Ken Hurley
We have US troops on the ground in US cities under false pretenses. We have a president who sees insurrectionists everywhere except in Washington D.C. on January 6th, 2021. He reminds me of the 19th century children’s story, “Chicken Little,” where a chicken believes the sky is falling after an acorn hits her head and needlessly spreads fear and panic to other farm animals.
We have universities defunded under false pretenses. Other Universities and Colleges under serious threats of physical violence because they serve minority students. Media outlets coerced into compliance. Newspapers sued. Comedic political commentators suspended or canceled. Open threats of more to come including prosecution by the DOJ of those deemed to be foes of 47. Boats and lives destroyed by the US military in international waters without reasons supported by evidence. ICE with their face masks, body armor, firearms, and no sense of humanity as they sweep people off the streets. The death of DEI. History books re-written. Artwork removed. “Improper ideology” removed from the Smithsonian Institution. Healthcare standards eroded. Indiscriminate pardons of all January 6th insurrectionists. How many wars does 47 claim he stopped? The tally is uncertain but it includes the “Armenian-Cambodian” conflict. Ahh, but the good news — autism is cured and we learned how to pronounce Acetaminophen! The escalator mystery is being escalated into a thorough investigation by the US Secret Service in an effort to get to the bottom of the up escalator alleged sabotage. Plus, our relationships with the United Nations General Assembly couldn’t be more divertingly ludicrous thanks to the offensively cringeworthy speech from 47. Wait, that’s not good news. Lies. Daily lies. Lots of lies. It’s nearly impossible to keep pace with all the lies.
Pedos are dangerous. Wealthy, powerful, pedos are deadly dangerous. If the Epstein files did not incriminate any wealthy, powerful, individuals you’d think there would be good reason to release the files in an effort to quell speculation. If the files do incriminate wealthy, powerful, individuals there would be reason to hide them so the guilty can remain unscathed. Those who may be criminally implicated by the content of the files should be brought before the courts to determine their rightful fate.
I can admire articulate people who have the skills to captivate, motivate, educate, persuade, entertain, grow and retain a large audience. There are many, including politicians, self-help gurus, comics, musicians, authors, religious leaders, and to some extent, Charlie Kirk. While I can respect their skill sets for the reasoning I just mentioned, when applicable, I can also despise sophistic messaging as horrible, harmful, hateful, fallacious and bad for humanity.
Charlie Kirk was a professional political performance operative bought by wealthy conservatives whose divisiveness created content tailored to the MAGA base at the expense of those he denigrated and marginalized. He did not debate. He ambushed. Mostly young unsuspecting, ill-prepared, college crowds that were used to assure he would look masterful. The exploited “opponents” never had a chance. Mr. Kirk seemed adroitly adept in the final video edits created by his team. His assassination is horrific political violence and not the America we should aspire toward. Was Charlie’s assassination another in a long line of “lone gunmen”? Look at the violence from which we came. Would he have been killed if we were not living in tarnished Trump America? And, the top brass? They’re silent.
We need more peacemakers.
We are witnessing unprecedented contemptible actions from the pompous man who occupies the White House who openly says, “I couldn’t care less” about finding ways to unite we, the people. At Charlie Kirk’s memorial service 47 repeated, “I hate my opponents.” His divisive rhetoric was said amongst a revival tent atmosphere of Christian Nationalists who would likely welcome the second coming of Jim Crow Jesus. There were others who used their eulogy, in part, to call for militant political retribution, similar in tone and words to Joseph Goebbels, the Reich Minister of Propaganda for the Nazi Party. When you have a moment, compare Goebbels 1932 speech in tone and rhetoric, “The Storm is Coming,” to Stephen Miller’s “eulogy” where he angrily points his finger and repeatedly yells about enemies, evil, and the dark side as Miller shouts, “We are the storm. You are nothing… you are wickedness. You are jealousy. You are envy. You are nothing! … God is on our side!” The “You” he referenced seemed to galvanize the adherents in the audience. They need an enemy to unite their group and provide a target to focus their animosity. The enemy Stephen Miller delivered is “You.”
The following exchange happened on September 10, 2025, between Charlie Kirk and an audience member:
ATTENDEE: Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?
KIRK: Too many. [Applause]
ATTENDEE: In America, it’s five. Now, five is a lot, right, I’m going to give you — I’m going to give you some credit. Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?
