It raises the question: Why are non-leftists more anxious about losing leftist friends, than leftists are about categorically dismissing friends who've come out of the closet and declared themselves as something other than cookie-cutter leftists? An old N.Y.C. joke went like this: What best defines one-tenth-of-a-second? That's the time between a traffic light turning green and the taxi behind you laying on his horn. Today, you could add the time it takes a leftist to drop a now-discovered rightist as a friend!
On the money, Brian. Right out of Saul Alinsky’s playbook. They further divide people based on race, income, religion and sexual orientation.
How many times a day do we hear on the right that we are Nazis, fascists etc.? Hey, here’s one; MANY on the left are Traitors and Atheists. That’s right, they despise our country, mock our faith and seek our downfall as a country.
They typically use tactics of intimidation, bullying, threats of violence, name calling, boycotting, and canceling us professionally, all in order to promote their agenda.
Yes, and public sector unions (SEIU, Teamsters and others) are the enforcement (muscle) arm of the Democrats. When all else fails, they bring in the stormtroopers, AKA Antifa.
The murder of Charlie Kirk was a watershed moment and game changer for many people.
Enough is enough. Time to stand up and speak out against this evil and wicked cabal, just like a 100,000 people did yesterday in Phoenix.
Hello LT, it has already gone down right here in Santa Barbara as you say>>
"Enough is enough. Time to stand up and speak out against this evil and wicked cabal, just like a 100,000 people did yesterday in Phoenix." Complete with targeting the Truth-Sayers.
Understand that it's not only conservatives under attack from the Left. Anyone and Everyone right of far left is subject to being publicly shamed and villified for even questioning the DNC script. For that reason, I left the Democrat Party in 2015. Like many here, I've been accused -- publicly -- of being racist, homophobic, fascist, all the terms from their playbook. Because I asked (not demanded) that the Pledge of Allegiance be returned to SBCC's trustees' meetings, I was screamed at during lawful public comment and called a white nationalist. Like many of you, I lost friends and former colleagues. My own son was derided by local Dems for daring to endorse his mother in my bid for a trustees seat, a non-partisan race. I never changed, my party did. They allowed thugs to take it over, people who despise our country, its history, culture, its Constitution.
Celeste, that is very well stated. I was a Democrat for many years ( ha, ha, child of the 70s, so, of course). The party is now unrecognizable. It is so awful you were treated that way for simply asking that the board of a government-funded institution indicate their allegiance (and gratitude) to the Constitution….. ( much less being called stupid names). it is just horrible..
An aside at SBCC. They asked the property owners to extend the tax so they could get 100 million for the new athletic facility and other things. The measure passed. Within a month the sports facility was under construction. It shows that the design and planning had moved forward months to years before, not based on the vote. It shows dishonesty.
That is all true. The voters guide lists all the projects to be considered, over seventy. The list begins with classroom rennovation, upgrades to labs, investment in vocational programs, parking lots, etc,. Hidden much further down and near the end of the list, the PE building.It was all legal, because the language states that the list is in no particular order. Here is what voters were presented:
Nice summary Brian. Our congressman Salud Carbajal could neither bring himself to vote to honor Charlie Kirk nor to join the 58 Democrats who voted against it. Instead he chose to follow the Obama method of voting "present." If you don't vote either way: what value do you offer by being "present?"
Yes, much like Biden being paid for his vacationing 40% of the time of his presidency Salud is paid whether or not he is "present" so while it is purely a symbolic vote the question is: symbolic of what? That he is not absent? Or on a more existensal level: that he is?
Charlie Kirk's Memorial yesterday made it clear there are two categories of people. There are simply the good and the evil. I don't believe I've ever experienced and been moved in my lifetime hearing the heavenly words spoken from a group of incredibly GOOD people in memory of Charlie. After Charlie's Memorial, I would think the EVIL wouldn't dare open their mouths in fear of being struck by a bolt of lightning. If there are no liberal converts, then imagine how "cold" these people must be.
