Today, right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed because, apparently, someone disagreed with his opinions on political and social issues.
Because of disagreement over words, an American is dead, an American who had a wife and children, who are now without a husband and father… Because of a disagreement over words.
Anyone who listens to my show knows that I disagree with Charlie Kirk on political and social issues. I have openly talked about those disagreements on the air. But today, I passionately denounce this tragic act of violence that has resulted in his death.
When a tragedy occurs, people instinctively react by blaming the other side. After I announced the breaking news on my show that Charlie Kirk had been shot, a woman called into my show. She said that maybe, if I didn’t refer to Kirk as a “radical,” the shooting would not have taken place. But it was wrong for her to suggest that my calling Charlie Kirk a “radical” might have contributed to the shooting.
The fact is, by definition, Charlie Kirk was a right-wing radical based on the definition of the word “radical, which means to support political and social reform.
Charlie Kirk was a conservative activist. He didn’t just talk about the issues; he wanted people to change their ways, and he wanted to change America. That is the definition of being radical and activist.
Activists promote change, and that’s okay. Charlie Kirk had every right to promote change.
I disagreed with Kirk on many things, from his stance on Christian Nationalism to his take on January 6th to his views on abortion. We disagreed. But Charlie Kirk did not deserve to die.
The shooter, who, as I write this, is not in custody, is someone who felt compelled to take action on his disagreement with Kirk, and he calculated the opportunity to kill him. That is the antithesis of everything that’s supposed to make this country great.
America was founded on disagreement. The Constitution grants us the right to disagree, even with the President. That is a fundamental right.
Spoken words are invisible; they fly around in the air, and we hear them. No one should ever resort to violence over disagreement. The problem today is that too many Americans make their political beliefs a part of who they are to the point where if you say something they disagree with, you are personally attacking them. We all should be able to disagree while debating and then go on living our lives.
I am paid to talk about the issues in the news and to express my opinions, but when I get off the air, unless I am preparing for the next show, I am living my life without the influence of my political opinions.
I do not carry my political opinions into my life outside of my work. But politics has become such a defining aspect of our individual personas that disagreement has become more than disagreement; people take disagreement as personal attacks. Well, it should not be that way, and this is a moment for us to collectively denounce any threat of violence over spoken or written words.
I have personally received threats because of my opinions, and this is not acceptable. Without sharing details, I have to watch myself because of some of the things that have been said as a result of people disagreeing with my opinions. I’ve also been close to those who have been victims of political violence.
Related
In 1984, talk show host Alan Berg of KHOW—the station I was on in Denver—was killed.
Berg was a liberal talk show host expressing his views during the campaign year in which Ronald Reagan won reelection. Those were tense times, and the divide between the right and the left was tangible. A conservative listener disagreed with Berg’s opinions and shot and killed him.
It doesn’t matter if it's a local radio host or the world’s biggest conservative media personality, political violence is wrong.
So, as much as I disagreed with Charlie Kirk, I am deeply saddened today over his death. Charlie Kirk had a right to express his opinions on a college campus, and because of those opinions, he is dead. His wife no longer has a husband; his children no longer have a father.
This is a tragically sad day in America, and it is our responsibility to denounce this in the strongest terms.