Charlie Kirk’s killing is horrific — and likely not the end of political violence

For the next few days, we will hear that politicians, commentators and others are never good for us, and that there are never answers.

This is true.

There is no room for a healthy democracy or a moral society for murders based on revenge or beliefs – political, religion, whatever.

But the sad fact is that our democracy is not healthy and violence is a symptom of this. The faithful, cities-four violence that led to the army on our streets, but the real, targeted political violence that entered the society with increasing frequency targeted.

Our fall, a 31 -year -old father and conservative media superstar Charlie Kirk’in Wednesday did not start with a terrible massacre and will not end with it. It is a moment of struggle with two rival views for where our country will go and what should be. Only one can win, and both sides believe that it is a war worth fighting.

So okay. Fights in democracy are not something new and is not wrong.

We can blame both sides’ fiery political discourse for violence, as many of them are, but words are not bullets, and strong democracies can withstand the most hateful positions and even the ugliest conversations.

The painful and harsh ghost of the future more violence has less interest in both political direction than the extreme eaves. Sometimes it is ideological, but more maga, communist or socialist, confusion and anger are not as much as hiding itself in political comfort. Violence, confidence in the system decreases and hope is where dust is ground.

These are isolated, deprived of their rights, we find red-filled or blue-filled-and you see it-and pushing themselves with the stress and anger of this moment, everyone who believes that themselves is a solution to violence and even murder, perhaps the only solution.

These are not the main current people. Like all the killers, they lived outside the rules of society and possibly find their ways beyond our politics or non -politics. But politics found them and provided what could look like a clarity in another Maelstrom.

In the last few years, we have seen that people like this have made two attempts about Donald Trump’s life. One of them was a 20 -year -old student, Michael Thomas Crooks, who was still almost a child, and their motives will probably never be known.

A few months ago, we saw a political massacre aimed at democratic deputies in Minnesota. Minnesota House President Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, State Sen. John was killed by the same attacker who shot Hoffman and his wife Yvette and tried to hit their daughters hopes. The authorities found hits list of 45 targets.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s The house was on fire this year. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer encountered a slightly uncomfortable kidnapping land in 2020. In 2017, a shooter hit four people in the congress volleyball match, including then US house majority whip Steve Scalise And US Capitol Police Officer Crystal Giner.

Former home speaker Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco House was broken in 2022, and her husband Paul was attacked by an attacker using a hammer with a unicorn horse costume in his backpack.

Although these examples of violence are aimed at both democrats and republicans, we are currently living in a Republican government under a government with unprecedented power.

Anyway, this power structure is not calm or just for justice, but calls for ordeal.

“We have transfers. You have revolts in Los Angeles, whether we want to accept or not, they fought us. They fought us,” said Fox News commentator Jesse Watters, shortly after Kirk was shot. “What will we do about it? How much will we tolerate political violence? And that’s the question we just have to ask ourselves.”

I agree with Watters on this last piece. We need to ask ourselves how much political violence we will tolerate.

The Internet buzz with an excerpt on the violence of arms from Kirk: “I think it is worth it. I think unfortunately, some arms deaths have the cost of deaths every year, so that we can have the second change to protect our rights of other God.”

Like Kirk, I think some things are worth ugly prices. I don’t think the weapons are one of them, but I think democracy.

We cannot allow political violence to prevent democracy. Even if this violence continues, we must find ways to fight that protects the constitutional values ​​that make America extraordinary.

“In this heated environment, US policy makers act responsible and not to use the ghost of political violence, suppressing movements that do not contain violence, preventing installation and freedoms of expression, encouraging retaliation, or not using it as a excuse to close it otherwise. civil fields“A triple Brooking Institution researchers,”Monitoring the columns of democracy“Series.” In response to political violence, arming calls for stability and peace is a real threat in democratic and non -democratic countries. globally. “

The murder of Charlie Kirk was understandable and his family and friends suffered a loss that I couldn’t even imagine. I wish my condolences.

But the legacy of death and political violence cannot be pressure – because if we do this, we will harm the country we all like to love.

If we take something from this tragic day, there is a commitment to democracy and America in all chaotic and flawed glory.