Thank you for putting into words, what I have so deeply struggled to convey in recent months. I was raised a proud Democrat, a party I no longer recognize. In the wake of the assasination of Charlie Kirk, I am praying the liberals wake up and see the hate they are sowing.
The liberal party carries a heavy burden of abuse throughout history. The desperation to deflect it is getting more violent. Formed to advance slavery, they had stormy beginnings and repressive acts (deny blacks/women the right to vote, own property, limit Civil Rights). The liberal hate for the current POTUS is nothing new to their way. Their most hated, most despised President was Lincoln, the first president of the Republican Party. Like Charlie Kirk, they took Lincoln’s life, but his will lived on.
I was cruising around with a gal pal the other day. She’s a real true Commie-Dem - used to chew my ass if I even mentioned Donald Trump. Know what she said? ‘i give up on the Democrat party - it’s not America any more!’ wow! Coming from her is a _major_ shift . . . I love it!
I went to the super market with a gal pal the other day. As we pulled into a parking space next to one of those huge pickup trucks she had it right - "Big truck - little dick.'
Just like the Lefties - got nothin - just tryin to be cool.
I wasn't living in France (when on June 7 January 2015) Muslim, anti- semite terrorists attacked Charle Hebdo, a Parisian satirical newspaper, killing 12 and injuring 11 others. But I remember the slogan "Je Suis Charlie"--- I am Charlie---was adopted by much of the French public, of all beliefs. Ten years later, the brutal irony of this sentiment isn't even mentioned here in France! CJC
One very slight disagreement with Brian: In a Republic, leaders don't have to answer at all since the inalienable rights of free speech, religious expression, due process and the rights of the minority don't flow from the whims of politicians or even voters, rather they are enshrined in our Constitution. The only question as Ben Franklin pointed out is "can we keep it".
This is so twisted, it’s impossible to respond. Donald Trump set the example of “ This is the model: mock, bully, and belittle. ” He can’t stop. That’s all he does. He has debased civil discourse. That has nothing to do with the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. Every death caused by hate is unforgivable. Please don’t paint all Democrats with the same brush. Charlie Kirk sadly joins a very long list of people killed for political reasons both Democrats and Republicans. No one should celebrate. We should look in the mirror and take a good look at ourselves…collectively. It is also true that Charlie Kirk said many things that were highly offensive to many people. I deplored much of his ideology but do NOT celebrate his death. Both can be true. If I listed the deplorable things that have been said about Democrats, I’d be writing a book. Please can we find some sanity….some balance?
I watched most of the memorial yesterday, what struck me is what's making the news. President Trump saying, "I hate my opponents." Where in the New Testament is that?
Yes I saw Erica Kirk say she was forgiving the killer of her husband. Too bad the President didn't echo that idea.
Good lord! What are you listening to? Every day I hear Trump say something vile about people who challenge him..it’s sick or at least juvenile. I’m in Europe at the moment. People here feel sorry for us. The word I hear the most is. “Bully”. This is unprompted..He would like to think he’s liked and respected around the world. It,’s his delusion.
That was not respect from King Charles, he just doesn’t want to become one of trumps target for bullying, also I’m sorry, but the vigils for Kirk were not global.
Yup. The news here was balanced. It included the royal activities for sure but also the protests, hugh blow ups of Trump and his pal Epstein on buildings and articles about Trump’s strange behavior. I sure hope there was a civilized response to another in a long line of killings in the U.S. It is less politically based here. It’s a recognition of how much has deteriorated in our country. It’s sad. Your media source must be censored or at least totally biased.
If you're in the UK so you know people are being arrested for using their freedom of speech and speaking out against their politicians.
You probably don't
I don't watch the news herebecause it's propaganda and lies. I know how to read and find other sources.
I know the European news very well
You should also be so proud you live in a country that has the freedoms that you value like Freedom of Speech and not being arrested for them like the UK.
Please look in the mirror. Trump is responsible for innocent people being yanked off the streets and sent to vile jails in foreign countries. Deport proven criminals,yes! He’s creating a reign of terror for so many people just because they are immigrants. Find real criminals and leave the rest alone!
