The poison that altered Kirk's thinking, from far right to the far wrong, oozes from Trump like puss dripping from an infected wound. Kirk's widow is justifiably angry because of the hatred that resulted in the trajic death of her husband. However, the abject negativity that's taken hold of our people will only swell with the passing of time unless Donald Trump tones down his divisiveness. Trump is fostering the progression of hatred within this country. A tree that rots from the inside is far easier to fell than one that stands tall and true. Our current President is forcibly removing lady liberty's garments, for he has the rape of a country on his mind.
I subscribe to a Jesuit (liberal Catholic) publication called America Media. They ran a story about the Charlie Kirk killing. At first, comments expressed anger over the fact that he spread divisiveness and (yes) hatred. I was greatly encouraged that my fellow Catholics saw him for what he was -- a racist, White supremacist, anti-immigrant, hate monger. These commenters received many "thumbs up" for their opinions.
But then, others (who received few "thumbs up") came into the discussion extolling Kirk as a "family man," a "good person," "a polite man who listened to others," "a man who attended Mass each week," etc. Really?? My response brought facts into the discussion. This is what I wrote:
If Charlie Kirk espoused Catholic views, then I'm in the wrong church. He said, "If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified." He said, "Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people..." He said, "If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?" Of Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, he said, "You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously." On speaking of Taylor Swift, he said, "Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge." He said, "The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white." He said, "America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America." He said, "There is no separation of church and state. It’s a fabrication, it’s a fiction, it’s not in the constitution. It’s made up by secular humanists." Is this called Catholic teaching?? Not in my world.
Excellent response!! Charlie Kirk was not a Catholic. Nor is his rhetoric that of a real Catholic. VP Vance is. IMO in name only as he does not have the qualities of being a Catholic you write about.
Thank you for saying what you said. I spend 2 yrs in a Catholic seminary. Excellent training. As St Paul said, if I do not have charity (love), I am nothing. I see it as kindness and acceptance of everyone.
The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, comes from a Republican family, though Tyler is not registered to any party. His father is a retired sheriff in Washington County, Utah. There are photos of Tyler and his family with guns. Tyler Robinson dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween: a devout supporter, it would seem, who donated to Do bald Trump in 2020. Could it be that Charlie Kirk calling for the release of the Epstein files caused him a problem?
Grifting to turn grief into grievance, manipulating the many’s mourning, Donald Trump solicits rage that he can exploit for violence—before there is any proof the left contributed to the shooting. That is irresponsible leadership from Trump. Republican members in Congress mimic their leader in jumping to conclusions whose only foundation is a pack of prior Trump lies. Gross irresponsibility of this magnitude is criminal malfeasance.
It is Trump who constantly and vociferously demonizes the left with his rhetoric. He does not seek to quench the Nation’s anger, he seeks to inflame any given moment, stoking the flames well before investigation uncovers any facts at all. It is he and Kirk that traded in vile, demonizing and inflammatory rhetoric designed to incite violence.
These two monetized their hostility like the money changers they are. They gaslighted the rest of us whenever a fire broke out, and they simultaneously fanned those flames while pouring gasoline on the fire.
History dictates that the shooter will be a Republican supporter. If you do not see that, yours is a delusional world. Have you paid no attention at all to the political and racist violence of last decade? If so, you know the party of violence. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/bilious-hate-mongering?r=3m1bs
As Robert Reich mused this morning at his Saturday Morning Coffee Klatch, violence has erupted from all sides over the past 80 years; in those former times, however, the leader of our country was a LEADER, bringing us together to heal.
Same here, Paul Cesmat, because there haven't been any ''leftist'' murderers. I am so sick of that vile, rotten, arrogant SOB TUMP and his blatant lies and misinformation and inciting violence. In my 70 years i have never ever hated and despised anyone worse than Donald TUMP.
I have watched about every TV documentary about Adolf Hitler's rise and fall in the 1920's to his end in 1945. One documentary stood out to me when the narrator of the program announced at it's beginning, '' The following program is a definitive guide to the most hated man in history, Adolf Hitler''
In my opinion, for what it's worth, ''The most hated man in history would be Donald TUMP, and put Hitler a close second most hated man in history. Just the sight of him makes me feel like i will vomit.
Carl,Trump is a " Nazi" this is what " Nazis" do when the opportunity to exploit a situation presents itself. I call him a " Nazi" but upon further reflection,one can come to the conclusion that he is not " Human". No " Human" could ever exhibit the negative qualities Trump does.
When humans are scared and/or angry they lose the capacity to reason; they become beasts. It could happen to anyone of us. Trump and his billionaire backers are afraid of losing their dominant position in society. They invent one hoax after another to mislead, scare, anger the populace. Racist conservatives themselves they appeal to likeminded individuals among the people, and they tell them vast a vast globalist, Leftist (i.e., secularist) conspiracy seeks to displace hard working white Americans. This is Nazi propaganda, and it leads to violence.
Carl, this reminds me of the "attempted assassins" last year. Both were Trumpers which is what makes me think they were hoping to get sympathy for Trump. I am curious as to what the supposed attacker in FL will say about what he was doing. My hypothesis is that he was hoping to be found so the American people would think there were tons of people trying to "kill" Trump when it was only his supporters trying to get him elected. The Butler guy who actually killed someone was killed before we could know what was going on with him and I doubt we will be learning any more.
Ruth.....The supposed attempt on trump in PA was fake. Wrestlers hide a razor blade between their fingers and nick themselves to show blood. trump was friends with Hulk Hogan and he taught him how to do it. At least that's the theory. And I wouldn't put anything past trump! I thought it was funny he had that huge bandage on his ear for that itty bitty "cut".
Pamela, I agree that this was a set-up, both supposed "attempts." The first one was just too strange, that there happened to be a roof within shooting range that no one happened to check out. The guy was supposed to just miss Trump, not hit anyone else, I'm guessing, unless he had some kind of grudge against the person he killed. I think he was startled by the "troops" coming in fast, so just shot a few times maybe to fulfill his end of the bargain. Maybe sometime in the future, we will learn something more, but I am not holding my breath. The guy in FL was just waiting to be found with his sleeping bag, gun, and equipment. He was just trying to put the whipped cream on the lie of the first attempt, that the "left" was out to get Trump, when it was Trump's own supporters, set up to try to get him re-elected. appalling, but just what one might expect Republicans to do in this current atmosphere.
Carl - They also championed Kyle Rittenhouse when he shot people in the street in the middle of the day. The words that were etched into the ammunition were from a video game and had nothing to do with being a democrat. But the facts don’t matter in their world. Patel cussed out the agents for not doing their jobs fast enough. Investigations take time in order to do them properly for a conviction - and for their safety. Patel showed how incompetent he is and he should be fired. Is it me or does anyone else think that he sucks on a helium balloon before he speaks? Maybe it’s just me. They got lucky that this guy talked to family and the family talked to friends but did the friend turn him in out of an obligation to help or for the reward? I’d like to think that it was just to help. People are actually getting fired from their jobs because they used their first amendment right to talk about the shooting. So it’s okay what people said about the assassination of Hortman (including elected officials) but it’s not okay when it’s one of their own? Violence is not okay but it screams one sidedness when they punish only certain people. T glorifies violence and then denies he is the reason why when bad things happen but yet it’s our parties fault when hate rears its ugly head? Even when the evidence proves contradictory to their narrative. Such a messed up world.
This is how you destroy an ant colony: you offer the ants something that attracts, and you put some poison in it. They take the substance to their nest, and then they all die. This is what Fox News has done to America.
Anon....I love it "that he sucks on a helium balloon before he speaks". My husband asked what is wrong with his voice as we watched him speak. Now I can tell him.
And yes this is a messed up world! I couldn't agree more!
Carl--Tyler wasn't a very good shot. His target most likely was a head shot but he pulled the trigger instead of squeezing it. The pulling of the trigger pulls the muzzel of the gun downward ever so slightly and a bit to the right, if the young man was right handed. It's a common mistake so many shooters make. You squeeze the trigger, the discharge should almost startle you. I own a Springfield model 70--- 30.06, bolt action. If that kid had hit Kirk where he intended, it would have been a horrific scene.
Whatever, Barbara. I've worked in companies that were sexist and where people in the company harassed me sexually. And I'm not talking 30 or 40 years ago. I'm talking about right up until I retired. Institutions are fallible. We can find sexists and authoritarians even in our own family relationships.
So, what can we do about it? Get involved and make changes. Pope Francis worked hard to include women in the decision processes, and he elevated women to positions of responsibility at the Vatican. He had surveys out to all parishes asking what they thought the important issues were. And he listened. And Leo intends to follow that example.
If You Spew Hate and are intent on spreading unprintable propaganda positions you are going to create hatred equal to the hate you spread .
It’s no surprise that there is a visceral response by persons that hold opposing points of view. Why some people feel the need to become” the Lone Ranger” then take un reversible drastic actions leaves us all mystified.
CK made a very good living propagating propaganda to college students. He is not an innocent.
CK was not a hero, his tasks in life were not heroic. Nothing he has ever done justifies flying the flags at half mast. He is not a hero.
More like Warriors for DDT, Demented Donald Trump. The 25th amendment cannot be exercise unless the cabinet agrees the DDT demented Donald Trump is incapacitated to lose illnesses mental state whatever.
So planning ahead the long game DDT picked people who would just kiss his ass the whole time and look good on TV. That’s their only qualifications. You only have to look at the Kennedy clown to understand what’s really going on loyalty to Trump first last and that’s it
Charlie Kirk was worth 12 million, not a bad haul for dishing up a daily blather of hatred, lies and propaganda to vulnerable young people.
The issue with these proclaimed right wing big mouths, the podcasters, racists, fascists, haters and big churches; do they believe their own drivel or are they simply greedy, amoral, blood suckers on the the needy? I suspect most are them are charlatans, making a damn good living. It seems exploiting weak and impressionable minds is a lucrative business, these days...
Anyone can “go” to Mass but a true Catholic Christian has to live the precepts of Christ embodied in that Mass. shame on those who talk it but don’t walk it!!
Maria - It’s why my spouse left the Catholic Church after 26 years because of the way it is now treated as a business concentrating on money over the teachings. That and the politics and hypocrisy that they saw on a daily basis. They felt that it was no longer what they once believed in and are still searching for a new home to worship in. I’m not religious but I told them that they don’t need a building to go to in order to still believe in their faith. But what do I know?
Anon....you are correct! You don't need a building to go to in order to believe on your faith. You can pray to God any where, he is always listening. My husband say that all the time.
They had to sell quite a few buildings to pay off victims of sexual abuse, The trans issue seems to be a distraction from this scandal and from the Epstein scandal as well.
Victor - That’s one of the reasons why I question why the fathers/priests can’t be married like other priests in other religions can. I understand being available only to god and all that but if you make a person live in a lonely/celibate world most people will seek out the feeling of love in one form or another. Maybe it might put a stop to the destruction of young children’s lives. Although I doubt it since there are others who are not in the church that prey on children. Also, what ever happened to love one another as you would love yourself? How do they know that their god didn’t try to find a different identity themselves since he/she made different versions of himself/herself? I have so many questions about a subject that I admittedly know not much about but am still curious. I normally try to steer clear of the topic of religion because I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t know if they know the answers either. A lot of people become defensive when asked but I’m not attacking their beliefs - I just have questions.
Exactly. Those people who spout Bible verses but fail to live up to the ten commandments and follow the teachings of Jesus are nothing more than hypocrites.
Why, even the devil can recite chapter and verse in the Bible if it will get you to listen to evil, and go against God's (Jesus's) teachings.
A serial rapist and murderer in our community was a respected family man who went to mass every Sunday before he was caught. Would his going to church mean he was a god fearing christian then?
Geez. Here we go with the conspiracy theories... How about Jewish rabbis? Kindergarten teachers? Shopkeepers? Guys named Victor? Let's not sink to that level.
Donna, many Catholic bishops protected pedophile priests. Surely you know that. The Church was forced to sell numerous churches to pay compensation to victims. Doesn't the celibacy requirement ignore homosexuality and pedophilia?
I am a Catholic. Proud to be one. Denigrating the Church because of individual actions is like Hating America because of Trump. Please stop vilifying my religion. It is not the correct topic here. It only spews hate.
Maria, it is not clear to me which one of my statements you interpreted as "vilifying" your religion. Surely you know that numerous priests were pedophiles, and that they received protection from high ranking Church authorities, many of whom have already been removed by the Vatican.
Hmmm. My daughter sits in the front row because she operates the Zoom computer so people at home can participate. I sit in the front row because I like to be in church with her. One other woman sits in the front row because that's where she can keep her walker. Generalizations are generally not true. Generally.
Wow! And from what she said, his wife seems to echo his thoughts. I worry about their young children being brainwashed with such hate….. and we wonder why America is so divided.
Yes! They will be. I live in an apartment building with a Trumpette, she has told people she was raised to hate Mexicans and Blacks. And she does! She told me, "I would never donate to a school like yours, because they teach that coloreds are as good as us!" I was left speechless! She is originally not from Michigan.
So sorry, Louise. It's hard to be taken aback that way. In doing Outreach for a local immigrant rights organization yesterday I took one of our flyers to the security office of our local hospital. The staff member at the desk, a man from South Korea whose parents in his words, "came here the right way" said passionately that he believed in everything that ICE was doing. His statement left me feeling like I'd been hit in the stomach with a 2x4,.
The only thing I can offer you, is that something to get your breath back is that traditional oriental behavior is for conformity. Whether Japanese, Korean or Chinese, their societies prize conformity. He is trying to conform to what he thinks American Society is asking of him. Again, it is how he was raised. My Trumpette comes from a Southwestern Border State and came to Michigan at an old age. To me though a person should be able to observe at this point, that People of all colors are capable of fulfilling top roles in our society, just like they can also end up in criminal situations. All!!
Over my life I've developed an appreciation of ALL human subspecies = P O C and any/all subsets of such. It is personalities that I take into account, good (agreeable to me) or bad (disagreeable to me, then take into account their possible - backgrounds and upbringings that are substantially different from my own that make such disagreeable to me). I 'try' not to judge ~ = "judge not, lest you be judged" ~
Hopefully, they rebel against it, but I'm not sure is likely? The social environment plays a big role in personal development and education. We have utterly failed as a country when it comes to comprehension. When opinion is held higher than facts and critical thinking, people can be a target for manipulation.
People just want to be something, many have potential they dont recognize when they follow a group. Once inside a group they are still faced with how they are perceived. It doesn't go away. The question comes from within the individual. Logic, reason, and compassion are required to answer, otherwise you are just a pawn.
This is why I came up with my own edict in my youth = "neither a leader, nor follower be" ~ i.e. I know I'm not a - charismatic type and don't have an 'ego' that constantly needs to be assuaged. And the other = I much prefer to examine a potential 'leader' and then practice 'critical thinking' to examine - if or if not - to follow such a leader.. Independent thinker (right or wrong ? only time will tell )...
Few people are discussing the other issue with this young man; guns. He was surrounded by and encouraged to fetishize lethal weapons of war from an early age. What happens when there is no actual war and no perceived enemies. What's the point Mr. and Mrs. whose child decided to use one of those guns on a "perceived" enemy? He'd been groomed to do this, no one should be surprised.
"He" didn't do it. Someone close in proximity did this act. I am not even convinced CK is dead. I do have a strong conviction that, if he is, it had little to do with the kid they setup.
