. I know I had seen him speak, and listened to his views at the Republican National Convention and Fox News, of which my family members can attest that I watch regularly. I am a Republican, but consider myself moderate. Some Republicans are too extreme for me. Extremism in any form is usually wrong.

    That said, whatever stripe or angle we consider ourselves, we do not stamp out the right to free speech, even if it is considered borderline hate speech; we do not condone or allow actions with violence, and certainly not murder. It is inexcusable that Robinson or any other person would lash out and take the life of Charlie Kirk. Many people loved Charlie, and a large number of people disliked him, considering his arguments as threatening, like pro-gun rights or stopping abortion, even if it is at the cost of the life of the mother. (I do not know that stance for sure, just putting in an example of a slippery argument attributed to the right wing.)

    Famous assassinations go back in time for millennia, past Caesar over two thousand years ago and on and on back. We look at the modern days, of Martin Luther King, Jr, and Robert Kennedy, of the Gandhis in India, of the attempts on Reagan and the Pope in my younger years in the 1980s. John Lennon, and sometimes random killings of those that are famous.

    Kirk has, or had until the last moment of his life, a large audience, which was part of the zeitgeist and genius of his movement. Big attention, large audiences slewing rhetoric and debates. It may be alive more than ever since his death, posthumously. He started it young and it was going very strong. I was aware of some other conservative voices and speakers more than him, but maybe he was the biggest one? It seems like it now. He may have been, or likely was in retrospect for me, the largest conservative voice among youth in the country.

    Things to think about. We will track back to this later.