EDITORIAL: Honor and respect are due to Charlie Kirk
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 11 months, 3 weeks AGO
Charlie Kirk did not deserve to be shot and killed. Let’s be clear. Such violence is unacceptable.
Sadly, some have mocked his death. Some have said he got what was coming to him. They said he brought it on himself. Isn’t that crazy? We live in in a world where a good man, a husband, a father, is shot and killed while doing nothing more than speaking on a college campus, and there are those who were glad and even celebrated his death. Insane.
You don't have to imagine a world where some are glad another is assassinated. We live in it.
Kirk became a target because he did what few were willing to do: Venture into territory where he knew many would not welcome him and opposed him. Why? He wasn’t out there for the sake of winning arguments, which he usually did. He wasn’t out there because he wanted to prove how smart he was. He was out there because he believed this country was headed down the wrong path, that people were on the wrong path, for whatever reason, and as a conservative Christian, he hoped to help this country become a better place.
Yes, he took a hard line with some of his views, which upset people. He criticized and questioned popular people and reputations, which some did not like. Some did not want to hear his views. If you ever listened to him during his discussions and debates, he was quick, intelligent and respectful. He did not belittle others for their views, but he did forcefully argue it if he thought they were wrong.
You are free to disagree with him. That's your choice. All that is asked is that you do so respectfully.
How far this nation will go down this road of growing intolerance toward those with opposing viewpoints, we do not know. Perhaps the violence that has plagued us from day one will never end.
There is a growing divide between conservatives and liberals, between believers and nonbelievers. We need to bridge the gap, before it’s too late. We can argue our points without belittling and berating. We can listen without becoming angry. We can oppose without turning to hate.
The question is, will we?
Perhaps there will come a day when even those who disagreed with Charlie Kirk will come to respect him.