You're not innocent if your cross a border illegally. You can go to the DHS and ICE websitea and see the long list of criminals and the horrific crimes they committed living in the US unvetted.
You're are breaking the law if you cross a border illegally like any other country.
Reading, watching and listening to people who know people who have been affected. Videos taken by neighbors appalled by what they were witnessing. You must live in a tunnel not to have seen and heard this. Get criminals to jail or out of the country but not people ICE has a “feeling” about because they have labor intensive jobs or their skin isn’t white or they have an accent!!!
You’re probably right, they don’t want you to see the ones that have only misdemeanors on their records, being treated like the violent criminals that ice is supposed to be going after.
I guess the sexual assault that resulted in Trump's Felony conviction (failed appeal - big time) wasn't 'an attack'? Or are we just considering verbal attacks, name-calling and mocking?
Thank the lord the right was so kind to Biden and Kamala. (Definitely not in the top 10 of my desired leaders.... but... ) And the classy Go Brandon. Such conservative values.
Stop already move on. And realize the truth is right in front of you and you can no longer defend a party the has no tolerance of one except for their own beliefs and values.
Thank you. What is it with men who excuse and dismiss such disgusting behavior. Trumps attitude toward women (mainly that they are objects in his sick world) makes my skin crawl.
From Chris Kyle to Charlie Kirk, we turn division into legend, "CK"
America has a way of turning polarizing figures into martyrs. Sometimes they wear the uniform of war, sometimes the suit of politics, but the formula is the same: unyielding certainty, flag-wrapped rhetoric, and a violent end that magnifies their legacy. Chris Kyle and Charlie Kirk are two such figures, cut from different cloth yet woven into the same national pattern.
Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL sniper immortalized in American Sniper, embodied the warrior archetype. He was blunt, unapologetic, and deadly efficient in Iraq. To supporters, he was the ultimate protector. To critics, he glorified killing and blurred the line between patriotism and vengeance. His murder in 2013 sealed his place as a symbol — his service simplified into a narrative of sacrifice.
Charlie Kirk never carried a rifle, but he carried the same kind of certainty. As the founder of Turning Point USA, he reduced politics to battle lines: freedom versus socialism, good versus evil, patriot versus traitor. His speeches were combative, his style intentionally provocative, and his rhetoric often divorced from nuance. His assassination in 2025 turned him, too, into something larger — not merely a partisan agitator but a martyr in the conservative imagination.
The parallels matter because they expose a troubling American instinct. We valorize absolutes and punish nuance. We elevate those who fight — Kyle through combat, Kirk through culture war — while ignoring the complexity of what they stood for. Both men are now frozen in symbolic amber: Kyle as the warrior who “kept us safe,” Kirk as the activist who “spoke the truth.” Yet in life, both were divisive, celebrated and reviled in equal measure.
Martyrdom flattens legacies. Kyle’s story, stripped of its controversy, became Hollywood’s patriotic blockbuster. Kirk’s death risks becoming a rallying cry that erases the demagoguery in his politics. The danger is not just in misremembering them — it’s in what their mythologizing says about us.
America is addicted to simple stories of heroes and villains. Chris Kyle and Charlie Kirk, so different in life, remind us that in death, we make them symbols to fit our needs. And in that act, we reveal something uncomfortable: we don’t want truth. We want martyrs.
Chris Kyle (1974–2013). Charlie Kirk (1993–2025). Rest in Peace.
I have searched for another example of a grieving widow willing for forgive her husband's murderer. Could there be a greater Christian act than this? Even Grok couldn't help me find such a high profile widow or widower as Erika Kirk. Do left leaning widows/widowers even think this way? Or must one give themselves fully to Christ in order to dispense such forgiveness?
I couldn't either. However, what I saw is President Trump saying he hates his opponents. With all due respect, I've read enough of the Bible to know his statement goes against Christ's teachings.
Sorry I am not going to try and pick sides. Just watch Fox News and MSNBC and you will see who speaks these things on both sides. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Unity with fellow Christians (Catholic and Protestant) on values and goals and faith. We will certainly have differences of opinions on how to reach those goals (like affordable health care and a balanced budget) but our values should be same.
