‘So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; third, glory.” — Leviathan, by Thomas Hobbes
It’s been a while since I have taken to the keyboard to pound away and come up with something I had on my mind and wanted to share, expressing my thoughts. I had plenty of ideas, and every time I started, I would review and delete them, as they didn’t feel right. It seemed to be happening regularly, and for a moment, I embraced the concept of writer’s block, but pushed that aside, as I do not subscribe to that theory.
Yes, one may run out of steam and be devoid of ideas to write about, but the fact that one has ideas is the reason I eschew the concept of writer’s block. Sometimes you need a break.
In my situation, it was the need to address a problem that was nagging at me for a long time. What are the ethical constructs that underlie the concepts that people believe in and base their actions on? What motivates people to do what they do? Where do they get their ideas to behave as they do, and why do they feel they have the right to act on them? What do I mean? To address that, I submit we first have to accept Descartes’ words: I think, therefore I am.
Our ability to think provides us with the capacity to reason and to act logically. Yet, the process of thinking for some people sends them on a path of conduct they believe is correct, but causes them to act in ways contrary to the accepted norms and constructs of society. One could say that for both Kirk and the individual who took his life. Kirk is known for what many will consider his extreme views regarding racial gentification. His beliefs strongly suggested racial and gender bias on a strong scale. The embracement of condemning critical race theory, along with gender bias, placed him in a category he wanted to be in, in my opinion. It gave him a following who embraced his views, attended his rallies, and bought his books, seeing him as the champion they were looking for, now that they no longer had Rush Limbaugh, which is really sad.
Which begs the question: what is it about the psyche of a portion of the American people that leads them to believe they need someone to hate? It’s not that racial and gender hatred are exclusive to the United States; it’s a worldwide contagion. However, a country that has boasted about its freedom and openness is one of the wealthiest and most diverse nations, which expounds the belief that if you have talent, you can go a long way in this country. Yet, the behavior and attitude toward certain people project a far different construct.
How is this still the case in 2025? “The nation has not yet found peace from its sins: the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land.” —The Souls of Black Folk.
How is it that an avowed racist such as Kirk is being venerated for his vitriol and hate toward his fellow man and woman? What is it about being Black, Asian, Hispanic, or Native American that places these individuals in a category to be despised and seen as a threat to the so-called American dream when all these individuals desire is to participate in obtaining that dream also?
Individuals such as Kirk, in his twisted logic and warped philosophical thought process, deemed such individuals always ‘less than’ based on what, melanin count? Fake science around intelligence? Or perhaps just pure racial hatred? Which begs the question, why?
There is no doubt in my opinion Kirk was a racist on the highest level, but he didn’t deserve to be murdered. Racism is not the exclusive providence of the United States. Still, it casts a significant dispersion on the country when it tries to lecture other nations about their racial issues, something about pulling the rafter from your eye comes to mind.
Sadly, Kirk’s two daughters will grow up without their father, his wife without her husband. One can only speculate that his young daughters will be lied to and told their daddy was a hero. That he spoke truth to power, when in reality he was a funnel for hate, bigotry, racial superiority for those who are white, and denunciation of those who are not. As I said, that is speculation to me. I would hope that wouldn’t happen, but there is something in the wind that I’ve to believe is prescient and should be given attention, as it is impacting the country in ways most Americans will not pay much attention to.
A fundamental shift has occurred in the United States with the election of Trump, and frighteningly, it’s not a positive aspect for the country and the preservation of the democratic principles the founders established for the nation. Franklin’s words, ‘A republic if you can keep it,’ always come to mind. I know many of you are aware that I’ve repeated this Franklin statement numerous times, and I will continue to do so for this simple reason: good, strong government is not something guaranteed to us. I have always felt that the strength of Franklin’s statement lies in the underlying strength it suggests, along with the concept that we would be a country that values what it has in its people. It’s diversity. I understand Kirk supporters and Trump sycophants get apoplectic when they see or hear that word. It’s because they have a fundamental misunderstanding of how it works. It’s both amusing and disturbing that insecure people take normal words and make them seem like they are about to experience the Nightmare on Elm Street. Racial inadequacy and flackery of white racial superiority that Krik peddled, propagated, and professed as strength were far from it. If anything, it unfortunately laid the groundwork for his assassination and put the concept of free speech in jeopardy.
The far right, I suspect, will be calling for, or threatening, some form of retribution. The Trump administration seems to be okay with the firing of those who have proclaimed Kirk a formentor of hate and discord, which he was, which is totally contrary to the free speech clause in the Constitution, a sort of ‘free speech for me but not for thee’ construct taking place that should elicit a court challenge.
Kurk’s assassination will be front and center for a short timeframe and will quietly fade to the background with a few diehards who will try to keep it alive. Still, the American populace is fickle, and there will no doubt be someone more outrageous, further unhinged, not to mention destructive, who will fill the gap. Then there is the Trump factor, where Trump will use the Kirk assassination as a political cudgel whenever and wherever he can to bolster his falling poll numbers, place himself as the injured victim with no concern for Kirk’s widow and young children, they will be nothing but props for him.
The assassination of Kirk accomplishes nothing good; it only hastens the downward progression the country is going into, becoming an oligarchic form of governance that the billionaires who dominate Trump’s cabinet want and so desire, and the question is, can you say Elysium?
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