The list of speakers for Charlie Kirk’s funeral has been released:
- President Trump,
- Vice President Vance,
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio,
- White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles,
- Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller,
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth,
- Health & Human Services Secretary RFK, Jr.
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard,
- Director of White House Presidential Personnel Sergio Gor.
Let’s ignore Charlie Kirk’s views for the moment, or better yet, let’s pretend we all agree about everything he said and believed.
Now explain to me why all 9 of these people holding the highest offices in the country are taking the time to fly to Arizona to attend, let alone speak, at the funeral of…………….a podcaster.
I understand that outrage and the ensuing publicity is too much for any politician to resist. I even understand trying to use a tragedy like this to try to make what they believe to be positive changes, so that his loss was not in vain. What I don’t understand is giving a state funeral that rivals that of an assassinated President to a…….podcaster.
I want to be clear. I do not, in any way, mean to devalue Charlie Kirk’s life, or suggest his death doesn’t matter as much as a “more important person”. I am not talking about Charlie Kirk as the man he was, I am questioning the response to the passing of someone in that type of role, by this level of high-ranking Government Officials.
It’s not as if things like this have not happened before. If you think about it, there are similarities to the death and loss of John Lennon. He was killed because a man didn’t like his lifestyle, his influence on people or his boast that the “Beatles were bigger than Jesus”.
I cannot imagine what the rest of the world is thinking as they watch the President, his Cabinet and at least 1/4 of the population basically make Charlie Kirk out to be Jesus Christ himself, and then immediately start “avenging” their slain Messiah, as if we are in the midst of another 9/11 because of the death of……….a podcaster.
I do not agree with almost anything that Charlie Kirk stood for. I hated the influence he had over so many College age kids. I hated almost everything that came out of his mouth. But I believe he had the right to think it, say it, advocate for it peacefully. I don’t think he was an evil or opportunistic person, rather I think he genuinely believed these things due to his strong adherence to his Christian faith.
I am horrified that he was murdered for what he believed in and peacefully advocated for. I understand he said a lot of inflammatory things that “put the target on him” But I refuse to accept the excuse “he brought this on himself”, blaming HIM for being murdered for publicly talking about these things as a……..podcaster
I am horrified that he was murdered on live TV, images that will haunt and follow his loved ones for the rest of their lives. I feel nothing but sympathy and sadness for his wife and children. They did not deserve to lose their Husband and Father because he spoke about things some people didn’t like. I completely understand the outpouring of shock, grief and sympathy from most people. EVERYONE should feel that way, this was such a terrible thing to happen to a young family and all who loved him.
I am horrified by anyone that is in any way celebrating his death or condoning his murder. I don’t care if you agreed with him or not, the murder of anyone should never be a celebratory event. It is possible not to like someone, or their point of view, not feel a personal loss while at the same time being saddened that a life was taken in this way and that a family is suffering. These are NOT mutually exclusive.
However…..
I am also horrified by the death of this man being weaponized and used as a justification for pushing a political agenda through. Not because I don’t support the agenda (spoiler: I don’t), but because it turns a truly tragic loss into nothing more than an obscene spectacle. Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered in their own home for having different values and beliefs than the man that killed them. She was a Minnesota State Representative, a wife, a mother. She was assassinated as well. I don’t recall the swift government response, the Presidential motorcade escorting her to final resting place. I didn’t see a crackdown on anything. I saw no record of the President, Vice President or any Cabinet members attending the funeral, let alone speaking at it. I do not believe Green cards and Visas were in jeopardy for immigrants that posted negative things about her or the way she died. The flag was not lowered at the White House, and in fact, President Trump just recently briefly suggested that he was “not familiar with her.
And here’s the thing…………I’m not even suggesting they should have been. What I am trying to illustrate is that this over-the-top Government response to Charlie Kirk’s death, clearly shows that this has nothing to do with violence, the true horror of being at risk of losing your life for simply speaking, or for showing proper respect for the loss of life. They saw an opportunity to advance their agenda, and they took it. The true irony here is their effort to clamp down on free speech is the very antithesis of who Charlie Kirk was. He travelled the country espousing his beliefs and said, “Prove Me Wrong”; he ENCOURAGED free speech.
There are many parts of the President’s agenda that I do not support, that I find reprehensible, and I will admit that I struggle to fully understand why so many do support it. Do I wish things would change and they will start to see it the way I do? Absolutely! But I also 100% support their right not to.
I have many family members and friends who are Republicans. There are family members and friends who are die-hard MAGA-Nation supporters. I cannot tell you the number of times I have been angered by things they have said or posted or shocked to find out about. I have friends and family who are part of the Democratic and Independent parties, some who are supporters of the far-left agenda. I have been equally angered and shocked by things they have said or posted.
And yet? I have blocked no one, I have cut off no one, I have silenced no one. I’m all for arguing and debating, but I’m not for attempting to force my iron will on anyone. I like to hear all sides of things, try to view things from other perspectives, to try to understand, not sit in judgement.
Charlie Kirk’s murder should have been a unifying moment for a fractured nation. Everyone should have dropped their “Team Jerseys” like we did on 9/11 and come together to call out for an end to political violence and censorship, of such an “us vs them” mentality that is ripping this nation apart at the seams. This should have been a bipartisan moment, where we finally found a list that we could agree upon:
1.) Murder is wrong,
2.) Political violence is not acceptable,
3.) Free speech is a right that must be protected.
Instead, this Administration chose to let it be a divisive event, further exacerbating the volatile times we are living through.
To all who supported and loved Charlie: friends, family, fans – I am truly sorry for your loss. I see and hear your grief and anger, and I understand why you are so upset. To all who didn’t support Charlie, but are horrified by what has happened, who grieve for his young family, I see and hear you as well. There are so many more of us than the small faction of hateful individuals who celebrate this reprehensible act.
Our collective grief has the potential to pull us closer together, to help us find some middle ground instead of remaining on the fringes. Partisan anger will only lead to more grief. Let’s make Charlie Kirk’s tragic loss a unifying moment, a time to look at one another with fresh eyes and turn the focus onto the things we have in common and agree about, instead of only our differences. Then, Charlie will not have died in vain but instead provided the path to National healing.