KIRK: Counting or not counting gang violence?
Those were Mr. Kirk’s last words. According to Gun Violence Archive, there have been close to 4000 mass shootings in the US since 2014. Mostly carried out by white men in their 30s and almost none by trans people. In 2023, Mr. Kirk used his platform to respond to an audience question with the following, “You will never live in a society when you have an armed citizenry and you won’t have a single gun death. That is nonsense. It’s drivel. But I am, I, I — I think it’s worth it. I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational. Nobody talks like this. They live in a complete alternate universe.”
Children shot. Teachers shot. Concert goers shot. Club patrons shot. Movie goers shot. Grocery shoppers shot. Worshipers shot. People shot in nearly every type of venue where people gather. When people on the liberal progressive side get gunned down, the Bible toting conservative side shrugs and calls it the price of freedom. They repeat, “It’s too soon to discuss meaningful gun laws. Let’s offer our thoughts and prayers and move on.” They believe the Second Amendment is actually God-given. But when people on the Bible toting conservative side are killed from gun violence, then that’s one death “too many.” That’s political posturing and hypocritical maneuvering masquerading as righteous morality. Yet, the censorious conservatives who support “God-given” gun rights are still unwilling to engage in meaningful gun law reforms.
It is widely reported that Mr. Kirk said, “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that — it does a lot of damage.” Of course, I disagree. I suspect Jesus of the Bible would too. Charlie’s actions and statements towards many marginalized members of society demonstrate that he did not show empathy toward them but showed a callous indifference toward them, if not outright contempt, in the name of his religion. I despise the heinous act that took Mr. Kirk’s life. I also have felt empathy for his family.
There is no moral foundation in religion that can not be found outside religious tradition and throughout secular morality. This is why Humanists and Freethinkers are important for an authentic ethical approach to understanding a vision for an improved version of humanity. The preferred conclusion regarding the morality of an action ought to be determined by its real world results which would maximize benefit and minimize harm; not from someone’s man-made holy text crafted by powerful men thousands of years ago who saw an opportunity to control the population to their benefit. Amazingly, we see this same phenomenon again today — powerful men using religion to control the population and curry political favors. One example: Vice President Vance began hosting the Charlie Kirk Show five days after his assassination.
Howard Zinn titled his memoir, You Can’t Be Neutral On A Moving Train, which is a metaphor that suggests passivity and silence in the face of oppressive social injustices are a form of complicity. The “train” of events can move faster than a Japanese bullet train in an unwanted direction. According to Zinn, to not actively oppose injustice is to accept and even collaborate with it.
You want to change the direction of the train? The easy answer is to “vote the bastards out.” However, suppose the 2024 election was rigged but in favor of the sitting administration? When has 47 ever done a selfless action, above board, with integrity, honesty, and an eye to serve humanity? He told us the election was rigged. He has the resources to make it happen. It is a serious challenge to accept that 47 won all seven swing states with a vote tally just outside the margin of error to trigger a mandatory recount. Voting machines can be compromised after they leave the manufacturer through physical access and vulnerabilities in the supply chain. Threats can be introduced during the programming or storage stages, or through poor security procedures. Enter Elon Musk who has even more resources than 47. As you know, Mr. Musk was an integral part of the 2024 election campaign. Crazy? Maybe. If it is true — it can happen again.
The mid-terms are coming. It can get much worse unless the mid-term vote is overwhelmingly in favor of “voting the bastards out.” I’ll leave it to you to decide which bastards.
What’s next? Martial law? When martial law is in effect, the military’s authority replaces that of the civilian government, typically during times of war, rebellion, or natural disaster. However, not intended for fake, made up, or manufactured wars, rebellions, or natural disasters. We should not be governed by lies.
When I was a child I thought those Spanish Fighting Bulls were dumb for chasing red flags — but look at us — it seems there are red flags everywhere. In the chaotic clamor, it seems no matter which direction we charge, there’s a different red flag waving in our face. Now is not the time to shut down. Now is the time to stay alert and engage. Mr. Kirk is another warning. You are the response. The difficulty for a peacemaker is how to effectively engage with people who openly declare you as the enemy.
I appreciate you and all those who help create a place where we can work together with a common purpose and hopefully slow the train and change its direction.
###