That is a significant worry....I watch young people I dearly love, being indoctrinated at a Christian school and tge teachings of Kirk, etc. And it is heartbreaking.
Marilyn - I guess that I am stupid because I don’t understand why they claim to be god loving/fearing people who are trying to whitewash history and divide people into caste groups while teaching hatred. Or that they are special because of the color of their skin while ignoring the teachings of Jesus (which I admit I don’t know a lot about except for the Ten Commandments). They should not be concerned about other schools when they got their way with using public schools money to turn their children into voucher kids. Why should it matter to anyone which bathroom a kid used? I worry more about the male perverts who film girls in the restroom and not a child trying to find their way in life and figure out if their gender identity is right and are just looking for a private space. Why do we have to make a boogeyman out of everyone and everything?
Anon- exactly. Somehow it's related to power is what I think. And those boogeymen have j u mped onboard and enlarged the Christian Nationalists agenda. I think, partly, religious people have felt disrespected for a long time, and have been led into the "warriors for Jesus" mindset. I just hope (yes, I still hope) that a revelation comes about, and not a revolution...
She is just another victim of Cheetolini's abuse network. She has baggage. It is blatantly obvious that she is associated with him and just a pawn in his game.
Camille,great post.Please repeat this every day,so people wake up.Arousing americans out of their deep sleep takes comments like yours to be repeated over and over again. We have an attention span of 19 sec,so reading something one time,does not work.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that uses and promotes violence, extortion, bribery, and intimidation to resolve political differences.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that promotes violence against women, children, minorities, and any "other" of the moment as a matter of policy.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that has abrogated the rule of law and the constitution.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that advocates white nationalist christian fascism.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that promotes misogyny, racism, patriarchy, and xenophobia.
The republican party actively promotes the oligarchy and the transfer of wealth from the middle and lower classes to the rich.
this is not hyperbole - it is exactly what this terrorist organization represents, and charlie kirk was a leading exponent of said garbage.
Paul,making a copy of this.Would you post this exact comment every day next week.After 7 days,it should be an integral part of our conversation.Well done.
Hi Donna. This is a personal note. I suspect that I share many ideals with you. I was raised in the liberal catholic/ christian tradition. It raises questions and doesn’t provide ‘easy’ (trite?) answers, and, the clue is in the name ‘catholic’, it is inclusive of everyone. Skinny/ fat, white/ black and all shades in between, college-educated and not, and so on. The late Charlie Kirk’s political opinions and identity was not mine, but he did share humanity with me. I will argue (against) his political views, but I wont wish him ill/ dead. I suspect we and many Americans share these values. We can continue to argue our case. The late Charlie Kirk has NOT ‘cancelled’ us. Neither will Trump!
I totally agree. Violence is not good, no matter who commits it. Killing, even more so. I do not cheer for his death, but I also know that he dispensed hatred (with a smile) and did not live the kind of life that I would find to be above reproach. We all have our weaknesses. But the best of us do not actively try to divide humanity into "better" and "inferior" classes or to encourage active disrespect for those people.
Donna - I still believe that T only claimed to be religious because he needed the votes. There’s not an ounce of religion in him. We have become the world of clicks and monetization off of others.
I agree, but I would say, instead, “there’s not an ounce of Jesus Christ in him”, as historically religion has always been violent. Remember the cheering crowd when Jesus was nailed to the Cross? So many “Christian” religions today teach not at all the kindness and compassion that Jesus taught.
Kirk's success was due to something very significant happening in our society: the growing uncertainty about the future. The young are the ones who have reason to fear it the most. Authoritarianism, Religious and racial bigotry are symptoms.
Not in my world, either. I am a lapsed Catholic with agnostic beliefs. Thanks for this post, which simply states facts that have been printed and broadcast. All these quotes reveal a man who thinks he, anyone of his gender, his faith, and his party, are more worthy of human dignity, respect and legal rights than anyone NOT a member of their group. I cannot condone his ideology, any more than I can condone the actions of his killer.
Crystal, thanks for that perspective! I hadn't thought about it that way, conservative white boy kills conservative white boy, all in the family. There is no excuse for murder, ever and the coverage will portray Kirk as some kind of hero when he was just another Trumper whose hate overwhelmed any love he had for a select few.
Donna, thank you for quoting those shockingly cruel comments Charlie Kirk made! What a pathetic mindset for anyone to have and to make to inspire hatred! I was not familiar with him whatsoever, and when I was told who was shot, I had to ask who he was.
If anybody has those ideas, it is hard to understand how such a person could have a happy marriage. Disrespect and an attitude of superiority do not make good relationships. I am sorry that, in our country and in our world, there are shootings, and I am sorry that lives are taken, yet it is not possible to respect those disrespectful ideas. It is unfathomable that anyone with hateful prejudices be honored, yet other people who were killed and were dedicating their lives to helping make the world better, are barely recognized.
JP4M - That is why I got very angry when T announced that he was going to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He does not deserve it compared to the others who have received it. I chuckled when T said that flags will be flown at half-mast. That only applies to boats. A person lost their life and that is sad but what is even sadder is that they are weaponizing his death and people are buying into it.
It’s extremely upsetting but at the same time the actual legacy of all these horrible people is that another extremely horrible racist imbecile thought they were great. History will make sure to remind all future generations of this morally bankrupt era and its inevitable decline. This is the age of the “Moral Bankrupt” civilization.
Anon.....it angered me too! trump has disrespected the Medal of Freedom by giving it to Rush Limbaugh, Rudy and now Kirk! It will never have the prestige it once had!!! They are making Kirk A martyr, something he does not deserve!!!
Charlie Kirk also said, in 2023, some lives are worth sacrificing to preserve the Second Amendment. I'm not Catholic, but I'm guessing Catholic teaching doesn't give an inanimate piece of metal more importance than a human life.
Donna,excellent post. I think your comments pretty much sum up where we are in this country. I wonder why anyone from Europe or any civil part of the world would want to come to the United States. Perhaps that is why Timothy Snyder decided to leave Yale and move to Toronto with some of his colleagues. 75 Million people voted for Kamala Harris,presumably because they respect others,especially those who look different,act different,are from somewhere other than the US,yet 74 million are doing nothing to fight back,no rallies,no demonstrations,nothing except to bemoun where we are with a " Nazi" president.
Donna, thanks so much for this recount. I have heard all of these at various points yet I have no record of the "debate" Kirk said he liked. It is clear to me that he couldn't really debate because he was simply spewing hate, fear, anger, and resentment that he didn't have even more power than he did have. He clearly deserved no power because his insults were like something one would expect of a 5th grader who had no knowledge of the world except his little portion of it. there was no maturity there, no understanding, just whining insults and proof that he was a white supremacist, a misogynist (clearly scared of women), and a really bad Catholic. I get it that there are a lot of bad catholics (and members of other religions) around, but they don't have to be elevated in anyone's presence. I am sorry for his wife and kids. She says he was such a "good husband and father," but does that mean she and the kids were as hateful, racist, misogynistic as he was? Inquiring minds want to know.
Indeed! Agreed! And there are men who said and continue to say mass, administering the Eucharist, every day who commit kiddie diddling and who have been or are being protected by the RC Church. My point: going to church is not a valid indicator of goodness (morality), especially in a church where you can ostensibly re-set your moral compass regularly in a confessional. ❤️🇨🇦
I am a reformed Catholic… meaning, even as a young child in a strict Catholic household, I saw and recognized the hypocrisies that were abundant between what was taught and what was actually practiced.
I am Agnostic.
I have often said that one does not have to have religion to be a good person.
Even Pope Francis said that often, Agnostics and Atheists lead more Christian-like lives than many so-called Christians.
I wish to God that people would stop saying that going to confession helps you reset your moral compass. If you go to confession, ask forgiveness, and do not make up your mind to change your ways, then you are not forgiven. Please stop this nonsense that Catholics are allowed to continue wicked ways simply by saying they are sorry. This holds no more water than if your child comes to you and apologize about continually disrespecting you and then continues to do it. The whole purpose of Catholic confession is to ask for forgiveness, and to mend your ways. We are told in the confessional that we must change our ways if we are to be forgiven. The priest has no idea what is in our mind. only we ourselves know if our regret is real. The priest is not the person doing the forgiving. We believe it is Jesus who forgives. And only Jesus knows what is in our hearts. So stop this nonsense. I repeat again stop this nonsense in saying that Catholics are forgiven, simply by going to confession. That in itself is a lie.
I applaud your belief in the integrity of the doctrine. Thank you, but I do not need your catechism. I was a RC through the Rite of Christian Initiation so I was taught all that as an adult. Also, I raised my children in the faith. I taught for decades in the Catholic School system where the catechism is a daily part of the curriculum.
Doctrine is one thing but practice is another. I know how many of the faithful actually do use the Act of Reconciliation to "erase" their culpability. I am not saying it is used as a licence to sin, but I am saying that it's believed by many, including by many clergy, though obviously not by you, to be used as a moral escape clause.
It is my lived experience that tells me this, not a belief in some doctrine, so please don't lecture me or prosyletize.
Penance for many is just a get out of jail free card and I have witnessed this all of my life! And I'm old!
I'm old, too... in my 80s. I've witnessed more than I care to witness in this life, including a lot of nonsense. People, for better or for worse, are fallible. It's part of our nature. God (for those who believe in a deity) gave us free will for a reason. Far too many people have said, without evidence, that Catholics simply get to confess their sins and everything is erased. Scott free. Just sit in a dark box, talk to the priest, say a few Hail Marys, and all is well. *poof*
If people believe that confession is an escape clause, that is their failing. It is not a failing of the Catholic faith. Or even of any faith, for that matter, that believes in a forgiving God.
If I sound as if I'm proselytizing, then that is my fault for not being clear. You do not have to agree with me, and I'm not expecting that. I'm simply saying that it is not true that Catholics are "wiped clean" simply by apologizing if they have no intention to do better. If a woman had a spouse who continuously cheated on her, apologized again and again, but continued to cheat with no intention of stopping, should she consider that he is forgiven? Why or why not?
It has been over half a century since I read “Goodman Brown” in Early Aerican Literature. At this point, I might be miss-remembering it, with the idea coming to me right now is that the point was that nobody in the church was perfect. Everyone of us has a flaw of flaws of some kind. I would need to revisit the literature to be more accurate, yet I think most of us do strive to be better and to help make our world a better place.
Donna, evidently K's stance was that the separation of church and state was a false concept made up by secular humanists. The actual respective line from the Constitution's First Amendment is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free expression thereof". K denied the intent of this phrase by claiming that the state is governed by religion, in particular his sectarian view of one. Note that he famously quoted from Leviticus that the proper way to dispose of men who share a bed was to stone them to death. Some religion. His ideal was a theofascist state, and many million trump-thumpers are on board with that. In 1865, men like him founded the KKK.
Indeed. And in fact, when Benjamin Franklin was asked if this is a Christian nation, he denied it. He said that this is a country that welcomes people of all religions, and in fact, he listed a few of them, including Islam. Others of our founders also denied it. In fact, in some original drafts of our founding documents, the word Jesus was included. However, it was deleted in in favor of using creator instead.
Our Constitution does not establish a religion, but it protects it. It does seem however that religious principles of respecting, helping and loving (philos) one another - and valuing truth and honesty - go amazingly well with a very healthy and strong Democracy. They "pair up" very nicely indeed!
Jefferson was not atheist, but he certainly did not believe in miracles or in the resurrection or in the divinity of Jesus. In fact, he excised all mention of miracles from his copy of the Bible, thinking they were nonsense. He also kept a copy of the Quran, which he read often.
Most of the founders were Deists (including Jefferson), believing in God as a creator, but saying that God had no interest in our daily lives. Washington attended church services, but he often left before the Eucharist was distributed. He thought that "eating of the body and blood of Jesus" was pure cannibalism.
If Franklin followed any particular faith, he did not act it. He moved to France, had several dalliances, and was not with his wife when she died in America... even thought she requested that he please be with her in her final hours.
They also argued, like Christopher Hitchens and others would do centuries later, that adherence to a religion does not necessarily make a person better. Above all, they wanted to prevent their country from descending into religious-political conflict.
Kirk ignored not only the First Amendment, but also the Declaration of Independence. The pursuit of happiness, a fundamental right, presuposes freedom of conscience.
I really had no idea who Charlie Kirk was, but I was suspicious about him when I heard talk about him. If he was so kind and wonderful, I wondered, what is he doing with No.2 and his sons? Now I know! I had no idea he was this divisive and evil, and he was!!!! Terri Quint
Thank you for these informative quotations, Donna. I trust that they are true. It is obvious that Kirk was Tucker Carson with a cross. Distracted, devastated even by the pedophilia crisis, American Catholics must now make a crucial choice: they must chose between the Pope in Rome and the pope in Washington, DC.
Trump will be the one responsible for the death of our America. I am 78 and I never thought I would see the day that we would have a president like trump. I am so sad and so afraid. I love my children and grandchildren, but I am so sorry that they are going to inherit an America so different from the one I grew up in and believed in.
Jan, don't be so quick to mourn our democracy. Get to a protest! It is energizing and you will see that you are in good company, among many baby boomers (some using walkers, canes or mobility devices.) Ask a friend to join you. We all want the future of this country to be for our grandchildren what it has been for us: a beacon of freedom, hope and inclusion. But it won't happen unless people of all ages express that demand in multiple ways. If you're not physically able to attend protests, join a group that actively tries to get out the vote and educate the electorate. I think you will feel better for it. The only way evil can win is for good people to do nothing.
An important fact for anyone needing a cane and a place to sit, is to know that the folding cane design with an attached seat is not safe. A number of people have tried to use them, but they fell and were hurt. That is really important to know, especially if anyone is planning to go someplace and to be able to sit.
Thank you for pointing this out. I have been wracking my head trying to find a way to safely participate in a protest, and I don't have a wheelchair - only a walker with a seat, and it doesn't fold up enough for a taxi.
Paula, I understand how the walker would be a problem. I know someone who has several walkers because she needs different aspects of different times. Standing is too much for me to take pardon the demonstration or a protest, But I wish best to everyone who was able to go, and I am grateful for them. I’m grateful for everyone who has not there Inn2 is supportive as well. We can always support with good thoughts with prayers for safety and for positive outcomes. I’m glad for the people who can go and meet other people of like minds.
I have a large walker, which is comfortable to sit on, Unfortunately, I do not need it now. I’m keeping it in case there is a need later, It is quite large, very sturdy, and has a bit of back support. I doubt that it would fit in a car or taxi either. I can sign petitions and write letters to help in other ways. I did not keep the cane with the dangerous seat. A cane and a seat would be needed for a protest or long standing event or places with curbs or steps.
It's not clear that the protests will work to really destroy this regime after this assassination that some are comparing to the assassination int 1938 by a Jew in Paris of the Nazi Vom Rath that unleashed KrystalNacht. We can only hope that a Hurricane, another page in the Epstein file, or trump's bombing of some boat somewhere, or another little war will wipe C.K. off the front page.
What a sad thing to have to write. He has killed people on 4 boats now. Alaska has been hit, but there is very little mentioned in the news. There is LA, DC, Chicago and Portland getting ICE'd over and innocent people hurt. There's,whatever this is, where M Johnson says "the most threatening thing I have seen is the naked bicyclers in Portland." Seriously, dude? I mean, in a normal world that would mean you were aware that there is NOTHING GOING ON IN PORTLAND! There are people willing to ride bikes in the rain to send a message, which fell on deaf ears, that we will do this to show you fully exposed, We not afraid to go out into our city, our home, our community. We do Not need any help from our illegitimate "government." We've got this! We, and so many of our ancestors, have fought for this. We are not letting anyone, especially this one, take that away!