Kimmel can stand on a soap box in Grand Central Station and spew freely. His employer can fire him for those same words. It is not a free speech issue, and I don't understand why that is so hard for the dipwads on here to figure out. Let me put it in terms which might penetrate. While I can put a latex sheath on my John Thomas, i cannot put a latex sheath over Thomas John's mouth. Though nothing would give me greater pleasure and the quality of The Current would benefit, I respect TJ's right to express his opinion.
Nice reply, permanent postdoc Jeff. I see it differently when the FCC chair, one of your boys dogs, starts making not-so-veiled threats to Kimmel's employer.
Yet Kimmel has the right to spew his rhetoric. It is not a first amendment issue any more than when the great and beautiful Donald J Trump who won by a lot was de-platformed from Twitter.
You know nothing of Kirk. Kirk hated nobody, Kirk did not hate trannies but he did hate normalization of gay and transgender ideologies in public schools. Kirk abhorred grooming of minor children in piblic schools. Kirk never advocated for denial of any freedoms of choice for gay of transgender adults. Your clownish poetic post reflects complete ignorance of Kirk's words but is rather informed by Ta Nehisi Coates.
There is no "normalization" of a gay or trans "ideology," other than if you reject the idea that all human beings deserve to be understood and loved, and have a right to live without prejudice in a civil society. I assume, however, that you support and agree with some of the darker innuendos lurking in some of Kirk's statements. Such as that blacks are all DEI and are taking white places, that Jews are funding the far left, and so on.
Jeff is a 2/3 angry cat lady with no kids and JD will disown him. Not sure about the lady but I'll give him credit for liking Fords of all things to give him a Y chromosome.
The only thing that I hate is when people sacrifice their human reason to blindly follow an ideology, any ideology. When they do that, they become creatures of the ideology and will kill for it...
I thought it would be hard to lose friends when I got older and they died off. But watching my Leftist friends turn into zombies is much, much harder.
Death of the soul vs death of the body.
Perfectly put.
It raises the question: Why are non-leftists more anxious about losing leftist friends, than leftists are about categorically dismissing friends who've come out of the closet and declared themselves as something other than cookie-cutter leftists? An old N.Y.C. joke went like this: What best defines one-tenth-of-a-second? That's the time between a traffic light turning green and the taxi behind you laying on his horn. Today, you could add the time it takes a leftist to drop a now-discovered rightist as a friend!
To be a friend or not be a friend. As Shakespeare said, that is the question.
On the money, Brian. Right out of Saul Alinsky’s playbook. They further divide people based on race, income, religion and sexual orientation.
How many times a day do we hear on the right that we are Nazis, fascists etc.? Hey, here’s one; MANY on the left are Traitors and Atheists. That’s right, they despise our country, mock our faith and seek our downfall as a country.
They typically use tactics of intimidation, bullying, threats of violence, name calling, boycotting, and canceling us professionally, all in order to promote their agenda.
Yes, and public sector unions (SEIU, Teamsters and others) are the enforcement (muscle) arm of the Democrats. When all else fails, they bring in the stormtroopers, AKA Antifa.
The murder of Charlie Kirk was a watershed moment and game changer for many people.
Enough is enough. Time to stand up and speak out against this evil and wicked cabal, just like a 100,000 people did yesterday in Phoenix.
Hello LT, it has already gone down right here in Santa Barbara as you say>>
"Enough is enough. Time to stand up and speak out against this evil and wicked cabal, just like a 100,000 people did yesterday in Phoenix." Complete with targeting the Truth-Sayers.
Understand that it's not only conservatives under attack from the Left. Anyone and Everyone right of far left is subject to being publicly shamed and villified for even questioning the DNC script. For that reason, I left the Democrat Party in 2015. Like many here, I've been accused -- publicly -- of being racist, homophobic, fascist, all the terms from their playbook. Because I asked (not demanded) that the Pledge of Allegiance be returned to SBCC's trustees' meetings, I was screamed at during lawful public comment and called a white nationalist. Like many of you, I lost friends and former colleagues. My own son was derided by local Dems for daring to endorse his mother in my bid for a trustees seat, a non-partisan race. I never changed, my party did. They allowed thugs to take it over, people who despise our country, its history, culture, its Constitution.
