×

Arrows from past amid today’s political violence

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination there were no violent acts or protests carried out by conservatives. This must have surprised many on the radical left particularly those who resort to violence at the mere sight of an ICE agent. Or was there any need for a CNN reporter to stand in front of a blazing car or store and inform us that “only minor protests are occurring this evening” as one reporter did in Minneapolis, Minn., in 2020.

By all accounts Kirk was a good friend, a committed family man, and a devout Christian. He was also an unquestionably divisive figure whose politics were to the right of many but often Kirk was controversial for all the best reasons as in his campus interactions with students.

However, since his death Kirk’s detractors on the Left resurfaced in an effort to shift the conversation from his murder by a radical left-winger using outright lies and half truths about Kirk’s beliefs. This effort will fail not only because the vast majority of the country is sickened by Kirk’s murder and also because Kirk’s has left behind a legacy that is richer than those on the left are willing to recognize.

Kirk’s campus debates with students were said to be compelling. Kirk was compassionate, understanding, respectful and friendly with students in a way that hardly resembled the caricature created by the left. In these debates Kirk stuck to his core beliefs with no apologies.

A young, gay conservative once asked Kirk what his message for the gay community was. Kirk began “First of all, welcome to the conservative movement, You are a complete human being, and I’m sure you treat people well.” He continued telling the person that as a Christian he did not agree with the lifestyle. But he continued. “I imagine you agree with a lot of what we talk about, right? Strong borders, strong country. And for that, you know, we welcome you to the conservative movement.”

Columnist George Will, gave as the reason why Kirk will be remembered was because, like William F. Buckley Jr. he was a man in the arena. He said that “Kirk, like Buckley, was a teacher unconfined to a classroom,” They were builders who conceived of and established institutions that would outlive them.

Today, Buckley is remembered as a scholarly man who purged the ultra-right wing John Birch Society from the conservative movement and shaped a generation of conservatives. But like Kirk in the early years, he sometimes expressed opinions on race, civil rights, and other issues that were misguided. Buckley became the great man he’s remembered as over the course of a lifetime. Kirk has been denied the same opportunity.

Former President Joe Biden’s remarks about right wing violence seem rather ironic when we consider that the right has never produced a William Ayers. Ayers co-founded the far-left militant organization the Weather Underground, a revolutionary group that sought to overthrow the United States government which they viewed as imperialistic. During the 1960s and 1970s, the Weather Underground conducted a campaign of bombing public buildings in opposition to U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Ayers was hunted as a fugitive for 10 years, until charges were dropped due to illegal actions by the FBI agents pursuing him and others. Ayers later became a professor at the College of Education of the University of Illinois, holding the titles of Distinguished Professor of Education and Senior University Scholar. Critics have pointed to his lack of repentance regarding his radical past as a reason to question the appropriateness of his academic honors. He wasn’t teaching physics or chemistry but was teaching subjects like the place of morality in education and the ethical dimensions of teaching. With a man like Ayers teaching future elementary and high school teachers, it is hardly surprising that students in college rioted and shut down campuses following the massacre of Israelis by Hamas.

Saul Alinsky was someone who helped to bring violence and the disruption of accepted norms into the mainstream. Critics say that his book, “Rules for Radicals,” was aimed at the constitutional order of American society in order to make the conflict between left and right more confrontational. Alinsky wrote that a revolutionary understands that “one does not always enjoy the luxury of a decision that is consistent both with one’s individual conscience and the good of mankind.” This was seen as an invitation to do what our nature and civilization teach us is wrong while excusing any outrage as being for the common good.

For Alinsky any confrontation became personal, making it necessary to convince people on your side that the opposition is evil. This is why conservative aren’t seen by the left as adopting bad policies but of intentionally placing the poor, elderly, and minorities in peril.

It is time for violence in our political life to end. As we saw with Kirk when we discuss and debate in a civil manner with humor and good will we learn, and we come to understand where the other person is coming from. We may not be of the same mindset, but we can agree to disagree.

Tom Kirkpatrick Sr. is a Silver Creek resident. Send comments to editorial@observertoday.com

Starting at $3.50/week.

Subscribe Today