I’d like to remind everyone that the “war on crime” started as a dogwhistle by a Nixon campaign manager whose brilliant idea was to siphon White Supremicists from the Democratic Party during the civil rights movement to revive a shrinking Republican Party. You can find videos of the campaign manager explaining this dogwhistle which to knowing ears means in effect that’s it’s ok to kill black people. It’s not about crime.
Furthermore, to know if the right doesn not like crime, I wanted to know if the recent political assassinations were being carried out by "both sides." The Anti-Defamation League reports that "right-wing extremists had committed 335 domestic extremist-related murders" [of a total of] 444 murders by domestic-related extremists during the past 10 years," accounting for 73% of all such murders. A later report by the ADL counted 450 killiings, out of which 75% were committed by right-wing extremists; about 20% by Islamic extremists, and 4% by left-wing extremists.
Hello Donald... DJT is Rabid, what do you expect... Vietnam was a very Divisive Issue in the United States.... Reagan gave a Speech that helped the Healing Process... DJT is no FDR, TR, or a Reagan...
A friend of mine started printing out some of the comics in 4x6 size after he became president. He was so prolific about this I started a photo album (yes, u can still find them) of all the cartoons. At first, most were pretty funny. But I’ve noticed they’re getting darker and darker, and worse, more hopeless, like Lady Liberty lying on the ground, broken, and the Constitution lying in pieces. Yes, he is getting worse, and what’s worse is that the maga movement is blindly accepting his indoctrination for their own selfish reasons. “Radical left”=humanity, maga=fascism.
No-one in America benefits more from the Charlie Kirk shooting than Donald Trump.
a) It certainly knocks the 'Epstein Scandal' off of the airwaves.
(and BTW, Charie Kirk was one righty talker who was giving Trump, Pam Bondi, etc. some guff over the Epstein issue);
b) This will motivate Trump's MAGA base, and rally righties into a frenzy of hate toward liberals, and likely bring some who were a bit concerned about Epstein back into the fold;
c) Trump can (and will likely) use this event as a rationale to further ramp up his efforts to expand his personal 'police state' tactics; and
d) This will at least temporarily reduce public speaking events by Democrats and Trump critics, for concern over their own safety in 'revenge' attacks.
e) This has already caused purported ‘liberal’ media outlets to dial back their criticisms of the right wing actors, including particularly the hate-monger Charlie Kirk. Liberal media calls for peace and tolerance, the right-wing media calls for war on liberals.
Yes, Martin Kushler, exactly what I was concerned about and was the first thing I posted at the very moment the news broke. I compared the murder to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the made up justification for getting into Viet Nam, but I should have compared it as I did above to the murder of vom Rath, a closer parallel. But my concern was that this murder would be used as a justification of all sorts of mischief, and the firing of TV commentators who were critical of Kirk, is one example of bad outcome. And I would reming everyone that there was no outpouring of fury over the assassinations of the Michigan legislator and her husband.
Kirk's widow is directing her anger at the effect not the cause. Donald Trump is the malignancy that killed her husband, his disdain for our Democracy will end in the deaths of more yet to come.
The countenance that is Charlie Kirk’s fate as something we all should stop and give a moment of silence to, is frankly absurd!
First, he who lives by the sword… Secondly, though his children should not have been deprived of a father, this was done so using guns and the tools of violence donated by Kirk himself! Third, his wife is not so relieved of guilt! She has agency and was aligned with the forces that endorse gun violence! Fourth, that threats to the Black community were the automatic response by a broad spectrum of white racist America places where this nation rests in grand perspective. Fifth, that Donald Trump was “bloviating” within a second of that shooting should alert his following to the complications that may cloak this event! Sixth, with Kirk’s rise to power and presidential recognition, it becomes clear that “the call may be coming from inside the house. Seventh, political scientists as a manner of objective investigation, ask “who benefits”… and Stephen Miller and Israeli interests immediately enter the equation! Eighth, lest we forget the South African mafia bros, corporate America’s cementing of its power seat as the dollar makes its final descent into the sea and the even grander forces that, slightly though they may, are benefitted by this diversion, still represent “error terms” in this equation!
But mostly, the inept incapability of democrats (the loyal opposition) is the lynchpin here!
With all due respect to the “life force”, notions that democrats are culpable here is ludicrous! Democrats, long ago surrendered any power they might have had to lobbyists!
The “radical right” is an oxymoron as the positions of democrats have always represented center right ideology…at best!
Bernie Sanders and AOC are not even allowed to articulate the perspectives of centrist politics in any other “western faux democracy”! And Charles Schumer, Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries’ likenesses are currently being market tested as comic book heroes on Antarctica!
Kirk’s death also diverted attention away from Jeffrey Epstein and that consideration involves Democrats and Republicans “second team” players on both sides of the ball! Trump’s complicity is undeniable!
The rape of the country is programed in Project 2025, and Trump uses fear and anger to implement it. Make no mistake, there is design in what Trump does.
Donald.......I agree with you 100%! trump IS the cause of the violence that is infecting this country! Until he stops his rhetoric and hateful speeches this violence will continue! And we know that will never happen until he is dead and buried and burning in hell!!
If blame were to blame anyone for Kirk's death, I would blame the President who spreads hate and divisiveness. He doesn't represent all Americans, just himself, his family, Republicans, and MAGA supporters. Also he has placed people around him that are just like him or worse.
ORGANIZE OVER THE COMMON GOOD DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM. JUST READ THE PLATFORM BULLET POINTS. ORGANIZE!!!!
ALLEGIANCE TO OUR PLATFORM AND THE CANDIDATE THAT PROMOTES OUR PLATFORM!
GOOGLE YOUR STATES DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM TO READ IT!
MAKE AMERICA GRATEFUL AGAIN!
The Democratic Platform IS the Preamble to Our Constitution
The Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The Democratic Party should be the party of Interdependent voters..
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (Official Audio)
Many were those ho opposed the Preamble even back in the 18th century. Today, the architects of Project 2025 intend to do away with it. Catholic libertarians like Kirk believe that promoting the general welfare is not a legitimate function of government. We must ask Democratic candidates how they intend to promote the general welfare. It has to be done by constitutional means, which means by compromise.
True. We need to work it out. There are priority items to be addressed. There is also allowing that ambiguity in areas to have room for amendments. I have thoughts, like terms. They serve for 2-3 years and allowed to serve again later, if elected. And paid what other government public servants are paid. No backdoor benefits and bribes. That way we stop creating "rock star" status politicians! They are NOT our bosses, we are their bosses. They are not doing their LEGAL jobs.
IT'S TIME WE STOP ✋️
WHAT'S THAT SOUND 🤔
EVERYBODY LOOK 👀AT WHAT IS GOING DOWN.
Be safe, be smart, be peaceful, be kind, sing, be funny, dance, meet your friends, be brave, stand up for those who cannot, don't argue- that's pointless-be silent- it carries more weight in these moments. If someone is not behaving in a peaceful manner, sit down and isolate the instigator. Take cameras, not phones. And mostly remember your grand parents or great-grandparents survived a similar he'll so you could be here today. Make them proud. Do what you can today to fight fascism with your ❤️ Love.
Actually we need to demand our candidates to promote our Democratic Platform, not theirs. Our Platform is a Common Good Platform in writing already theirs is pretty vague most of the time. All they have to do is defer to Our Platform when others say we want to defund the police and other topics. It is already in writing! Tom Kurhajetz
adjective. in·ter·de·pen·dent ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dənt. : dependent upon one another : mutually dependent. Working together for the Common Good that Robert Reich's The Common Good book speaks of. "We all do better when we all do better" the late MN US Senator Paul Wellstone. Independent voters only think of themselves. Interdependent voters think of all of us, unlike Greed Over People the GOP.
Ann it is like if you are in a boat with other people...since when is a leak at another persons location in the boat not your problem? The same goes for our daily lives we need to be 'interdependent' with/towards one another.
It’s strange to my thinking that MAGA followers still think that Trump is their saviour. Here in England there is general agreement that Trump is an idiot; that feeling spans all political and social classes. We too have a migration problem.
I'm afraid that thinking does not span all political and social classes in England (and Wales). Trump, MAGA, Project 2025 are very much seen as blueprints for the far right here. The Heritage Foundation has hosted Farage, Truss etc. We have Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka 'Tommy Robinson') leading a far right march in London today. More and more, Conservative politicians are defecting to Reform and are saying things that they couldn't say before. They are encouraged and emboldened by what is happening in the US - where you have it much worse. The far right here will seize upon Kirk's murder and capitalise on it as only they know how.
Robinson and Farage are traitors. The latter has accepted large cryptocurrency donations from his old pal Putin. We have been in a state of undeclared war with the Russians since the 1920s save a few interludes 41 to 45, and 91 2003. They are deliberately trying to destabilise this country. This meeting should be banned. If they want to do online that's OK but big far right meetings should be banned. The disorder they cause is unacceptable.
Right now, we theoretically have the chance to stop Farage taking power, but here, as in the US (and elsewhere in Europe), the far right are well funded, organised, and very well connected from the wealthy backers at the top to the local, albeit loosely aligned, groups on the ground. Even if Reform don't win in the next general election, they will keep pushing until they've achieved their objectives, which they have the means and money to do. Money helps, but the messaging and the channels to propagate the message are penalty more important and anyone horrified by what is going on right now needs to realise this.
It's not just the fact they are on the right, it's the total absence of good ideas and policies that bother me. It's like me being voted to do brain surgery at my local hospital. Putting Farage in charge of anything fills me with dread. Perhaps we need a campaign to identify these people and reveal what they are up to. Russian money would not be given unless Putin had given permission. He has threatened this country with weapons of mass destruction many times. This message needs to be amplified. There other no doubt who should appear on this list.
You cannot simply ban extremists. Doing so will simply draw more people to being sympathetic and straining to make those views with empathy. When extremist values turn into openly aggressive actions, then they need to dealt with by the legal system even as difficult as that can be.
They overstepped the mark when they had a riot at the end and injured 26 policemen. Lets hope the courts deal severely with those who assaulted the police.
Agree with the idea that Farage and his ilk need to be investigated, scrutinised, and held to account. This used to be the role of the established media and there is clear evidence that the broadcast are failing to hold Reform to account in their coverage (and Reform will do all they can to evade accountability). The fragmentation and decline of traditional media is helping Reform (and they take full advantage of other forms of media, of course).
Banning extremists does risk driving up sympathies and helping rally people to the very cause you're trying to stem. The law, as it is being applied at the moment, seems to be a mess and is trying to catch up with this new landscape of expression and so-called free speech. Intentional incitement to violence should be dealt with by legal means, which on the face of it, are adequate to deal with the sort of offences that we've seen committed.
Truss has continuously maintained that her plans were sabotaged by the institutions and beliefs of the British civil servants. Cummings was planning to replace them all with his loyalists before he was fired. It is conceivable that centuries of experience is no longer relevant today but to replace that with the wisdom of Prime Minister Truss or Farage is a frightening idea!
Stephen,we in the US know he is an idiot.However 77 million people voted for him,even as a convicted felon and with a history of bankruptcies,business failures,rapes( Carroll). If you want the reason for his being elected,let's start with the tech billionaires,Wall Street who loves a " Nazi" as long as he gives them what they want. The financial markets love Trump because their are no regulations any longer,they are totally corrupt in every way.
Yes l wouldn’t disagree with any of that. Perhaps the market will in some way constrain him. I hope the vicious people appointed by Trump will eventually turn on each other and on him.
Stephen,I sure hope so,but if we expect any of his billionaire class buddies,his Wall Street( advocates for Nazis" ) supporters to change we may be very disappointed.There has to be a way to go on offense against this disgusting human trash.
We need to think about migration from the global south to the global north. In some form it has been going at an increasing rate for thousands of years. At the dawn of humanity seeking open lands with few other hominid competitors, leaving resource poor zones of climate change, leaving zones of warfare and struggle, looking for food and safety. What will happen if/when climate change leaves no refuge and regional wars leave no allies? This isn't somebodies' fault, it is real and urgent and global and local.
He is an idiot. And i fear bb has evidence on his pedophilia. Not to criticize usa now includes Dump unable to say usa! For US. He may be blackmailed and an idiot.
The immigration problem is very real, but it's important not to over estimate it. The ones who come across the channel in small boats are about 5% of the total. It does need to be controlled as it is illegal immigration. Only those who are genuine refugees should be allowed to stay. The others will be done a big favour by going home. They have no idea how awful UK weather is for most of the year.
What Trump is saying is utter nonsense. Very typical of Trump to lie. I believe he is doing this to cause chaos so that attention is taken away from the Epstein files. But that’s not going to happen. He is a 34x felon and he is an adjudicated rapist.
The direction of political violence in this country starts on the right and lands on the left. Not the other way around. Just like it was a MAGA who shot Charlie Kirk. Then, with Trump fanning the flames of hatred, the right blames it on the left with no evidence. The left has been attacked by the right for years in this country. And even Donald Trump‘s FBI statistics bears this out.
Trump always blames the left. I doubt that he even understands what "the left" stands for. He represents the right. Hatred is his motto. If you aren't with him you are the enemy. How did America get to this point? What is our future with trump? War will be inevitable. Trump has no idea what he is doing or what he is destroying, and he DOES NOT CARE! He is in charge and what happens will be his fault, but he does not believe anything bad will happen!
I think a lot of the problem with Trump is that he doesn't view himself as the president of the entire US, but rather as the leader of the MAGA movement. Hence, anyone not with him is against him and he has the right to run rough-shod over them. I doubt that he even views non-MAGA as being human beings or even worth considering. He takes a wrecking ball approach to anything associated with the non-MAGA or that is not in accordance with his belief system. He is the true "bull in the china shop" that doesn't have the mental capacity to understand the damage he is inflecting. Nor does he care since he has never been held to account. And, the Supreme Court is highly responsible for contributing to this attitude. Where in the hell did they come up with the Unitary Executive theory? These so called "originalists"? The Constitution doesn't prescribe such a concept, but provides for checks and balances among the 3 branches of government. The Supreme Court is essentially trying to crown a king. No wonder Trump is on such a rampage. And, the big joke is on the MAGA. Trump is aligned with the super-rich and doesn't consider the MAGA as human beings either, except to hood-wink them in order to remain in power.
Here's the sort story: the US is full of angry loners, psychopaths, and religious fanatics, all fed a nonstop stream of hate from social media, who are armed to the teeth. The vast majority of violence barely clears the threshold of political, mostly its just insane. However, when it is political, its usually Right Wing, but only in the sense that Right Wing is associated with racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. Anywhere else, this wouldn't really be an ideology, but in the US, thats the current GOP.
I guarantee that Trump is ecstatic over diversion from tge Epstein files, and we need to keep E-P-S-T-E-I-N at the forefront of Trump's diseased mind as soon and as much as possible.
Concerning Charlie Kirk’s death, Donald Trump reaps what he has sawn. Trump is to condemn . He has turned the US society against each other. He and his vice president are both the worst president and the worst vice president!