Celeste, that is very well stated. I was a Democrat for many years ( ha, ha, child of the 70s, so, of course). The party is now unrecognizable. It is so awful you were treated that way for simply asking that the board of a government-funded institution indicate their allegiance (and gratitude) to the Constitution….. ( much less being called stupid names). it is just horrible..
An aside at SBCC. They asked the property owners to extend the tax so they could get 100 million for the new athletic facility and other things. The measure passed. Within a month the sports facility was under construction. It shows that the design and planning had moved forward months to years before, not based on the vote. It shows dishonesty.
That is all true. The voters guide lists all the projects to be considered, over seventy. The list begins with classroom rennovation, upgrades to labs, investment in vocational programs, parking lots, etc,. Hidden much further down and near the end of the list, the PE building.It was all legal, because the language states that the list is in no particular order. Here is what voters were presented:
Nice summary Brian. Our congressman Salud Carbajal could neither bring himself to vote to honor Charlie Kirk nor to join the 58 Democrats who voted against it. Instead he chose to follow the Obama method of voting "present." If you don't vote either way: what value do you offer by being "present?"
Yes, much like Biden being paid for his vacationing 40% of the time of his presidency Salud is paid whether or not he is "present" so while it is purely a symbolic vote the question is: symbolic of what? That he is not absent? Or on a more existensal level: that he is?
Charlie Kirk's Memorial yesterday made it clear there are two categories of people. There are simply the good and the evil. I don't believe I've ever experienced and been moved in my lifetime hearing the heavenly words spoken from a group of incredibly GOOD people in memory of Charlie. After Charlie's Memorial, I would think the EVIL wouldn't dare open their mouths in fear of being struck by a bolt of lightning. If there are no liberal converts, then imagine how "cold" these people must be.
Thank you for putting into words, what I have so deeply struggled to convey in recent months. I was raised a proud Democrat, a party I no longer recognize. In the wake of the assasination of Charlie Kirk, I am praying the liberals wake up and see the hate they are sowing.
The liberal party carries a heavy burden of abuse throughout history. The desperation to deflect it is getting more violent. Formed to advance slavery, they had stormy beginnings and repressive acts (deny blacks/women the right to vote, own property, limit Civil Rights). The liberal hate for the current POTUS is nothing new to their way. Their most hated, most despised President was Lincoln, the first president of the Republican Party. Like Charlie Kirk, they took Lincoln’s life, but his will lived on.
You can silence a man but you can't silence a movement.
A great commentary! Thank you.
Merci Janice. Calla
I was cruising around with a gal pal the other day. She’s a real true Commie-Dem - used to chew my ass if I even mentioned Donald Trump. Know what she said? ‘i give up on the Democrat party - it’s not America any more!’ wow! Coming from her is a _major_ shift . . . I love it!
Thank you for your powerful message
I agree that they want to provoke us into violence. I pray we won’t do that.
I went to the super market with a gal pal the other day. As we pulled into a parking space next to one of those huge pickup trucks she had it right - "Big truck - little dick.'
Just like the Lefties - got nothin - just tryin to be cool.
I wasn't living in France (when on June 7 January 2015) Muslim, anti- semite terrorists attacked Charle Hebdo, a Parisian satirical newspaper, killing 12 and injuring 11 others. But I remember the slogan "Je Suis Charlie"--- I am Charlie---was adopted by much of the French public, of all beliefs. Ten years later, the brutal irony of this sentiment isn't even mentioned here in France! CJC
Merci Monica! Calla
Merci elce! Calla
One very slight disagreement with Brian: In a Republic, leaders don't have to answer at all since the inalienable rights of free speech, religious expression, due process and the rights of the minority don't flow from the whims of politicians or even voters, rather they are enshrined in our Constitution. The only question as Ben Franklin pointed out is "can we keep it".
