O P I N I O N
My Thoughts, Exactly
By Brian Chicoine
The shooting death of Charlie Kirk on September 10th has created a range of emotions from people who either liked – or disagreed but respected – him and from those who did not particularly like him. Like him or not, the massive effect he had on people as well as the increased engagement and boldness because of his death cannot be denied.
This article is not about whether he should have been liked or not, or whether I see him as a Christian martyr or not; it is about what I see as a direct attack on Free Speech…and the attempt to silence his opinion.
Agree with Kirk’s positions or his faith or not, killing someone over them is not acceptable, and should concern everybody. Free speech isn’t only for those who agree with us…it is for everybody! Someone’s opinion may make you uncomfortable or it may offend you…good! Hearing other perspectives leads to one thinking about their own opinion or engaging in thought-provoking discussion. The discussion may get heated, but it should never turn violent – at least not in a civilized society. And now for the question…are we truly a civilized society?
Our Founding Fathers understood that a nation could not remain free if its citizens could not speak freely, and we need to realize this, too. King George III, who was the primary reason for our independence, believed in parliamentary authority and taxation. The King also wanted to suppress – and ultimately end – colonial dissent. (He wanted to make people agree with him). This is not only uncool, but dangerous, because human beings have a natural desire to be free of oppression and do not want their natural rights of free speech, thought, or association to be suppressed. We were all created in the image of God, and that includes the ability to reason and speak for ourselves.
The United States Constitution enshrined our God-given rights of Free Speech, to Peaceably Assemble, and to Petition our Government. (While our right to Peaceably Protest and our Freedom of Association rights are not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, they were derived from the First Amendment and were confirmed through various court cases).
The murder of Charlie Kirk boils down to someone not liking him because of what he said. The given reason for the murder may be something like the shooter did not like Charlie, but the truth is that the person probably didn’t like Charlie based on his stated positions, (what he said). This is unfortunately not new, although the world is becoming a darker place, this has happened before.
A few examples include:
Jesus Christ (killed by crucifixion in 33 A.D). Killed partly because He spoke Truth and His message was totally against what the religious elite were teaching.
President Abraham Lincoln (killed by gunshot on April 15, 1865). Killed partly because he was a vocal supporter of ending slavery, freeing those who were slaves, and defeating the Confederate Army.
President John F. Kennedy (killed by gunshot on November 22, 1963). Killed partly because he spoke out against communism, the nuclear arms race, and injustice and discrimination against African Americans – a hot button topic of the time because of segregation and his desire for a civil rights law, and, ironically, against political extremism.
Martin Luther King, Jr (killed by gunshot on April 4, 1968). Killed because he spoke out against racial inequality, organizing rallies and marches, and showing support for those affected by racial economic injustice, including the night he was shot. (He was in Memphis Tennessee to show support for striking black sanitation workers).
Robert Kennedy (killed by gunshot on June 6, 1968). Killed because he vocally supported Israel and the United States helping with their war efforts by selling them fighter jets.
Unfortunately, at times people have decided to permanently silence those that they did not agree with, or kill them because their positions did not align. This is something that should not happen. We have the Constitutionally guaranteed right to peaceably protest and we can debate or have thoughtful, peaceful, conversations.
We have an adversarial system as well as checks and balances here in America. We may not always agree, but as President Ronald Reagan said, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor.” It’s okay to disagree, but without violence.
As always, you can email me at mythoughts603@gmail.com.