Violence in America is now ubiquitous. The right to carry guns and the fascist movement has made gun violence an every day occurance. Every school child subjected to active shooter drills. That alone causes anxiety in every child. Imagine being told there is the possibility that someone will come into the classroom and start shooting at you. How would your childhood innocence be affected? Meanwhile, the rest of the population has begun to believe that gun violence is inevitable. this so-called president of ours is bound and determined to put armed military in the streets of our cities and spend our tax money rounding up and mistreating as many Spanish speaking people in our midst as is possible. We are all daily witnessing what is essentially kidnapping by armed, masked men and women in our cities and towns. It’s yet again another example from which we learn violence.
Imagine having drills where you hide under your desk because the USSR or China is going to drop a nuclear bomb on you...? That was part of school when I was young. Same trauma to the psyche.
Man's inhumanity to man still goes on. In the 60s there were many assinations, and I hope we mirrir Reagan's humor when he told Nancy "Honey, I forgot to duck."
Hate, rage, othering groups via racism, politics, sexism, or other characteristics is not the way forward, but backward.
Trump saying that Putin's incursion into Polish airspace "seems like "a Europe thing" is cold and ignorant. And lacking in ability to abide by our country's agreements, but the actions and words of a faithless, disloyal fool.
Karen - That is the reality for the children in Ukraine just because the leader of Russia wants their land. That’s the reality other countries close to Israel live with. It’s not okay what these dictators are doing and if T keeps bombing indiscriminately we will once again be forced to do those drills again.
December 1951 Boomer here, and I can remember the air raid drills we would have when I was in elementary school. I remember distinctly big black shades over the huge classroom windows. The sirens from the local fire station would sound, the shades would be pulled down, and we would be told to get under our desks and be silent until the sirens were finished. In fact, my elementary school was a bona fide bomb shelter. This was in Suburban philadelphia, by the way. Although I don't remember being particularly terrified, I didn't like the sound of sirens, and I still don't.
We did regular bomb drills and crouched under our desks. I knew by third grade those drills were worthless. During the Cuban crisis we were told we would go under the school and we had enough water from the swimming pool to survive at least 2 weeks. Such stupidity to tolerate and tell fairy tales about nuclear war.
I didn't think I was still capable of shock, but I was shocked to read that Kirk said the death of school children was the price we had to pay for the second amendment. The rest of what you write, Gail, is a repeat of what happened in Nazi Germany to the dissenters and the Jews, roundups and concentrations camps.
What I can say is he is a psychopath. Lots of people have called him different forms of narcissist - I draw the line at killing people and he has certainly orchestrated the killing of many innocent people while pardoning violent criminals.
Nice speech, Donald. More incoherent babbling from a demented maniac, although I'm glad he gave us credit for being "politically savvy."
On a more cheerful note, I guess Dr. Reich must be in my head these days because I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with him and asking about his illustrious career. The stories were getting really good but then I woke up. Oh well!
Wow. A good dream. I had a disturbing flashback, flicker of deja vu of a dream I had some time ago about a sinister, destructive martyr. It was the Kirk assassination that brought it up. I have some history with precognitive dreams. This was not good.
I used to get dream premonitions, and they usually were slightly ominous, and later had a deja vu moment when they later came true. Haven't had them in a long time, which is, I think, good. I chalked those up to "God wants to tell me that He exists". He needs to work harder now. But give me something good for a change. BTW, to end on a humorous note, we had someone at my last job, whose last name was Deja and another named Vu. I thought they should have gotten married and hyphenated their names.
Canadian here. Events with hate speech are against the law in Canada. If someone hurls racist insults at another person, or damages property with hate graffiti, Canadians are shocked and take lawful action. We have gun control. I would be absolutely shocked to the core to see a gun or rifle in Metro Vancouver, BC. I have seen an officer with a gun drawn some years ago. I did see a police officer running and carrying a rifle years ago in Edmonton, Alberta. VERY shocking to see that. We do have prejudice and hate in Canada. We are not perfect, but we are not at all like the USA.
That Canadian control fits in with Fara Dabhoiwala's new book "What is Free Speech" that questions its history and suggests that the First Amendment was a mistake. Interesting reviews and article in the "Guardian" about the thesis.
Thanks. The book goes pretty far in one direction, insisting that the idea of free speech was devised by people less high-minded than one would expect. The review in the Guardian quotes the author who writes that we've come to the point of abolishing “any constraint on hateful or otherwise discriminatory speech. Nowadays American Nazis, antisemites, racists and other spreaders of group hatred shelter behind the first amendment. American media companies proudly follow the same principles, and export them around the globe, with predictable results.” I took away from the reviews that other countries have some reasonable constraints on speech since it's not true that "words can never harm me."
Words can traumatize (or retraumatize) and do much harm for sure. I have a sense that Poo Tin has used free speech in America to plant seeds of controversy, anger and conflict. Smouldering fires at the ready if you will…ready to start blazes. My sense is that he has committed acts-of-war-like—behaviour-with-mis/disinformation-and-propaganda against America and other countries without firing any shots. Several main bad actors in America seem to have connection to Rush-ah. With funds that went to the Freedumb Conv0y Truckers in Canada, the flow of money suddenly stopped when Ukra!ne was invaded and sanctions were put on money from Rush-ah. Some of the cash came through the US, but the flow of money stopped with the sanctions against Rush-an and key Rush-an persons. Likely an attempt to destabalize the government of Canada. As former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the protesters did not want to talk, they wanted to be obeyed. Pretty obvious from their behaviour on social media.
No time to check it out, but freedom of speech which harms others is not okay. A people have the right to feel safe and to be free from hate and prejudice. Words can do a lot of harm. Words have a nasty way of escalating and becoming physical harm as we have seen with recent events. My right to say what I want can not and should not bring harm to someone else.
Sharon,that is why Timothy Snyder @ Yale and some of his colleagues moved to Toronto.I think many more reasonable,concerned Americans would,just don't know if he Canadians want us.
Canadians are accepting of Americans who are fleeing what is happening. There are TikToks which have been made by Americans who have recently made the move to Canada. The simple everyday things which they speak of which give them relief and peace in being here in Canada are of note. They feel safe. I am not sure what one needs in order to move to Canada. I hope our government will welcome all who are facing discrimination and persecution. Canadians are not going to discriminate against someone who has come to Canada because they are American. If they start spewing the worst of beliefs which most followers of Robert would not agree with, those beliefs won’t be accepted. Our boycotts of American products etc are due to the actions of US leaders, they are not out of anger at Americans. If you can get here, do so. You will find peace and acceptance. Health care professionals for example are being welcomed with open arms. I sure hope we can take researchers and scientists so they can carry on their important work.
I live in Metro Vancouver, BC. It is a great place to live. All of Canada is great but our climate in Metro Vancouver is mild with rare snow. If you can get to Canada, come.
Charlie Kirk was killed by a lone gunman, who was raised in a conservative, Republican family, who had a affinity for guns, and probably had (though not known at this time) mental health issues. The free and easy access to guns killed Kirk. He would disagree, because people kill people. Not true. Unstable people with access to guns kill people, from Kirk to Sandy Hook, and thousands of real people with families who have died as a result. The refusal to regulate gun sales, refusal to restrict ownership, is a kind of madness, and Charlie Kirk promoted the very madness that killed him. Going along with the madness about second amendment rights (a misinterpretation of the right to bear a musket in a well regulated militia), is a belief in Manifest Destiny, white, male supremacy, and the superiority of mind inherent in rich white men who demonstrate the survival of the fittest. Yes, we should celebrate and respect Charlie Kirk's belief that public debate with your opponents is good civil discourse, but we absolutely do not have to agree with any of the positions he espoused. Hatred of the "other" (blacks, native people, LGBTQ+ people, people of other cultural or linguistic backgrounds), rejection of sound science about health and the environment, and support of economics that rejects diversity, equity and inclusion, should have exposure for what it is. It is the opposite of what we should seek. Murder of anyone is wrong, so let's try to prevent it happening, and the best way is to restrict access to guns.
Professor Reich and Heather Lofthouse: well, not that you asked, but i am not okay. i've been so disoriented and suspicious and yes, afraid, that i find it a challenge to stop writing (or reading) to leave the house for for my daily 10K steps / touch grass time. basically, i'm afraid all the time of mostly everything anymore. i'm afraid to go to sleep because of my terrible nightmares. i'm afraid to wake up because i have no idea what state of the world will be and what new reality i'll have to face.
the murder of charlie kirk -- and especially the reaction, both nationally and internationally -- is so confusing, especially because there was a school shooting at almost the same time. why is charlie kirk's murder featured as not only the TOP STORY on BBC News, but the TOP FOUR STORIES? BBC News has a lot of problems these days, starting with relevancy. the only reason they featured charlie kirk as front page news yesterday, i think it was, is because they are greedy fucks who are trying to cash in on the shock waves shaking the USA. and the NY Yankees paying tribute to charlie kirk? WHUUUT? if i'm not mistaken, charlie kirk hated the yankees. and a posthumous medal of honour? omg. this is just too much, especially seeing that charlie kirk outraged the orange rapist just two days prior to his murder by publicly demanding that the complete unredacted Epstein files be released.
needless to say, i totally agree with you, professor reich, that the boundless rage and violence of the little gun-carrying people is the camouflage that the greedy class is using and promoting and actively feeding to allow them to divide and enslave us all. so much for ameriKKKa being "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
Trump is a sociopath whose bread and butter is sowing chaos and division.
Trump is not unlike other demagogues in history who succeed because particular socioeconomic situations, like massive inequality, propel existing prejudices to their breaking point.
Kirk was a troll and rabid hater, like his mirror image, Trump, so I hold no sympathy for him; however, I do have great empathy and sympathy for the victims of his malevolence.
It's also very hypocritical that those who criticize Kirk's embrace of hatred are now themselves under fire, since Kirk's belief in "free speech"(or his peculiar version of free speech) should allow such critiques.
Our nation was founded on hate, genocide and slavery, and while there have been periods of mitigation in our nation's history, the pendulum of animus always swings back more powerfully, because the principles of democracy have seldom been thoroughly embraced.
Psychiatrists and psychologists have this word: "over-determined." One of the first principles in their training is that all mental illness is "over-determined." "Over-determined" is just their professional jargon or adjective for something that has more than one cause. Jargon or not, it may useful to start with the principle that American political violence, like mental illness, is "over-determined." American political violence may, in fact, be so over-determined that there will never be a complete and therefore satisfactory explanation for it.
So, how do we tackle American political violence if we can't fully understand the roots of the problem? By treating the pathways for political violence, principally guns, money, and media, Guns - that's obvious and doesn't require a lot of explanation, Money is a little more nuanced, but not much. When money determines elections more than votes (i.e., expressions of i/equally-valued individual opinions), then assassination may become the fringe response to a general mood of disenfranchisement. After all, Jefferson wrote, more or less, that the Tree of Liberty was watered by the Blood of Tyrants and became a fellow-traveler of the French Revolution. So, down with Citizens' United!
Finally, what about media? I don't so much mean social media, a field, like guns and gun control, that has been plowed so often that it's dried up and blown away. I'm thinking more about entertainment media and its prevailing meme of "redemptive violence." TV cops, and there are a lot of them, typically resolve their weekly problems when they blow the bad guys away. The body count is usually even higher (and less realistic) in old-time Westerns, Sometimes a little sadism is mixed in for fun. As Dirty Harry once said, "make my day." The truth is, violence solves nothing and can only be rationalized as self-defense in its most exact, narrow, and legal definition. In an era saturated with depictions of redemptive violence for fun and profit on TV and movies (and video games), how do we get that message across? If we could, there might less political violence it the future.
I lived through JFK etc. also, and as I listened to this, remembering, it occurred to me that because we are essentially in a leaderless time, that signals what is coming: a new time when we are our own leaders and those in "leader" roles are "servant leaders." It is a huge societal transformation to a time of equality we have never known. I think/hope that is what is being born.
The poison that altered Kirk's thinking, from far right to the far wrong, oozes from Trump like puss dripping from an infected wound. Kirk's widow is justifiably angry because of the hatred that resulted in the trajic death of her husband. However, the abject negativity that's taken hold of our people will only swell with the passing of time unless Donald Trump tones down his divisiveness. Trump is fostering the progression of hatred within this country. A tree that rots from the inside is far easier to fell than one that stands tall and true. Our current President is forcibly removing lady liberty's garments, for he has the rape of a country on his mind.
I subscribe to a Jesuit (liberal Catholic) publication called America Media. They ran a story about the Charlie Kirk killing. At first, comments expressed anger over the fact that he spread divisiveness and (yes) hatred. I was greatly encouraged that my fellow Catholics saw him for what he was -- a racist, White supremacist, anti-immigrant, hate monger. These commenters received many "thumbs up" for their opinions.
But then, others (who received few "thumbs up") came into the discussion extolling Kirk as a "family man," a "good person," "a polite man who listened to others," "a man who attended Mass each week," etc. Really?? My response brought facts into the discussion. This is what I wrote:
If Charlie Kirk espoused Catholic views, then I'm in the wrong church. He said, "If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, boy, I hope he’s qualified." He said, "Happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people..." He said, "If I’m dealing with somebody in customer service who’s a moronic Black woman, I wonder is she there because of her excellence, or is she there because of affirmative action?" Of Joy Reid, Michelle Obama, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Ketanji Brown Jackson, he said, "You do not have the brain processing power to otherwise be taken really seriously. You had to go steal a white person’s slot to go be taken somewhat seriously." On speaking of Taylor Swift, he said, "Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge." He said, "The American Democrat party hates this country. They wanna see it collapse. They love it when America becomes less white." He said, "America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America." He said, "There is no separation of church and state. It’s a fabrication, it’s a fiction, it’s not in the constitution. It’s made up by secular humanists." Is this called Catholic teaching?? Not in my world.
Excellent response!! Charlie Kirk was not a Catholic. Nor is his rhetoric that of a real Catholic. VP Vance is. IMO in name only as he does not have the qualities of being a Catholic you write about.
Thank you for saying what you said. I spend 2 yrs in a Catholic seminary. Excellent training. As St Paul said, if I do not have charity (love), I am nothing. I see it as kindness and acceptance of everyone.
The alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, comes from a Republican family, though Tyler is not registered to any party. His father is a retired sheriff in Washington County, Utah. There are photos of Tyler and his family with guns. Tyler Robinson dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween: a devout supporter, it would seem, who donated to Do bald Trump in 2020. Could it be that Charlie Kirk calling for the release of the Epstein files caused him a problem?
Grifting to turn grief into grievance, manipulating the many’s mourning, Donald Trump solicits rage that he can exploit for violence—before there is any proof the left contributed to the shooting. That is irresponsible leadership from Trump. Republican members in Congress mimic their leader in jumping to conclusions whose only foundation is a pack of prior Trump lies. Gross irresponsibility of this magnitude is criminal malfeasance.
It is Trump who constantly and vociferously demonizes the left with his rhetoric. He does not seek to quench the Nation’s anger, he seeks to inflame any given moment, stoking the flames well before investigation uncovers any facts at all. It is he and Kirk that traded in vile, demonizing and inflammatory rhetoric designed to incite violence.
These two monetized their hostility like the money changers they are. They gaslighted the rest of us whenever a fire broke out, and they simultaneously fanned those flames while pouring gasoline on the fire.
History dictates that the shooter will be a Republican supporter. If you do not see that, yours is a delusional world. Have you paid no attention at all to the political and racist violence of last decade? If so, you know the party of violence. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/bilious-hate-mongering?r=3m1bs
As Robert Reich mused this morning at his Saturday Morning Coffee Klatch, violence has erupted from all sides over the past 80 years; in those former times, however, the leader of our country was a LEADER, bringing us together to heal.
