Unity, Forgotten
Revenge and retribution are now at the black heart of American politics
Lest we forget.
Today is the anniversary of the terrorist attacks that, for a time, unified our nation. Twenty-four years after 9/11 another American tragedy is a cautionary reminder of how much our country has changed. This time, we are being torn apart rather than united. The circumstances are not the same, not even close, but the assassination of Charlie Kirk, a young conservative, in broad daylight, in a public square, has given oxygen to a political firestorm — providing many Americans yet another reason to be angry at each other.
As someone who has witnessed his share of political violence, I can testify that it seldom achieves the intended goals. It was, and will always be, wrong. I was in Dallas when our young president was gunned down. I covered the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and too many other horrific political crimes to recall. But there was always one constant: we knew that we would get through it. We had each others’ backs. Somehow, collectively as a nation, we would move forward, together. This time, we can’t be sure. So much has changed in how we Americans feel about one another.
In 2001 social media was in its infancy. There was no Facebook, Twitter or TikTok. Do yourself a favor, steer clear of those sites today. The anger and hate that comes from anonymously spewed invectives is helping no one. Too few people are heeding the precaution, “think before you post.” Too many others just don’t give a damn.
Donald Trump, who needs no excuse to rant, used the murder of his friend Kirk to blame the “radical left” for the crime. This was not an effort for a unifying moment and it gave tacit permission for his MAGA followers to flood social media with threats of violence and hate.
It also doesn’t help that anchors for a supposed news network wondered aloud about retaliation for Kirk’s death. “They are at war with us. Whether we want to accept it or not, they are at war with us. And what are we going to do about it?,” intoned Fox “News” host Jesse Watters. “We?”
MAGA influencer Laura Loomer posted, “We must shut these lunatic leftists down. Once and for all. The Left is a national security threat.”
Keep in mind that as of this writing, we don’t know the motive for Kirk’s murder, and no suspect has been arrested. Still, fingers are being pointed and blame laid, while many of Trump’s supporters are not waiting for evidence and facts to render their verdict.
It’s a sign of our divided times that many in our country probably have no idea who Charlie Kirk is. Social media algorithms keep Kirk and his brand of in-your-face Trump support out of the feeds of most who are not professed MAGA. Still, for as much as the political class is consumed with the latest outrage, I believe many good-hearted Americans on both sides of the political spectrum are too worried about their everyday lives to be all-in on right vs. left. They’re more concerned with the price of groceries and their children’s health.
Suffice it to say, Kirk was one of, if not the most, influential young MAGA voices. It is not appropriate at this moment to delve into what he believed or recount what many people consider the spewing of dangerous,racist and toxic rhetoric. We need to take the temperature down. Whatever you think of his politics, he was out there talking, debating, taking all comers, embracing one of the great tenets of American democracy: free speech, the free exchange of ideas. He didn’t deserve to die because of what he professed.
Neither did the Democratic state legislator in Minnesota, or the Israeli embassy workers in Washington, D.C. Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul didn’t deserve to be assaulted in his own home. A police officer didn’t deserve to be killed and workers at the CDC in Atlanta didn’t deserve to be terrorized by a gunman who sprayed their building with automatic rifle fire. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro didn’t deserve to have his home fire bombed in an attempted assassination. There are so many examples, too many.
Someone in a leadership position needs to step up and say “stop.” The Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, should be applauded for acknowledging the need to “disagree better.” At a press conference after the shooting, he said, “Our nation is broken.” For those who “celebrated, even a little bit, at the news of this shooting, I would beg you to look in the mirror, and to see if you can find a better angel in there somewhere.”
Does anyone have the courage to do better? We’re waiting.
The hope is that somehow, some way, responsible and reasonable voices will win out. As those online algorithms dole out more and more extreme content, hyperpolarization is the unfortunate consequence. Now, for some, that polarization is manifesting into political violence. And sadly, pushing many to jump to conclusions that fit their own political agenda.
One does not have to agree with his politics to mourn Charlie Kirk's death; but more importantly, to mourn what has happened to our nation. We all, in the spirit of 9/11, must keep striving for the ideal of “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
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Dan
Dan, I hear you on the longing for unity, but this is where we have to tell the truth.
Charlie Kirk wasn’t just “debating and taking all comers.” He was running a national hit list that put professors in danger, and he built a career out of stoking the very anger that’s boiling over now. Calling for unity without naming what we’re uniting around just papers over the damage.
You’re right that political violence is never the answer. But so is the slow-motion violence of harassment, doxxing, and intimidation that Kirk normalized. When we lower the temperature, we can’t also lower the accountability.
Blessed be the peacemakers who don’t confuse “both sides” with justice, and who insist that unity starts with telling the truth about how we got here.
“One does not have to agree with his politics to mourn Charlie Kirk's death; but more importantly, to mourn what has happened to our nation. We all, in the spirit of 9/11, must keep striving for the ideal of “one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Truth.