Column: I really didn’t want to go there, but I know I have to
By Dan Kontos
It was my full intention to just let things run their course. I didn’t want to comment, even though I have a lot to say. My charge at the Metro Wire is to keep things hyperlocal, so I try.
The murder of Charlie Kirk was a shock to me. However, I kept my comments to myself. This story of international significance was a stretch from the familiar pattern of following the local zoning updates in Stevens Point or tracing water and sewer laterals in Plover. So, I kept my comments to myself.
When my parish priest said that he was going to read an encyclical from the Diocese one Sunday rather than give his usual sermon, I asked why. He said that because his head was not in the “right place” after seeing some of his parishioners spew hate online over the death of another human being, I was taken aback. But still, I kept my comments to myself.
Let’s leave the politics out of this for just a few minutes. A man, an innocent man, was assassinated in cold blood for merely speaking out with his opinions. He was shot in the neck, in front of hundreds of people, leaving behind a wife and two small children. Reprehensible evil was perpetrated that day on a Utah college campus where he was invited to come and speak.
Continuing to leave the politics out of it for just a few more moments, the mere act of murdering another human being is wrong, and there is no moral justification for it; period. If you can’t acquiesce to that viewpoint, then you might as well move on – because I fear that there is no getting through to you.
So, what made me change my mind and speak out on this? Well, some of you did.
If you are a regular reader of my columns, you know the disdain I have for social media. But many well-meaning people are on there, and regularly share posts of interest with me. It’s a blessing and a curse at the same time.
This is where it gets local. Some of my neighbors, fellow community members, and even a past colleague felt that it was necessary to spew hatred and lies about this calamity. They cheered on the slaying and justified it with vitriol-laced slanders and half-truths taken out of context. People who should have known better celebrated the slaughter of a fellow citizen. So, I can’t just sit back in silence any longer. Why? Because their actions disgust me.
Anyone who celebrates the execution of another person for merely saying things that you disagree with is nauseating. This was a family man, a Godly man, and someone who represented many of the views of millions of people.
One local elected official, known throughout the area, whose office is predicated on an unbiased and non-partisan atmosphere, decided that it was good to celebrate the Kirk murder, and as a natural consequence, cheer the behavior on. A friend. A former colleague. Someone whom I respect and like (though it’s a struggle nowadays). I am so disappointed.
The post has since come down. At least there is that, but the damage to reputation has been done.
Pedestrian reprobates on Facebook and X/Twitter will always spew their hatred at things that they cannot control and that overwhelm their tiny capacity to have rational thoughts, let alone rational discussions. Did you see the one about the online coven that cursed Kirk and caused his death? There is something not right with these people.
From these buffoons, I anticipate that kind of drivel. However, I expect better of our local representatives. Shame on you.
Time to get political? No, not quite yet.
You see, it’s a staple of American society to be able to speak freely, to exchange ideas, to strive to convince your fellows that your ideas are superior to theirs. We expect courteous and civil exchanges, though voicing those opinions with strength and enthusiasm is certainly permitted.
I have listened to the miscreants who try to justify the actual violence against their political and social opponents. I have yet to hear one articulable and attributable fact that would even hint at a rationalization for this repulsive act. Not one direct quote, taken in full context, has been offered. Oh, there are accusations of hate speech, inciting violence, racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, anti-immigrant, and that Charlie Kirk hates puppies. Well, maybe not the puppy part, but you get the point. None of which is ever backed up with actual facts.
Now on to the politics. It seems to me that the world dynamic has shifted away from the familiar, yet sophomoric, view of right and left, to one more fundamental. That of right and wrong, good versus evil, Patriots versus the hate-America crowd. Call it what you will. I know many of you see the same thing. You tell me all the time, and I agree.
Why is it that the radical America-haters are the ones using violence when their big-boy words evade them? You don’t see the rest of us doing that. Charlie Kirk, President Donald Trump, Representative Steve Scalise, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Mayor Craig Greenberg, etc. All targets of political violence are from the lunatic radical fringe.
What’s worse, many prominent Americans cheer on the behavior, calling law enforcement Nazis, our elected officials dictators, and the mere act of protecting the Homeland is akin to Gestapo tactics. This only fans the flames of hatred and division.
Oh, but the arguments of whataboutism say that it happens on both sides. Bull. There is no equivalency, in fact or morally. I’m tired of your worn-out tropes and your blatant untruths. Enough. I’m not listening anymore, and neither is a growing segment of society.
Normally, I try to make it a routine to hyperlink important references in my columns, so that you can see that my opinions have a basis in fact. Today I will do no such thing. I don’t want to give the lunatics and haters a bigger stage.
However, I will provide two links for you. This first one is the definition of the word mumpsimus, which refers to a stubborn person who insists on making an error in spite of being shown that it is wrong. Some of you need to take a good, long look in the mirror.
The other is Turning Point USA’s donation page. Charlie Kirk was the co-founder and executive director of that organization, which promoted local conservative campus organizations across the country. Support the work that Charlie loved to do. A few bucks can go a long way when we act together.
Perhaps I should have just bit my tongue, but for some of us, we are all Charlie Kirk now. That means speaking the truth, no matter how loud the witless scream. I hope some of them can still come around before it’s too late. I admit that I am far, far from perfect, but as a community, we are better than this.
So, with that, let’s meet in the opinion section to talk about all of it, boldly, honestly, with an appreciation for the actual truth, and with a healthy respect for each other. Until then, remember that God loves you, and so do I. It’s hard some days, but I do try.
“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” -Luke 6:27-28 (NKJV)