I'm having a hard time remembering any "leftist" murderers? Could someone enlighten me?
Same here, Paul Cesmat, because there haven't been any ''leftist'' murderers. I am so sick of that vile, rotten, arrogant SOB TUMP and his blatant lies and misinformation and inciting violence. In my 70 years i have never ever hated and despised anyone worse than Donald TUMP.
I have watched about every TV documentary about Adolf Hitler's rise and fall in the 1920's to his end in 1945. One documentary stood out to me when the narrator of the program announced at it's beginning, '' The following program is a definitive guide to the most hated man in history, Adolf Hitler''
In my opinion, for what it's worth, ''The most hated man in history would be Donald TUMP, and put Hitler a close second most hated man in history. Just the sight of him makes me feel like i will vomit.
Hello Paul.... You will have to go back to the '60s... People such as the 'Symbionese Liberation Army', and the 'Weather Underground'....
Carl,Trump is a " Nazi" this is what " Nazis" do when the opportunity to exploit a situation presents itself. I call him a " Nazi" but upon further reflection,one can come to the conclusion that he is not " Human". No " Human" could ever exhibit the negative qualities Trump does.
No, he is a sociopath by definition!
He is a FASCIST by all definitions!
When humans are scared and/or angry they lose the capacity to reason; they become beasts. It could happen to anyone of us. Trump and his billionaire backers are afraid of losing their dominant position in society. They invent one hoax after another to mislead, scare, anger the populace. Racist conservatives themselves they appeal to likeminded individuals among the people, and they tell them vast a vast globalist, Leftist (i.e., secularist) conspiracy seeks to displace hard working white Americans. This is Nazi propaganda, and it leads to violence.
Victor,excellent response,you are so right.
Carl, this reminds me of the "attempted assassins" last year. Both were Trumpers which is what makes me think they were hoping to get sympathy for Trump. I am curious as to what the supposed attacker in FL will say about what he was doing. My hypothesis is that he was hoping to be found so the American people would think there were tons of people trying to "kill" Trump when it was only his supporters trying to get him elected. The Butler guy who actually killed someone was killed before we could know what was going on with him and I doubt we will be learning any more.
Ruth.....The supposed attempt on trump in PA was fake. Wrestlers hide a razor blade between their fingers and nick themselves to show blood. trump was friends with Hulk Hogan and he taught him how to do it. At least that's the theory. And I wouldn't put anything past trump! I thought it was funny he had that huge bandage on his ear for that itty bitty "cut".
Pamela, I agree that this was a set-up, both supposed "attempts." The first one was just too strange, that there happened to be a roof within shooting range that no one happened to check out. The guy was supposed to just miss Trump, not hit anyone else, I'm guessing, unless he had some kind of grudge against the person he killed. I think he was startled by the "troops" coming in fast, so just shot a few times maybe to fulfill his end of the bargain. Maybe sometime in the future, we will learn something more, but I am not holding my breath. The guy in FL was just waiting to be found with his sleeping bag, gun, and equipment. He was just trying to put the whipped cream on the lie of the first attempt, that the "left" was out to get Trump, when it was Trump's own supporters, set up to try to get him re-elected. appalling, but just what one might expect Republicans to do in this current atmosphere.
Carl - They also championed Kyle Rittenhouse when he shot people in the street in the middle of the day. The words that were etched into the ammunition were from a video game and had nothing to do with being a democrat. But the facts don’t matter in their world. Patel cussed out the agents for not doing their jobs fast enough. Investigations take time in order to do them properly for a conviction - and for their safety. Patel showed how incompetent he is and he should be fired. Is it me or does anyone else think that he sucks on a helium balloon before he speaks? Maybe it’s just me. They got lucky that this guy talked to family and the family talked to friends but did the friend turn him in out of an obligation to help or for the reward? I’d like to think that it was just to help. People are actually getting fired from their jobs because they used their first amendment right to talk about the shooting. So it’s okay what people said about the assassination of Hortman (including elected officials) but it’s not okay when it’s one of their own? Violence is not okay but it screams one sidedness when they punish only certain people. T glorifies violence and then denies he is the reason why when bad things happen but yet it’s our parties fault when hate rears its ugly head? Even when the evidence proves contradictory to their narrative. Such a messed up world.
This is how you destroy an ant colony: you offer the ants something that attracts, and you put some poison in it. They take the substance to their nest, and then they all die. This is what Fox News has done to America.
Victor - Can’t argue with that and I am not going to since your analogy/logic is sound.
Anon....I love it "that he sucks on a helium balloon before he speaks". My husband asked what is wrong with his voice as we watched him speak. Now I can tell him.
And yes this is a messed up world! I couldn't agree more!
Pamela - Thank your husband for me because now I don’t feel like I am the only one who thinks that there’s something weird about his voice. :)
The latest info shows that Robinson was a follower of Nick Fuentes and his "Groyper Army." They think that Kirk was NOT far-right enough. Look it up.
Carl--Tyler wasn't a very good shot. His target most likely was a head shot but he pulled the trigger instead of squeezing it. The pulling of the trigger pulls the muzzel of the gun downward ever so slightly and a bit to the right, if the young man was right handed. It's a common mistake so many shooters make. You squeeze the trigger, the discharge should almost startle you. I own a Springfield model 70--- 30.06, bolt action. If that kid had hit Kirk where he intended, it would have been a horrific scene.
The part about his father being former law enforcement was wrong, just a respectful FYI
. . . a critical-thinking Catholic education is missing from his resume; so not a real Catholic.
plenty of Catholics are authoritarian and racist.
. . . again, all want-to-be Catholics.
Catholicism, itself, is authoritarian and tho MAYBE no longer racist, it is still sexist.
Whatever, Barbara. I've worked in companies that were sexist and where people in the company harassed me sexually. And I'm not talking 30 or 40 years ago. I'm talking about right up until I retired. Institutions are fallible. We can find sexists and authoritarians even in our own family relationships.
So, what can we do about it? Get involved and make changes. Pope Francis worked hard to include women in the decision processes, and he elevated women to positions of responsibility at the Vatican. He had surveys out to all parishes asking what they thought the important issues were. And he listened. And Leo intends to follow that example.
Plenty people of ANY stripe are authoritarian and racist. Wouldn't you agree? Why or why not?
Thank you so much for quoting St. Paul! We desperately need to return to the teachings of Jesus - to real Christianity...
EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN EPSTEIN 😡🤮😡🤮😡🤮😡🤮😡🤮😡🤮😡🤮
Kirk went to Mass each week. Hitler was nice to his dogs...
If You Spew Hate and are intent on spreading unprintable propaganda positions you are going to create hatred equal to the hate you spread .
It’s no surprise that there is a visceral response by persons that hold opposing points of view. Why some people feel the need to become” the Lone Ranger” then take un reversible drastic actions leaves us all mystified.
CK made a very good living propagating propaganda to college students. He is not an innocent.
CK was not a hero, his tasks in life were not heroic. Nothing he has ever done justifies flying the flags at half mast. He is not a hero.
This takes me to what Patel said as a farewell to Charlie Kirk.. “see you in Valhalla”
What are they .. fu**ing Vikings?
More like Warriors for DDT, Demented Donald Trump. The 25th amendment cannot be exercise unless the cabinet agrees the DDT demented Donald Trump is incapacitated to lose illnesses mental state whatever.
So planning ahead the long game DDT picked people who would just kiss his ass the whole time and look good on TV. That’s their only qualifications. You only have to look at the Kennedy clown to understand what’s really going on loyalty to Trump first last and that’s it
Charlie Kirk was worth 12 million, not a bad haul for dishing up a daily blather of hatred, lies and propaganda to vulnerable young people.
The issue with these proclaimed right wing big mouths, the podcasters, racists, fascists, haters and big churches; do they believe their own drivel or are they simply greedy, amoral, blood suckers on the the needy? I suspect most are them are charlatans, making a damn good living. It seems exploiting weak and impressionable minds is a lucrative business, these days...
CK pedaled hateful idea, means ; perpetuated DDT Demented Donald Trump lies and Gambled with his life as a paid propagandist.
CK Won $12 million before his luck ran out.
In the end, nobody won, except DDT .
Trump certainly thinks so!
Anyone can “go” to Mass but a true Catholic Christian has to live the precepts of Christ embodied in that Mass. shame on those who talk it but don’t walk it!!
Maria - It’s why my spouse left the Catholic Church after 26 years because of the way it is now treated as a business concentrating on money over the teachings. That and the politics and hypocrisy that they saw on a daily basis. They felt that it was no longer what they once believed in and are still searching for a new home to worship in. I’m not religious but I told them that they don’t need a building to go to in order to still believe in their faith. But what do I know?
Anon....you are correct! You don't need a building to go to in order to believe on your faith. You can pray to God any where, he is always listening. My husband say that all the time.
Pamela - Thanks. :)
They had to sell quite a few buildings to pay off victims of sexual abuse, The trans issue seems to be a distraction from this scandal and from the Epstein scandal as well.
Victor - That’s one of the reasons why I question why the fathers/priests can’t be married like other priests in other religions can. I understand being available only to god and all that but if you make a person live in a lonely/celibate world most people will seek out the feeling of love in one form or another. Maybe it might put a stop to the destruction of young children’s lives. Although I doubt it since there are others who are not in the church that prey on children. Also, what ever happened to love one another as you would love yourself? How do they know that their god didn’t try to find a different identity themselves since he/she made different versions of himself/herself? I have so many questions about a subject that I admittedly know not much about but am still curious. I normally try to steer clear of the topic of religion because I don’t want to offend anyone and I don’t know if they know the answers either. A lot of people become defensive when asked but I’m not attacking their beliefs - I just have questions.
Anything to take their a**es out of the flame!
Exactly. Those people who spout Bible verses but fail to live up to the ten commandments and follow the teachings of Jesus are nothing more than hypocrites.
Why, even the devil can recite chapter and verse in the Bible if it will get you to listen to evil, and go against God's (Jesus's) teachings.
A serial rapist and murderer in our community was a respected family man who went to mass every Sunday before he was caught. Would his going to church mean he was a god fearing christian then?
I’d say that going to mass or church doesn’t make me a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes me a car!
Could it be that a few Catholic bishops are named in the Epstein files?
Geez. Here we go with the conspiracy theories... How about Jewish rabbis? Kindergarten teachers? Shopkeepers? Guys named Victor? Let's not sink to that level.
Donna, many Catholic bishops protected pedophile priests. Surely you know that. The Church was forced to sell numerous churches to pay compensation to victims. Doesn't the celibacy requirement ignore homosexuality and pedophilia?
I am a Catholic. Proud to be one. Denigrating the Church because of individual actions is like Hating America because of Trump. Please stop vilifying my religion. It is not the correct topic here. It only spews hate.
Maria, it is not clear to me which one of my statements you interpreted as "vilifying" your religion. Surely you know that numerous priests were pedophiles, and that they received protection from high ranking Church authorities, many of whom have already been removed by the Vatican.
😂
Spam. Do not click. This person posts all the time.
Donna - It still makes me wonder who actually “likes” the spam post every time they post this crap.
Which person?
At least until he used his German shepherd Blondi to test the cyanide capsules he and Eva Braun later used to commit suicide.
Biggest hypocrites sit in the front row!
Hmmm. My daughter sits in the front row because she operates the Zoom computer so people at home can participate. I sit in the front row because I like to be in church with her. One other woman sits in the front row because that's where she can keep her walker. Generalizations are generally not true. Generally.
Wow! And from what she said, his wife seems to echo his thoughts. I worry about their young children being brainwashed with such hate….. and we wonder why America is so divided.
Yes! They will be. I live in an apartment building with a Trumpette, she has told people she was raised to hate Mexicans and Blacks. And she does! She told me, "I would never donate to a school like yours, because they teach that coloreds are as good as us!" I was left speechless! She is originally not from Michigan.
So sorry, Louise. It's hard to be taken aback that way. In doing Outreach for a local immigrant rights organization yesterday I took one of our flyers to the security office of our local hospital. The staff member at the desk, a man from South Korea whose parents in his words, "came here the right way" said passionately that he believed in everything that ICE was doing. His statement left me feeling like I'd been hit in the stomach with a 2x4,.
The only thing I can offer you, is that something to get your breath back is that traditional oriental behavior is for conformity. Whether Japanese, Korean or Chinese, their societies prize conformity. He is trying to conform to what he thinks American Society is asking of him. Again, it is how he was raised. My Trumpette comes from a Southwestern Border State and came to Michigan at an old age. To me though a person should be able to observe at this point, that People of all colors are capable of fulfilling top roles in our society, just like they can also end up in criminal situations. All!!
Thanks, Louise, for reminding me if that. It helps. I lived in Seoul, Korea for two years once and traveled in Japan...I should have remembered!
Over my life I've developed an appreciation of ALL human subspecies = P O C and any/all subsets of such. It is personalities that I take into account, good (agreeable to me) or bad (disagreeable to me, then take into account their possible - backgrounds and upbringings that are substantially different from my own that make such disagreeable to me). I 'try' not to judge ~ = "judge not, lest you be judged" ~
Yes, but when the availability of positions shrinks the competition turns fierce and ugly. The worst may be yet to come.
I thought of that same thing. The amount of hate in that household had to be absorbed by those children.
Hopefully, they rebel against it, but I'm not sure is likely? The social environment plays a big role in personal development and education. We have utterly failed as a country when it comes to comprehension. When opinion is held higher than facts and critical thinking, people can be a target for manipulation.
People just want to be something, many have potential they dont recognize when they follow a group. Once inside a group they are still faced with how they are perceived. It doesn't go away. The question comes from within the individual. Logic, reason, and compassion are required to answer, otherwise you are just a pawn.
This is why I came up with my own edict in my youth = "neither a leader, nor follower be" ~ i.e. I know I'm not a - charismatic type and don't have an 'ego' that constantly needs to be assuaged. And the other = I much prefer to examine a potential 'leader' and then practice 'critical thinking' to examine - if or if not - to follow such a leader.. Independent thinker (right or wrong ? only time will tell )...
Few people are discussing the other issue with this young man; guns. He was surrounded by and encouraged to fetishize lethal weapons of war from an early age. What happens when there is no actual war and no perceived enemies. What's the point Mr. and Mrs. whose child decided to use one of those guns on a "perceived" enemy? He'd been groomed to do this, no one should be surprised.
"He" didn't do it. Someone close in proximity did this act. I am not even convinced CK is dead. I do have a strong conviction that, if he is, it had little to do with the kid they setup.
That is a significant worry....I watch young people I dearly love, being indoctrinated at a Christian school and tge teachings of Kirk, etc. And it is heartbreaking.
Marilyn - I guess that I am stupid because I don’t understand why they claim to be god loving/fearing people who are trying to whitewash history and divide people into caste groups while teaching hatred. Or that they are special because of the color of their skin while ignoring the teachings of Jesus (which I admit I don’t know a lot about except for the Ten Commandments). They should not be concerned about other schools when they got their way with using public schools money to turn their children into voucher kids. Why should it matter to anyone which bathroom a kid used? I worry more about the male perverts who film girls in the restroom and not a child trying to find their way in life and figure out if their gender identity is right and are just looking for a private space. Why do we have to make a boogeyman out of everyone and everything?
Anon- exactly. Somehow it's related to power is what I think. And those boogeymen have j u mped onboard and enlarged the Christian Nationalists agenda. I think, partly, religious people have felt disrespected for a long time, and have been led into the "warriors for Jesus" mindset. I just hope (yes, I still hope) that a revelation comes about, and not a revolution...