This is so twisted, it’s impossible to respond. Donald Trump set the example of “ This is the model: mock, bully, and belittle. ” He can’t stop. That’s all he does. He has debased civil discourse. That has nothing to do with the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. Every death caused by hate is unforgivable. Please don’t paint all Democrats with the same brush. Charlie Kirk sadly joins a very long list of people killed for political reasons both Democrats and Republicans. No one should celebrate. We should look in the mirror and take a good look at ourselves…collectively. It is also true that Charlie Kirk said many things that were highly offensive to many people. I deplored much of his ideology but do NOT celebrate his death. Both can be true. If I listed the deplorable things that have been said about Democrats, I’d be writing a book. Please can we find some sanity….some balance?
The rhetoric that comes out of the lefts mouths,Colbert and Kimmel included is vile and dehumanizing.
You're post you speak of one person who you say says these horrible thing.
First of all you have not looked at any posts from Trump lately,I guess. Maybe your interpretation goes back to 2016.
Let's look who is constantly lashing out calling opposing viewpoints, fascists,Nazis etc .
Not the right or conservatives it's the left.
Let me just end with this,Erika Kirk forgave the shooter for killing her husband. She did not incite violence nor did she ask for payback.
Let that sink in
I watched most of the memorial yesterday, what struck me is what's making the news. President Trump saying, "I hate my opponents." Where in the New Testament is that?
Yes I saw Erica Kirk say she was forgiving the killer of her husband. Too bad the President didn't echo that idea.
Good lord! What are you listening to? Every day I hear Trump say something vile about people who challenge him..it’s sick or at least juvenile. I’m in Europe at the moment. People here feel sorry for us. The word I hear the most is. “Bully”. This is unprompted..He would like to think he’s liked and respected around the world. It,’s his delusion.
You must have been in a liberal French bubble.
Sorry…but no.
That's funny Trump was just in the UK and received full respect from the King. So not sure where you are
The world also held Vigils for Charlie Kirk after the assassination.
That was not respect from King Charles, he just doesn’t want to become one of trumps target for bullying, also I’m sorry, but the vigils for Kirk were not global.
Yup. The news here was balanced. It included the royal activities for sure but also the protests, hugh blow ups of Trump and his pal Epstein on buildings and articles about Trump’s strange behavior. I sure hope there was a civilized response to another in a long line of killings in the U.S. It is less politically based here. It’s a recognition of how much has deteriorated in our country. It’s sad. Your media source must be censored or at least totally biased.
If you're in the UK so you know people are being arrested for using their freedom of speech and speaking out against their politicians.
You probably don't
I don't watch the news herebecause it's propaganda and lies. I know how to read and find other sources.
I know the European news very well
You should also be so proud you live in a country that has the freedoms that you value like Freedom of Speech and not being arrested for them like the UK.
Good lord! Trump is trampling on free speech! And…I’m not in the UK. I’m talking to people, not a slave to the media.
What did Colbert say? Do you have a source? I have only seen him be humble, religious, and patriotic.
Democrats attack individual voters, civilians.
Trump attacks leaders.
If Democrats keep voting for this, they’re choosing division and endorsing attacks on ordinary Americans.
Please look in the mirror. Trump is responsible for innocent people being yanked off the streets and sent to vile jails in foreign countries. Deport proven criminals,yes! He’s creating a reign of terror for so many people just because they are immigrants. Find real criminals and leave the rest alone!
You're not innocent if your cross a border illegally. You can go to the DHS and ICE websitea and see the long list of criminals and the horrific crimes they committed living in the US unvetted.
You're are breaking the law if you cross a border illegally like any other country.
Anything illegal should be dealt with. Ice has gone way beyond that. Many of them are out of control.
How do you know that. What data do you have?
Reading, watching and listening to people who know people who have been affected. Videos taken by neighbors appalled by what they were witnessing. You must live in a tunnel not to have seen and heard this. Get criminals to jail or out of the country but not people ICE has a “feeling” about because they have labor intensive jobs or their skin isn’t white or they have an accent!!!