Marilyn D., what a beautiful and needed thought! Thank you!
because they are racist and resent civil rights legislation.
Why would any woman want to be married to such a man, unless she held at least some of the beliefs?
Pam.....she does! She will take his place spreading hate!
Exactly
She is just another victim of Cheetolini's abuse network. She has baggage. It is blatantly obvious that she is associated with him and just a pawn in his game.
Camille,great post.Please repeat this every day,so people wake up.Arousing americans out of their deep sleep takes comments like yours to be repeated over and over again. We have an attention span of 19 sec,so reading something one time,does not work.
Great idea, David. I'll repost this:
The republican party is a terrorist organization that uses and promotes violence, extortion, bribery, and intimidation to resolve political differences.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that promotes violence against women, children, minorities, and any "other" of the moment as a matter of policy.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that has abrogated the rule of law and the constitution.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that advocates white nationalist christian fascism.
The republican party is a terrorist organization that promotes misogyny, racism, patriarchy, and xenophobia.
The republican party actively promotes the oligarchy and the transfer of wealth from the middle and lower classes to the rich.
this is not hyperbole - it is exactly what this terrorist organization represents, and charlie kirk was a leading exponent of said garbage.
the word "terrorist" must be used with utmost care, because it can easily be misused.
Paul,making a copy of this.Would you post this exact comment every day next week.After 7 days,it should be an integral part of our conversation.Well done.
Camille, your statements illustrate the dangers of mixing religion with politics.
Subjecting children to religious indoctrination literally lobotomizes them. It is a form of child abuse. This is what likely happened to Kirk.
Hi Donna. This is a personal note. I suspect that I share many ideals with you. I was raised in the liberal catholic/ christian tradition. It raises questions and doesn’t provide ‘easy’ (trite?) answers, and, the clue is in the name ‘catholic’, it is inclusive of everyone. Skinny/ fat, white/ black and all shades in between, college-educated and not, and so on. The late Charlie Kirk’s political opinions and identity was not mine, but he did share humanity with me. I will argue (against) his political views, but I wont wish him ill/ dead. I suspect we and many Americans share these values. We can continue to argue our case. The late Charlie Kirk has NOT ‘cancelled’ us. Neither will Trump!
I totally agree. Violence is not good, no matter who commits it. Killing, even more so. I do not cheer for his death, but I also know that he dispensed hatred (with a smile) and did not live the kind of life that I would find to be above reproach. We all have our weaknesses. But the best of us do not actively try to divide humanity into "better" and "inferior" classes or to encourage active disrespect for those people.
Donna - I still believe that T only claimed to be religious because he needed the votes. There’s not an ounce of religion in him. We have become the world of clicks and monetization off of others.
Truth!
I agree, but I would say, instead, “there’s not an ounce of Jesus Christ in him”, as historically religion has always been violent. Remember the cheering crowd when Jesus was nailed to the Cross? So many “Christian” religions today teach not at all the kindness and compassion that Jesus taught.
Anon.....so true! He was asked to quote his favorite Bible verse and he could not!
Kirk's success was due to something very significant happening in our society: the growing uncertainty about the future. The young are the ones who have reason to fear it the most. Authoritarianism, Religious and racial bigotry are symptoms.
A thoughtful, uplifting reply. Thank you.
Kirk was the kind of Republican leader Kevin Phillips predicted in his American Theocracy (2006).
Thanks Victor for the reference. 👍
I never liked Kirk and his extremist ultra-right wing, white supremacist, male chauvinist, christian nationalist rhetoric.
I will not refer to him as a "good man".
However, murder and violence is not the answer.
He was loved by his wife and children who now have lost their husband/father and even witnessed his death.
I will at least give him that. After all, he was a human being.
I will not condone his murder, yet I will not extoll his supposed "virtues", nor will I mourn his loss.
You are absolutely right…
Not in my world, either. I am a lapsed Catholic with agnostic beliefs. Thanks for this post, which simply states facts that have been printed and broadcast. All these quotes reveal a man who thinks he, anyone of his gender, his faith, and his party, are more worthy of human dignity, respect and legal rights than anyone NOT a member of their group. I cannot condone his ideology, any more than I can condone the actions of his killer.
the killing of Kirk was a cruel act of cowardice and an admission of impotence. Let's condemn it in no uncertain terms!
His minions must be so proud that such a competent intelligent white republican male killed him 😒no affirmative action there 😁
Crystal, thanks for that perspective! I hadn't thought about it that way, conservative white boy kills conservative white boy, all in the family. There is no excuse for murder, ever and the coverage will portray Kirk as some kind of hero when he was just another Trumper whose hate overwhelmed any love he had for a select few.
And his beloved 2A is still intact. So there's THAT.
Donna, thank you for quoting those shockingly cruel comments Charlie Kirk made! What a pathetic mindset for anyone to have and to make to inspire hatred! I was not familiar with him whatsoever, and when I was told who was shot, I had to ask who he was.
If anybody has those ideas, it is hard to understand how such a person could have a happy marriage. Disrespect and an attitude of superiority do not make good relationships. I am sorry that, in our country and in our world, there are shootings, and I am sorry that lives are taken, yet it is not possible to respect those disrespectful ideas. It is unfathomable that anyone with hateful prejudices be honored, yet other people who were killed and were dedicating their lives to helping make the world better, are barely recognized.
JP4M - That is why I got very angry when T announced that he was going to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He does not deserve it compared to the others who have received it. I chuckled when T said that flags will be flown at half-mast. That only applies to boats. A person lost their life and that is sad but what is even sadder is that they are weaponizing his death and people are buying into it.
It’s extremely upsetting but at the same time the actual legacy of all these horrible people is that another extremely horrible racist imbecile thought they were great. History will make sure to remind all future generations of this morally bankrupt era and its inevitable decline. This is the age of the “Moral Bankrupt” civilization.
Anon.....it angered me too! trump has disrespected the Medal of Freedom by giving it to Rush Limbaugh, Rudy and now Kirk! It will never have the prestige it once had!!! They are making Kirk A martyr, something he does not deserve!!!
Charlie Kirk also said, in 2023, some lives are worth sacrificing to preserve the Second Amendment. I'm not Catholic, but I'm guessing Catholic teaching doesn't give an inanimate piece of metal more importance than a human life.
Donna,excellent post. I think your comments pretty much sum up where we are in this country. I wonder why anyone from Europe or any civil part of the world would want to come to the United States. Perhaps that is why Timothy Snyder decided to leave Yale and move to Toronto with some of his colleagues. 75 Million people voted for Kamala Harris,presumably because they respect others,especially those who look different,act different,are from somewhere other than the US,yet 74 million are doing nothing to fight back,no rallies,no demonstrations,nothing except to bemoun where we are with a " Nazi" president.
Donna, thanks so much for this recount. I have heard all of these at various points yet I have no record of the "debate" Kirk said he liked. It is clear to me that he couldn't really debate because he was simply spewing hate, fear, anger, and resentment that he didn't have even more power than he did have. He clearly deserved no power because his insults were like something one would expect of a 5th grader who had no knowledge of the world except his little portion of it. there was no maturity there, no understanding, just whining insults and proof that he was a white supremacist, a misogynist (clearly scared of women), and a really bad Catholic. I get it that there are a lot of bad catholics (and members of other religions) around, but they don't have to be elevated in anyone's presence. I am sorry for his wife and kids. She says he was such a "good husband and father," but does that mean she and the kids were as hateful, racist, misogynistic as he was? Inquiring minds want to know.
Indeed! Agreed! And there are men who said and continue to say mass, administering the Eucharist, every day who commit kiddie diddling and who have been or are being protected by the RC Church. My point: going to church is not a valid indicator of goodness (morality), especially in a church where you can ostensibly re-set your moral compass regularly in a confessional. ❤️🇨🇦
Going to church doesn't make anyone a good Christian anymore than me standing in my garage everyday makes me a car.
Thanks so much for that. I really needed a laugh this morning!
Hear Ye!
I am a reformed Catholic… meaning, even as a young child in a strict Catholic household, I saw and recognized the hypocrisies that were abundant between what was taught and what was actually practiced.
I am Agnostic.
I have often said that one does not have to have religion to be a good person.
Even Pope Francis said that often, Agnostics and Atheists lead more Christian-like lives than many so-called Christians.
I wish to God that people would stop saying that going to confession helps you reset your moral compass. If you go to confession, ask forgiveness, and do not make up your mind to change your ways, then you are not forgiven. Please stop this nonsense that Catholics are allowed to continue wicked ways simply by saying they are sorry. This holds no more water than if your child comes to you and apologize about continually disrespecting you and then continues to do it. The whole purpose of Catholic confession is to ask for forgiveness, and to mend your ways. We are told in the confessional that we must change our ways if we are to be forgiven. The priest has no idea what is in our mind. only we ourselves know if our regret is real. The priest is not the person doing the forgiving. We believe it is Jesus who forgives. And only Jesus knows what is in our hearts. So stop this nonsense. I repeat again stop this nonsense in saying that Catholics are forgiven, simply by going to confession. That in itself is a lie.
Donna, thank you for your beautiful comment regarding both apologies and confessions. It is of extreme importance.
I applaud your belief in the integrity of the doctrine. Thank you, but I do not need your catechism. I was a RC through the Rite of Christian Initiation so I was taught all that as an adult. Also, I raised my children in the faith. I taught for decades in the Catholic School system where the catechism is a daily part of the curriculum.
Doctrine is one thing but practice is another. I know how many of the faithful actually do use the Act of Reconciliation to "erase" their culpability. I am not saying it is used as a licence to sin, but I am saying that it's believed by many, including by many clergy, though obviously not by you, to be used as a moral escape clause.
It is my lived experience that tells me this, not a belief in some doctrine, so please don't lecture me or prosyletize.
Penance for many is just a get out of jail free card and I have witnessed this all of my life! And I'm old!
I could give specifics but to what point? ❤️🇨🇦
I'm old, too... in my 80s. I've witnessed more than I care to witness in this life, including a lot of nonsense. People, for better or for worse, are fallible. It's part of our nature. God (for those who believe in a deity) gave us free will for a reason. Far too many people have said, without evidence, that Catholics simply get to confess their sins and everything is erased. Scott free. Just sit in a dark box, talk to the priest, say a few Hail Marys, and all is well. *poof*
If people believe that confession is an escape clause, that is their failing. It is not a failing of the Catholic faith. Or even of any faith, for that matter, that believes in a forgiving God.
If I sound as if I'm proselytizing, then that is my fault for not being clear. You do not have to agree with me, and I'm not expecting that. I'm simply saying that it is not true that Catholics are "wiped clean" simply by apologizing if they have no intention to do better. If a woman had a spouse who continuously cheated on her, apologized again and again, but continued to cheat with no intention of stopping, should she consider that he is forgiven? Why or why not?
It has been over half a century since I read “Goodman Brown” in Early Aerican Literature. At this point, I might be miss-remembering it, with the idea coming to me right now is that the point was that nobody in the church was perfect. Everyone of us has a flaw of flaws of some kind. I would need to revisit the literature to be more accurate, yet I think most of us do strive to be better and to help make our world a better place.
Donna, evidently K's stance was that the separation of church and state was a false concept made up by secular humanists. The actual respective line from the Constitution's First Amendment is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free expression thereof". K denied the intent of this phrase by claiming that the state is governed by religion, in particular his sectarian view of one. Note that he famously quoted from Leviticus that the proper way to dispose of men who share a bed was to stone them to death. Some religion. His ideal was a theofascist state, and many million trump-thumpers are on board with that. In 1865, men like him founded the KKK.
Indeed. And in fact, when Benjamin Franklin was asked if this is a Christian nation, he denied it. He said that this is a country that welcomes people of all religions, and in fact, he listed a few of them, including Islam. Others of our founders also denied it. In fact, in some original drafts of our founding documents, the word Jesus was included. However, it was deleted in in favor of using creator instead.
Our Constitution does not establish a religion, but it protects it. It does seem however that religious principles of respecting, helping and loving (philos) one another - and valuing truth and honesty - go amazingly well with a very healthy and strong Democracy. They "pair up" very nicely indeed!
True, and true believers never accepted this, and they accused Jefferson of being an atheist, which he probably was.
Jefferson was not atheist, but he certainly did not believe in miracles or in the resurrection or in the divinity of Jesus. In fact, he excised all mention of miracles from his copy of the Bible, thinking they were nonsense. He also kept a copy of the Quran, which he read often.
Most of the founders were Deists (including Jefferson), believing in God as a creator, but saying that God had no interest in our daily lives. Washington attended church services, but he often left before the Eucharist was distributed. He thought that "eating of the body and blood of Jesus" was pure cannibalism.
If Franklin followed any particular faith, he did not act it. He moved to France, had several dalliances, and was not with his wife when she died in America... even thought she requested that he please be with her in her final hours.
They also argued, like Christopher Hitchens and others would do centuries later, that adherence to a religion does not necessarily make a person better. Above all, they wanted to prevent their country from descending into religious-political conflict.
Kirk ignored not only the First Amendment, but also the Declaration of Independence. The pursuit of happiness, a fundamental right, presuposes freedom of conscience.
Yes, he denied the Founding Principles, and basic human and civil rights to his dying breath.
I really had no idea who Charlie Kirk was, but I was suspicious about him when I heard talk about him. If he was so kind and wonderful, I wondered, what is he doing with No.2 and his sons? Now I know! I had no idea he was this divisive and evil, and he was!!!! Terri Quint
Thank you for these informative quotations, Donna. I trust that they are true. It is obvious that Kirk was Tucker Carson with a cross. Distracted, devastated even by the pedophilia crisis, American Catholics must now make a crucial choice: they must chose between the Pope in Rome and the pope in Washington, DC.
Never knew anything about this man... and never heard his beliefs/ philosophy expressed. Thank you so much for sharing this information!
Hearing of him was new to me, too.
It was definitely disturbing to find out the things he'd been saying/ promoting.
Twump says the right does not like crime. But they elected a convicted felon to be our pretend president. So he is also wrong once again.
Trump will be the one responsible for the death of our America. I am 78 and I never thought I would see the day that we would have a president like trump. I am so sad and so afraid. I love my children and grandchildren, but I am so sorry that they are going to inherit an America so different from the one I grew up in and believed in.
Jan, don't be so quick to mourn our democracy. Get to a protest! It is energizing and you will see that you are in good company, among many baby boomers (some using walkers, canes or mobility devices.) Ask a friend to join you. We all want the future of this country to be for our grandchildren what it has been for us: a beacon of freedom, hope and inclusion. But it won't happen unless people of all ages express that demand in multiple ways. If you're not physically able to attend protests, join a group that actively tries to get out the vote and educate the electorate. I think you will feel better for it. The only way evil can win is for good people to do nothing.
An important fact for anyone needing a cane and a place to sit, is to know that the folding cane design with an attached seat is not safe. A number of people have tried to use them, but they fell and were hurt. That is really important to know, especially if anyone is planning to go someplace and to be able to sit.
Thank you for pointing this out. I have been wracking my head trying to find a way to safely participate in a protest, and I don't have a wheelchair - only a walker with a seat, and it doesn't fold up enough for a taxi.
Paula, I understand how the walker would be a problem. I know someone who has several walkers because she needs different aspects of different times. Standing is too much for me to take pardon the demonstration or a protest, But I wish best to everyone who was able to go, and I am grateful for them. I’m grateful for everyone who has not there Inn2 is supportive as well. We can always support with good thoughts with prayers for safety and for positive outcomes. I’m glad for the people who can go and meet other people of like minds.
I have a large walker, which is comfortable to sit on, Unfortunately, I do not need it now. I’m keeping it in case there is a need later, It is quite large, very sturdy, and has a bit of back support. I doubt that it would fit in a car or taxi either. I can sign petitions and write letters to help in other ways. I did not keep the cane with the dangerous seat. A cane and a seat would be needed for a protest or long standing event or places with curbs or steps.
It's not clear that the protests will work to really destroy this regime after this assassination that some are comparing to the assassination int 1938 by a Jew in Paris of the Nazi Vom Rath that unleashed KrystalNacht. We can only hope that a Hurricane, another page in the Epstein file, or trump's bombing of some boat somewhere, or another little war will wipe C.K. off the front page.
What a sad thing to have to write. He has killed people on 4 boats now. Alaska has been hit, but there is very little mentioned in the news. There is LA, DC, Chicago and Portland getting ICE'd over and innocent people hurt. There's,whatever this is, where M Johnson says "the most threatening thing I have seen is the naked bicyclers in Portland." Seriously, dude? I mean, in a normal world that would mean you were aware that there is NOTHING GOING ON IN PORTLAND! There are people willing to ride bikes in the rain to send a message, which fell on deaf ears, that we will do this to show you fully exposed, We not afraid to go out into our city, our home, our community. We do Not need any help from our illegitimate "government." We've got this! We, and so many of our ancestors, have fought for this. We are not letting anyone, especially this one, take that away!
Thank you for saying this!!!!!
Approaching 74, and I totally agree, my friend.
Likewise.
Those of us who remember earlier and much more hopeful times must share what we remember and keep that spirit and hope alive!
Yes Yes...whatever hopeful and inspiring spirit brought us to here must be used to keep going toward the future. We just cannot stop here.
Jan,I feel the same way for my grandchildren,unless their is a major change their lives will be completely different for ours.
Never has an older, educated population been more important to the youth of America than today.
It's what I think about every morning I wake up
I’d like to remind everyone that the “war on crime” started as a dogwhistle by a Nixon campaign manager whose brilliant idea was to siphon White Supremicists from the Democratic Party during the civil rights movement to revive a shrinking Republican Party. You can find videos of the campaign manager explaining this dogwhistle which to knowing ears means in effect that’s it’s ok to kill black people. It’s not about crime.
And Hispanic people.
Furthermore, to know if the right doesn not like crime, I wanted to know if the recent political assassinations were being carried out by "both sides." The Anti-Defamation League reports that "right-wing extremists had committed 335 domestic extremist-related murders" [of a total of] 444 murders by domestic-related extremists during the past 10 years," accounting for 73% of all such murders. A later report by the ADL counted 450 killiings, out of which 75% were committed by right-wing extremists; about 20% by Islamic extremists, and 4% by left-wing extremists.
Hello Donald... DJT is Rabid, what do you expect... Vietnam was a very Divisive Issue in the United States.... Reagan gave a Speech that helped the Healing Process... DJT is no FDR, TR, or a Reagan...
Hello Donald…. DJT is Light-Years from the Point of No-Return…. DJT will only get Worse…
A friend of mine started printing out some of the comics in 4x6 size after he became president. He was so prolific about this I started a photo album (yes, u can still find them) of all the cartoons. At first, most were pretty funny. But I’ve noticed they’re getting darker and darker, and worse, more hopeless, like Lady Liberty lying on the ground, broken, and the Constitution lying in pieces. Yes, he is getting worse, and what’s worse is that the maga movement is blindly accepting his indoctrination for their own selfish reasons. “Radical left”=humanity, maga=fascism.
DJT is not "human".
He is a patchwork of the worst aspects of all humans. Rotten to the core!
No-one in America benefits more from the Charlie Kirk shooting than Donald Trump.
a) It certainly knocks the 'Epstein Scandal' off of the airwaves.
(and BTW, Charie Kirk was one righty talker who was giving Trump, Pam Bondi, etc. some guff over the Epstein issue);
b) This will motivate Trump's MAGA base, and rally righties into a frenzy of hate toward liberals, and likely bring some who were a bit concerned about Epstein back into the fold;
c) Trump can (and will likely) use this event as a rationale to further ramp up his efforts to expand his personal 'police state' tactics; and
d) This will at least temporarily reduce public speaking events by Democrats and Trump critics, for concern over their own safety in 'revenge' attacks.
e) This has already caused purported ‘liberal’ media outlets to dial back their criticisms of the right wing actors, including particularly the hate-monger Charlie Kirk. Liberal media calls for peace and tolerance, the right-wing media calls for war on liberals.
We cannot stop communicating and speaking truth, though.
Let social media be a tool for Good, too... not just for hate and negativity.
Yes, Martin Kushler, exactly what I was concerned about and was the first thing I posted at the very moment the news broke. I compared the murder to the Gulf of Tonkin incident, the made up justification for getting into Viet Nam, but I should have compared it as I did above to the murder of vom Rath, a closer parallel. But my concern was that this murder would be used as a justification of all sorts of mischief, and the firing of TV commentators who were critical of Kirk, is one example of bad outcome. And I would reming everyone that there was no outpouring of fury over the assassinations of the Michigan legislator and her husband.
That's Minnesota not Michigan but otherwise you are spot on
Kirk's widow is directing her anger at the effect not the cause. Donald Trump is the malignancy that killed her husband, his disdain for our Democracy will end in the deaths of more yet to come.
The countenance that is Charlie Kirk’s fate as something we all should stop and give a moment of silence to, is frankly absurd!
First, he who lives by the sword… Secondly, though his children should not have been deprived of a father, this was done so using guns and the tools of violence donated by Kirk himself! Third, his wife is not so relieved of guilt! She has agency and was aligned with the forces that endorse gun violence! Fourth, that threats to the Black community were the automatic response by a broad spectrum of white racist America places where this nation rests in grand perspective. Fifth, that Donald Trump was “bloviating” within a second of that shooting should alert his following to the complications that may cloak this event! Sixth, with Kirk’s rise to power and presidential recognition, it becomes clear that “the call may be coming from inside the house. Seventh, political scientists as a manner of objective investigation, ask “who benefits”… and Stephen Miller and Israeli interests immediately enter the equation! Eighth, lest we forget the South African mafia bros, corporate America’s cementing of its power seat as the dollar makes its final descent into the sea and the even grander forces that, slightly though they may, are benefitted by this diversion, still represent “error terms” in this equation!
But mostly, the inept incapability of democrats (the loyal opposition) is the lynchpin here!
With all due respect to the “life force”, notions that democrats are culpable here is ludicrous! Democrats, long ago surrendered any power they might have had to lobbyists!
The “radical right” is an oxymoron as the positions of democrats have always represented center right ideology…at best!
Bernie Sanders and AOC are not even allowed to articulate the perspectives of centrist politics in any other “western faux democracy”! And Charles Schumer, Cory Booker and Hakeem Jeffries’ likenesses are currently being market tested as comic book heroes on Antarctica!
Kirk’s death also diverted attention away from Jeffrey Epstein and that consideration involves Democrats and Republicans “second team” players on both sides of the ball! Trump’s complicity is undeniable!
“Et tu Brute”…so let it be with Ceasar.
Yes, Trump is one giant filled pimple oozing pus on America
The rape of the country is programed in Project 2025, and Trump uses fear and anger to implement it. Make no mistake, there is design in what Trump does.
I always wondered how Hitler did it. How did he get a nation of good people to become brutal murderers? Now I see.
The felon is a true Russian, Putin asset! Make no mistake about it!
Well said, my friend!
Donald.......I agree with you 100%! trump IS the cause of the violence that is infecting this country! Until he stops his rhetoric and hateful speeches this violence will continue! And we know that will never happen until he is dead and buried and burning in hell!!
His minions must be so proud that such a competent intelligent white republican cis male killed him 😒no affirmative action there 😁
If blame were to blame anyone for Kirk's death, I would blame the President who spreads hate and divisiveness. He doesn't represent all Americans, just himself, his family, Republicans, and MAGA supporters. Also he has placed people around him that are just like him or worse.
He seems to have NO idea that “united we stand… divided we fall”
Project 2026
Win the Senate and House, Impeach and Prosecute
ORGANIZE ORGANIZE ORGANIZE!!!!!
ORGANIZE OVER THE COMMON GOOD DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM. JUST READ THE PLATFORM BULLET POINTS. ORGANIZE!!!!
ALLEGIANCE TO OUR PLATFORM AND THE CANDIDATE THAT PROMOTES OUR PLATFORM!
GOOGLE YOUR STATES DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM TO READ IT!
MAKE AMERICA GRATEFUL AGAIN!
The Democratic Platform IS the Preamble to Our Constitution
The Preamble
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
The Democratic Party should be the party of Interdependent voters..
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth (Official Audio)
🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸🙏🇺🇸
Many were those ho opposed the Preamble even back in the 18th century. Today, the architects of Project 2025 intend to do away with it. Catholic libertarians like Kirk believe that promoting the general welfare is not a legitimate function of government. We must ask Democratic candidates how they intend to promote the general welfare. It has to be done by constitutional means, which means by compromise.
True. We need to work it out. There are priority items to be addressed. There is also allowing that ambiguity in areas to have room for amendments. I have thoughts, like terms. They serve for 2-3 years and allowed to serve again later, if elected. And paid what other government public servants are paid. No backdoor benefits and bribes. That way we stop creating "rock star" status politicians! They are NOT our bosses, we are their bosses. They are not doing their LEGAL jobs.
IT'S TIME WE STOP ✋️
WHAT'S THAT SOUND 🤔
EVERYBODY LOOK 👀AT WHAT IS GOING DOWN.
Be safe, be smart, be peaceful, be kind, sing, be funny, dance, meet your friends, be brave, stand up for those who cannot, don't argue- that's pointless-be silent- it carries more weight in these moments. If someone is not behaving in a peaceful manner, sit down and isolate the instigator. Take cameras, not phones. And mostly remember your grand parents or great-grandparents survived a similar he'll so you could be here today. Make them proud. Do what you can today to fight fascism with your ❤️ Love.
Actually we need to demand our candidates to promote our Democratic Platform, not theirs. Our Platform is a Common Good Platform in writing already theirs is pretty vague most of the time. All they have to do is defer to Our Platform when others say we want to defund the police and other topics. It is already in writing! Tom Kurhajetz
Please can you expound on “interdependent voters”?
adjective. in·ter·de·pen·dent ˌin-tər-di-ˈpen-dənt. : dependent upon one another : mutually dependent. Working together for the Common Good that Robert Reich's The Common Good book speaks of. "We all do better when we all do better" the late MN US Senator Paul Wellstone. Independent voters only think of themselves. Interdependent voters think of all of us, unlike Greed Over People the GOP.
Ann it is like if you are in a boat with other people...since when is a leak at another persons location in the boat not your problem? The same goes for our daily lives we need to be 'interdependent' with/towards one another.
LOL! ...Lotsa luck.
It’s strange to my thinking that MAGA followers still think that Trump is their saviour. Here in England there is general agreement that Trump is an idiot; that feeling spans all political and social classes. We too have a migration problem.
I'm afraid that thinking does not span all political and social classes in England (and Wales). Trump, MAGA, Project 2025 are very much seen as blueprints for the far right here. The Heritage Foundation has hosted Farage, Truss etc. We have Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka 'Tommy Robinson') leading a far right march in London today. More and more, Conservative politicians are defecting to Reform and are saying things that they couldn't say before. They are encouraged and emboldened by what is happening in the US - where you have it much worse. The far right here will seize upon Kirk's murder and capitalise on it as only they know how.
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/sep/13/charlie-kirk-killing-invoked-bolster-uk-largest-far-right-rally-decades
Robinson and Farage are traitors. The latter has accepted large cryptocurrency donations from his old pal Putin. We have been in a state of undeclared war with the Russians since the 1920s save a few interludes 41 to 45, and 91 2003. They are deliberately trying to destabilise this country. This meeting should be banned. If they want to do online that's OK but big far right meetings should be banned. The disorder they cause is unacceptable.
Right now, we theoretically have the chance to stop Farage taking power, but here, as in the US (and elsewhere in Europe), the far right are well funded, organised, and very well connected from the wealthy backers at the top to the local, albeit loosely aligned, groups on the ground. Even if Reform don't win in the next general election, they will keep pushing until they've achieved their objectives, which they have the means and money to do. Money helps, but the messaging and the channels to propagate the message are penalty more important and anyone horrified by what is going on right now needs to realise this.
It's not just the fact they are on the right, it's the total absence of good ideas and policies that bother me. It's like me being voted to do brain surgery at my local hospital. Putting Farage in charge of anything fills me with dread. Perhaps we need a campaign to identify these people and reveal what they are up to. Russian money would not be given unless Putin had given permission. He has threatened this country with weapons of mass destruction many times. This message needs to be amplified. There other no doubt who should appear on this list.
You cannot simply ban extremists. Doing so will simply draw more people to being sympathetic and straining to make those views with empathy. When extremist values turn into openly aggressive actions, then they need to dealt with by the legal system even as difficult as that can be.
They overstepped the mark when they had a riot at the end and injured 26 policemen. Lets hope the courts deal severely with those who assaulted the police.
Agree with the idea that Farage and his ilk need to be investigated, scrutinised, and held to account. This used to be the role of the established media and there is clear evidence that the broadcast are failing to hold Reform to account in their coverage (and Reform will do all they can to evade accountability). The fragmentation and decline of traditional media is helping Reform (and they take full advantage of other forms of media, of course).
Banning extremists does risk driving up sympathies and helping rally people to the very cause you're trying to stem. The law, as it is being applied at the moment, seems to be a mess and is trying to catch up with this new landscape of expression and so-called free speech. Intentional incitement to violence should be dealt with by legal means, which on the face of it, are adequate to deal with the sort of offences that we've seen committed.
Truss has continuously maintained that her plans were sabotaged by the institutions and beliefs of the British civil servants. Cummings was planning to replace them all with his loyalists before he was fired. It is conceivable that centuries of experience is no longer relevant today but to replace that with the wisdom of Prime Minister Truss or Farage is a frightening idea!
Stephen,we in the US know he is an idiot.However 77 million people voted for him,even as a convicted felon and with a history of bankruptcies,business failures,rapes( Carroll). If you want the reason for his being elected,let's start with the tech billionaires,Wall Street who loves a " Nazi" as long as he gives them what they want. The financial markets love Trump because their are no regulations any longer,they are totally corrupt in every way.
Yes l wouldn’t disagree with any of that. Perhaps the market will in some way constrain him. I hope the vicious people appointed by Trump will eventually turn on each other and on him.
Stephen,I sure hope so,but if we expect any of his billionaire class buddies,his Wall Street( advocates for Nazis" ) supporters to change we may be very disappointed.There has to be a way to go on offense against this disgusting human trash.
We need to think about migration from the global south to the global north. In some form it has been going at an increasing rate for thousands of years. At the dawn of humanity seeking open lands with few other hominid competitors, leaving resource poor zones of climate change, leaving zones of warfare and struggle, looking for food and safety. What will happen if/when climate change leaves no refuge and regional wars leave no allies? This isn't somebodies' fault, it is real and urgent and global and local.
He is an idiot. And i fear bb has evidence on his pedophilia. Not to criticize usa now includes Dump unable to say usa! For US. He may be blackmailed and an idiot.