The only people on the list are the ones ICE and DHS want you to see.
Probably they are the criminals with the worst rap sheet.
You’re probably right, they don’t want you to see the ones that have only misdemeanors on their records, being treated like the violent criminals that ice is supposed to be going after.
Exactly
I guess the sexual assault that resulted in Trump's Felony conviction (failed appeal - big time) wasn't 'an attack'? Or are we just considering verbal attacks, name-calling and mocking?
The left so focused on Trump yet the rest of us who have conservative values and beliefs are being attacked daily and harrassed.
Thank the lord the right was so kind to Biden and Kamala. (Definitely not in the top 10 of my desired leaders.... but... ) And the classy Go Brandon. Such conservative values.
We didn't burn down cities, did we??
Stop already move on. And realize the truth is right in front of you and you can no longer defend a party the has no tolerance of one except for their own beliefs and values.
Thank you. What is it with men who excuse and dismiss such disgusting behavior. Trumps attitude toward women (mainly that they are objects in his sick world) makes my skin crawl.
Really. Seems like he has alot of women working in his cabinet who seem to be treated very well.
Have you talked to Trump personally that made your skin crawl.
What do you think? The attacks on Conservatives and all the social media accounts that were cancelled in 2019.
What even ask me. You know the answer. You just want to throw something out there.
I just like pointing out the hypocrisy.
And yet you are not a hypocrit?
Anyway if you don't have anything nice to say,don't say anything at all.
Opinion: America’s Habit of Making Martyrs
From Chris Kyle to Charlie Kirk, we turn division into legend, "CK"
America has a way of turning polarizing figures into martyrs. Sometimes they wear the uniform of war, sometimes the suit of politics, but the formula is the same: unyielding certainty, flag-wrapped rhetoric, and a violent end that magnifies their legacy. Chris Kyle and Charlie Kirk are two such figures, cut from different cloth yet woven into the same national pattern.
Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL sniper immortalized in American Sniper, embodied the warrior archetype. He was blunt, unapologetic, and deadly efficient in Iraq. To supporters, he was the ultimate protector. To critics, he glorified killing and blurred the line between patriotism and vengeance. His murder in 2013 sealed his place as a symbol — his service simplified into a narrative of sacrifice.
Charlie Kirk never carried a rifle, but he carried the same kind of certainty. As the founder of Turning Point USA, he reduced politics to battle lines: freedom versus socialism, good versus evil, patriot versus traitor. His speeches were combative, his style intentionally provocative, and his rhetoric often divorced from nuance. His assassination in 2025 turned him, too, into something larger — not merely a partisan agitator but a martyr in the conservative imagination.
The parallels matter because they expose a troubling American instinct. We valorize absolutes and punish nuance. We elevate those who fight — Kyle through combat, Kirk through culture war — while ignoring the complexity of what they stood for. Both men are now frozen in symbolic amber: Kyle as the warrior who “kept us safe,” Kirk as the activist who “spoke the truth.” Yet in life, both were divisive, celebrated and reviled in equal measure.
Martyrdom flattens legacies. Kyle’s story, stripped of its controversy, became Hollywood’s patriotic blockbuster. Kirk’s death risks becoming a rallying cry that erases the demagoguery in his politics. The danger is not just in misremembering them — it’s in what their mythologizing says about us.
America is addicted to simple stories of heroes and villains. Chris Kyle and Charlie Kirk, so different in life, remind us that in death, we make them symbols to fit our needs. And in that act, we reveal something uncomfortable: we don’t want truth. We want martyrs.
Chris Kyle (1974–2013). Charlie Kirk (1993–2025). Rest in Peace.
I'm sorry but both sides of the political aisle are guilty of preaching fear, anger, division, and hate. Neither party is following Jesus.
True. I am not calling for a litmus test. Just saying that neither party should claim that they are the ones that are "Christian".
I have searched for another example of a grieving widow willing for forgive her husband's murderer. Could there be a greater Christian act than this? Even Grok couldn't help me find such a high profile widow or widower as Erika Kirk. Do left leaning widows/widowers even think this way? Or must one give themselves fully to Christ in order to dispense such forgiveness?
I couldn't either. However, what I saw is President Trump saying he hates his opponents. With all due respect, I've read enough of the Bible to know his statement goes against Christ's teachings.
Who are the Republicans " . . preaching fear, anger, division, and hate." ?
That would be President Trump, yesterday and the Charlie Kirk memorial service.
Sorry I am not going to try and pick sides. Just watch Fox News and MSNBC and you will see who speaks these things on both sides. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
This is golden gate Earl right?
Donald Trump? Stephen Miller? Nancy Mace?
But Christians should not be divided over politics.
Luke 6:27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Luke 6:28 bless those who curse you, spray for those who abuse you.
Luke 6:29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.
Luke 6:30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.
Luke 6:31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
Unity with fellow Christians (Catholic and Protestant) on values and goals and faith. We will certainly have differences of opinions on how to reach those goals (like affordable health care and a balanced budget) but our values should be same.
I guess because I am a Jesus follower.
Because he hated liberals,
thought trannies were disgusting,
gay marriage was abomination,
Trumps critics needed busting.
He let his deep revenge lust
lead his sight astray,
to overlook Trump's actions
that took their freedom away.
He didn't think they'd come for him
A solid right-wing guy
So when they came all he could do
was wonder why, oh why?
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-ezra-klein-tanehisi-coates?srsltid=AfmBOorsVPFpa_9PAlJQ3DJqn_nOxgwLliew5aTK8V9-sSQjyl55Rq3E
It appears you support violence against those individuals who express free speech which you do not agree with?
Did I say that? Where? I think all speech ought to be free, with absolutely minimal constraints.
Free speech that got Kimmel canned?
Kimmel can stand on a soap box in Grand Central Station and spew freely. His employer can fire him for those same words. It is not a free speech issue, and I don't understand why that is so hard for the dipwads on here to figure out. Let me put it in terms which might penetrate. While I can put a latex sheath on my John Thomas, i cannot put a latex sheath over Thomas John's mouth. Though nothing would give me greater pleasure and the quality of The Current would benefit, I respect TJ's right to express his opinion.
His employer got the message, Jeff. Jimmy Kimmel is back tomorrow night.
The great and beautiful Jimmy Kimmel.
The Mouse wanted to make a few points with the unwashed _plus_ fire a loser - Kimmel's rating's were in the toilet.
And. . . who are you?
Nice reply, permanent postdoc Jeff. I see it differently when the FCC chair, one of your boys dogs, starts making not-so-veiled threats to Kimmel's employer.
Yet Kimmel has the right to spew his rhetoric. It is not a first amendment issue any more than when the great and beautiful Donald J Trump who won by a lot was de-platformed from Twitter.
"who won by a lot" "the great and beautiful" -- are you applying for a job in the administration? Or just trying to get your tariffs lowered?
You know nothing of Kirk. Kirk hated nobody, Kirk did not hate trannies but he did hate normalization of gay and transgender ideologies in public schools. Kirk abhorred grooming of minor children in piblic schools. Kirk never advocated for denial of any freedoms of choice for gay of transgender adults. Your clownish poetic post reflects complete ignorance of Kirk's words but is rather informed by Ta Nehisi Coates.
There is no "normalization" of a gay or trans "ideology," other than if you reject the idea that all human beings deserve to be understood and loved, and have a right to live without prejudice in a civil society. I assume, however, that you support and agree with some of the darker innuendos lurking in some of Kirk's statements. Such as that blacks are all DEI and are taking white places, that Jews are funding the far left, and so on.
Jeff is a 2/3 angry cat lady with no kids and JD will disown him. Not sure about the lady but I'll give him credit for liking Fords of all things to give him a Y chromosome.
Who is grooming kids in schools and to do what?!
Seems like the right can't keep their kids in check?
The only thing that I hate is when people sacrifice their human reason to blindly follow an ideology, any ideology. When they do that, they become creatures of the ideology and will kill for it...