What they don't know is that Farage is a plonker too. He's just better at hiding it. Tice is even worse.
We know it. For sure.
The immigration problem is very real, but it's important not to over estimate it. The ones who come across the channel in small boats are about 5% of the total. It does need to be controlled as it is illegal immigration. Only those who are genuine refugees should be allowed to stay. The others will be done a big favour by going home. They have no idea how awful UK weather is for most of the year.
What Trump is saying is utter nonsense. Very typical of Trump to lie. I believe he is doing this to cause chaos so that attention is taken away from the Epstein files. But that’s not going to happen. He is a 34x felon and he is an adjudicated rapist.
The direction of political violence in this country starts on the right and lands on the left. Not the other way around. Just like it was a MAGA who shot Charlie Kirk. Then, with Trump fanning the flames of hatred, the right blames it on the left with no evidence. The left has been attacked by the right for years in this country. And even Donald Trump‘s FBI statistics bears this out.
Trump always blames the left. I doubt that he even understands what "the left" stands for. He represents the right. Hatred is his motto. If you aren't with him you are the enemy. How did America get to this point? What is our future with trump? War will be inevitable. Trump has no idea what he is doing or what he is destroying, and he DOES NOT CARE! He is in charge and what happens will be his fault, but he does not believe anything bad will happen!
I think a lot of the problem with Trump is that he doesn't view himself as the president of the entire US, but rather as the leader of the MAGA movement. Hence, anyone not with him is against him and he has the right to run rough-shod over them. I doubt that he even views non-MAGA as being human beings or even worth considering. He takes a wrecking ball approach to anything associated with the non-MAGA or that is not in accordance with his belief system. He is the true "bull in the china shop" that doesn't have the mental capacity to understand the damage he is inflecting. Nor does he care since he has never been held to account. And, the Supreme Court is highly responsible for contributing to this attitude. Where in the hell did they come up with the Unitary Executive theory? These so called "originalists"? The Constitution doesn't prescribe such a concept, but provides for checks and balances among the 3 branches of government. The Supreme Court is essentially trying to crown a king. No wonder Trump is on such a rampage. And, the big joke is on the MAGA. Trump is aligned with the super-rich and doesn't consider the MAGA as human beings either, except to hood-wink them in order to remain in power.
Bingo 🎯
Here's the sort story: the US is full of angry loners, psychopaths, and religious fanatics, all fed a nonstop stream of hate from social media, who are armed to the teeth. The vast majority of violence barely clears the threshold of political, mostly its just insane. However, when it is political, its usually Right Wing, but only in the sense that Right Wing is associated with racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. Anywhere else, this wouldn't really be an ideology, but in the US, thats the current GOP.
Agree
I guarantee that Trump is ecstatic over diversion from tge Epstein files, and we need to keep E-P-S-T-E-I-N at the forefront of Trump's diseased mind as soon and as much as possible.
Linda,100%
Concerning Charlie Kirk’s death, Donald Trump reaps what he has sawn. Trump is to condemn . He has turned the US society against each other. He and his vice president are both the worst president and the worst vice president!
Violence in America is now ubiquitous. The right to carry guns and the fascist movement has made gun violence an every day occurance. Every school child subjected to active shooter drills. That alone causes anxiety in every child. Imagine being told there is the possibility that someone will come into the classroom and start shooting at you. How would your childhood innocence be affected? Meanwhile, the rest of the population has begun to believe that gun violence is inevitable. this so-called president of ours is bound and determined to put armed military in the streets of our cities and spend our tax money rounding up and mistreating as many Spanish speaking people in our midst as is possible. We are all daily witnessing what is essentially kidnapping by armed, masked men and women in our cities and towns. It’s yet again another example from which we learn violence.
Imagine having drills where you hide under your desk because the USSR or China is going to drop a nuclear bomb on you...? That was part of school when I was young. Same trauma to the psyche.
Man's inhumanity to man still goes on. In the 60s there were many assinations, and I hope we mirrir Reagan's humor when he told Nancy "Honey, I forgot to duck."
Hate, rage, othering groups via racism, politics, sexism, or other characteristics is not the way forward, but backward.
Trump saying that Putin's incursion into Polish airspace "seems like "a Europe thing" is cold and ignorant. And lacking in ability to abide by our country's agreements, but the actions and words of a faithless, disloyal fool.
Karen - That is the reality for the children in Ukraine just because the leader of Russia wants their land. That’s the reality other countries close to Israel live with. It’s not okay what these dictators are doing and if T keeps bombing indiscriminately we will once again be forced to do those drills again.
It does sound terrifying...but the bomb was never dropped, thankfully. Today we have school shootings almost daily.
December 1951 Boomer here, and I can remember the air raid drills we would have when I was in elementary school. I remember distinctly big black shades over the huge classroom windows. The sirens from the local fire station would sound, the shades would be pulled down, and we would be told to get under our desks and be silent until the sirens were finished. In fact, my elementary school was a bona fide bomb shelter. This was in Suburban philadelphia, by the way. Although I don't remember being particularly terrified, I didn't like the sound of sirens, and I still don't.
We did regular bomb drills and crouched under our desks. I knew by third grade those drills were worthless. During the Cuban crisis we were told we would go under the school and we had enough water from the swimming pool to survive at least 2 weeks. Such stupidity to tolerate and tell fairy tales about nuclear war.
I didn't think I was still capable of shock, but I was shocked to read that Kirk said the death of school children was the price we had to pay for the second amendment. The rest of what you write, Gail, is a repeat of what happened in Nazi Germany to the dissenters and the Jews, roundups and concentrations camps.
gail,this is who we are now. All those who voted for Harris,but are not particpating in rallies,protests,are not helping.
What can you really say about this ignorant lame brain idiot president? Nobel Prize, hell no. Hate prize, absolutely!
What I can say is he is a psychopath. Lots of people have called him different forms of narcissist - I draw the line at killing people and he has certainly orchestrated the killing of many innocent people while pardoning violent criminals.
Nice speech, Donald. More incoherent babbling from a demented maniac, although I'm glad he gave us credit for being "politically savvy."
On a more cheerful note, I guess Dr. Reich must be in my head these days because I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with him and asking about his illustrious career. The stories were getting really good but then I woke up. Oh well!
Wow. A good dream. I had a disturbing flashback, flicker of deja vu of a dream I had some time ago about a sinister, destructive martyr. It was the Kirk assassination that brought it up. I have some history with precognitive dreams. This was not good.
I used to get dream premonitions, and they usually were slightly ominous, and later had a deja vu moment when they later came true. Haven't had them in a long time, which is, I think, good. I chalked those up to "God wants to tell me that He exists". He needs to work harder now. But give me something good for a change. BTW, to end on a humorous note, we had someone at my last job, whose last name was Deja and another named Vu. I thought they should have gotten married and hyphenated their names.
Canadian here. Events with hate speech are against the law in Canada. If someone hurls racist insults at another person, or damages property with hate graffiti, Canadians are shocked and take lawful action. We have gun control. I would be absolutely shocked to the core to see a gun or rifle in Metro Vancouver, BC. I have seen an officer with a gun drawn some years ago. I did see a police officer running and carrying a rifle years ago in Edmonton, Alberta. VERY shocking to see that. We do have prejudice and hate in Canada. We are not perfect, but we are not at all like the USA.
That Canadian control fits in with Fara Dabhoiwala's new book "What is Free Speech" that questions its history and suggests that the First Amendment was a mistake. Interesting reviews and article in the "Guardian" about the thesis.
For those who want to check it out: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674987319
Thanks. The book goes pretty far in one direction, insisting that the idea of free speech was devised by people less high-minded than one would expect. The review in the Guardian quotes the author who writes that we've come to the point of abolishing “any constraint on hateful or otherwise discriminatory speech. Nowadays American Nazis, antisemites, racists and other spreaders of group hatred shelter behind the first amendment. American media companies proudly follow the same principles, and export them around the globe, with predictable results.” I took away from the reviews that other countries have some reasonable constraints on speech since it's not true that "words can never harm me."
Words can traumatize (or retraumatize) and do much harm for sure. I have a sense that Poo Tin has used free speech in America to plant seeds of controversy, anger and conflict. Smouldering fires at the ready if you will…ready to start blazes. My sense is that he has committed acts-of-war-like—behaviour-with-mis/disinformation-and-propaganda against America and other countries without firing any shots. Several main bad actors in America seem to have connection to Rush-ah. With funds that went to the Freedumb Conv0y Truckers in Canada, the flow of money suddenly stopped when Ukra!ne was invaded and sanctions were put on money from Rush-ah. Some of the cash came through the US, but the flow of money stopped with the sanctions against Rush-an and key Rush-an persons. Likely an attempt to destabalize the government of Canada. As former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the protesters did not want to talk, they wanted to be obeyed. Pretty obvious from their behaviour on social media.
No time to check it out, but freedom of speech which harms others is not okay. A people have the right to feel safe and to be free from hate and prejudice. Words can do a lot of harm. Words have a nasty way of escalating and becoming physical harm as we have seen with recent events. My right to say what I want can not and should not bring harm to someone else.
Sharon,that is why Timothy Snyder @ Yale and some of his colleagues moved to Toronto.I think many more reasonable,concerned Americans would,just don't know if he Canadians want us.
Canadians are accepting of Americans who are fleeing what is happening. There are TikToks which have been made by Americans who have recently made the move to Canada. The simple everyday things which they speak of which give them relief and peace in being here in Canada are of note. They feel safe. I am not sure what one needs in order to move to Canada. I hope our government will welcome all who are facing discrimination and persecution. Canadians are not going to discriminate against someone who has come to Canada because they are American. If they start spewing the worst of beliefs which most followers of Robert would not agree with, those beliefs won’t be accepted. Our boycotts of American products etc are due to the actions of US leaders, they are not out of anger at Americans. If you can get here, do so. You will find peace and acceptance. Health care professionals for example are being welcomed with open arms. I sure hope we can take researchers and scientists so they can carry on their important work.
I live in Metro Vancouver, BC. It is a great place to live. All of Canada is great but our climate in Metro Vancouver is mild with rare snow. If you can get to Canada, come.
Charlie Kirk was killed by a lone gunman, who was raised in a conservative, Republican family, who had a affinity for guns, and probably had (though not known at this time) mental health issues. The free and easy access to guns killed Kirk. He would disagree, because people kill people. Not true. Unstable people with access to guns kill people, from Kirk to Sandy Hook, and thousands of real people with families who have died as a result. The refusal to regulate gun sales, refusal to restrict ownership, is a kind of madness, and Charlie Kirk promoted the very madness that killed him. Going along with the madness about second amendment rights (a misinterpretation of the right to bear a musket in a well regulated militia), is a belief in Manifest Destiny, white, male supremacy, and the superiority of mind inherent in rich white men who demonstrate the survival of the fittest. Yes, we should celebrate and respect Charlie Kirk's belief that public debate with your opponents is good civil discourse, but we absolutely do not have to agree with any of the positions he espoused. Hatred of the "other" (blacks, native people, LGBTQ+ people, people of other cultural or linguistic backgrounds), rejection of sound science about health and the environment, and support of economics that rejects diversity, equity and inclusion, should have exposure for what it is. It is the opposite of what we should seek. Murder of anyone is wrong, so let's try to prevent it happening, and the best way is to restrict access to guns.
Professor Reich and Heather Lofthouse: well, not that you asked, but i am not okay. i've been so disoriented and suspicious and yes, afraid, that i find it a challenge to stop writing (or reading) to leave the house for for my daily 10K steps / touch grass time. basically, i'm afraid all the time of mostly everything anymore. i'm afraid to go to sleep because of my terrible nightmares. i'm afraid to wake up because i have no idea what state of the world will be and what new reality i'll have to face.
the murder of charlie kirk -- and especially the reaction, both nationally and internationally -- is so confusing, especially because there was a school shooting at almost the same time. why is charlie kirk's murder featured as not only the TOP STORY on BBC News, but the TOP FOUR STORIES? BBC News has a lot of problems these days, starting with relevancy. the only reason they featured charlie kirk as front page news yesterday, i think it was, is because they are greedy fucks who are trying to cash in on the shock waves shaking the USA. and the NY Yankees paying tribute to charlie kirk? WHUUUT? if i'm not mistaken, charlie kirk hated the yankees. and a posthumous medal of honour? omg. this is just too much, especially seeing that charlie kirk outraged the orange rapist just two days prior to his murder by publicly demanding that the complete unredacted Epstein files be released.
needless to say, i totally agree with you, professor reich, that the boundless rage and violence of the little gun-carrying people is the camouflage that the greedy class is using and promoting and actively feeding to allow them to divide and enslave us all. so much for ameriKKKa being "the land of the free and the home of the brave."
THISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHISTHIS
Trump is a sociopath whose bread and butter is sowing chaos and division.
Trump is not unlike other demagogues in history who succeed because particular socioeconomic situations, like massive inequality, propel existing prejudices to their breaking point.
Kirk was a troll and rabid hater, like his mirror image, Trump, so I hold no sympathy for him; however, I do have great empathy and sympathy for the victims of his malevolence.
It's also very hypocritical that those who criticize Kirk's embrace of hatred are now themselves under fire, since Kirk's belief in "free speech"(or his peculiar version of free speech) should allow such critiques.
Our nation was founded on hate, genocide and slavery, and while there have been periods of mitigation in our nation's history, the pendulum of animus always swings back more powerfully, because the principles of democracy have seldom been thoroughly embraced.
The man who defended all guns all the time was murdered by a young person with a gun.
Psychiatrists and psychologists have this word: "over-determined." One of the first principles in their training is that all mental illness is "over-determined." "Over-determined" is just their professional jargon or adjective for something that has more than one cause. Jargon or not, it may useful to start with the principle that American political violence, like mental illness, is "over-determined." American political violence may, in fact, be so over-determined that there will never be a complete and therefore satisfactory explanation for it.
So, how do we tackle American political violence if we can't fully understand the roots of the problem? By treating the pathways for political violence, principally guns, money, and media, Guns - that's obvious and doesn't require a lot of explanation, Money is a little more nuanced, but not much. When money determines elections more than votes (i.e., expressions of i/equally-valued individual opinions), then assassination may become the fringe response to a general mood of disenfranchisement. After all, Jefferson wrote, more or less, that the Tree of Liberty was watered by the Blood of Tyrants and became a fellow-traveler of the French Revolution. So, down with Citizens' United!
Finally, what about media? I don't so much mean social media, a field, like guns and gun control, that has been plowed so often that it's dried up and blown away. I'm thinking more about entertainment media and its prevailing meme of "redemptive violence." TV cops, and there are a lot of them, typically resolve their weekly problems when they blow the bad guys away. The body count is usually even higher (and less realistic) in old-time Westerns, Sometimes a little sadism is mixed in for fun. As Dirty Harry once said, "make my day." The truth is, violence solves nothing and can only be rationalized as self-defense in its most exact, narrow, and legal definition. In an era saturated with depictions of redemptive violence for fun and profit on TV and movies (and video games), how do we get that message across? If we could, there might less political violence it the future.
I lived through JFK etc. also, and as I listened to this, remembering, it occurred to me that because we are essentially in a leaderless time, that signals what is coming: a new time when we are our own leaders and those in "leader" roles are "servant leaders." It is a huge societal transformation to a time of equality we have never known. I think/hope that is what is being born.
Robert, we do have a leader--YOU!