Violence to Nip Hate Is on November Ballot

During a Sept. 1 preliminary hearing for the defendant accused of fatally shooting Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, 2025, the defendant's attorney, Richard Novak, accused Kirk of "speaking hatefully of certain groups of people. He spoke hatefully of people who don't have traditional, nonconforming gender identities. He spoke hatefully of people who are not strictly heterosexual. He spoke hatefully of people who have sexual relationships out of marriage."

Despite this attempt to blame the victim for the violence perpetrated against him, Novak then sought to argue that the state of Utah "has utterly failed to prove that there is a particular political expression that Mr. Robinson (the alleged killer) took issue with."

According to a text message released by prosecutors, Tyler Robinson told his boyfriend that he killed Kirk and justified it by saying, "I had enough of his hatred. Some hate can't be negotiated out."

Deputy Utah County Attorney Chad Grunander strongly rebutted Novak's line of argument. Kirk "had an opinion that he would express on politics and religion," Grunander said. "That doesn't make it hate, but the fact that Mr. Novak even considered it as hate makes the case for the state. (Robinson) hated Charlie Kirk. He hated what he stood for, and he took him out because of it."

Kirk family lawyer Jeffrey Neiman responded to Novak's argument by saying, "Charlie was the opposite of hate." He went on to say, "Firing a bullet into a crowd and assassinating him? That is hate."

Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of "The Charlie Kirk Show", likewise rejected Novak's line of argument. "You don't go into court and spit on the grave of the dead guy, of the victim here," Kolvet said.

Sadly, this penchant for rationalizing violence — even deadly violence — extends beyond the murder of Kirk.

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, writing in a recent USA Today column, said, "Across the country, a chilling shift is occurring. Political violence has become a twisted form of virtue signaling. Mahatma Gandhi is out and Luigi Mangione (accused of killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson) is in. For an increasing number of young people, nothing signals your values like a willingness to kill others for them."

Turley went on to cite an Emerson College poll from August finding that 39 percent of voters under age 30 found the actions of the healthcare executive's killer to be acceptable.

Following the 2020 killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, burning, looting and other forms of mayhem broke out in Minneapolis and many other cities across America. Many city officials viewed the rioting as a form of social justice protesting, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz failed to call up the National Guard for two days.

Minnesota First Lady Gwen Walz said she could "smell the burning tires" of cars that had been set ablaze. "I kept the windows open as long as I could because I felt like that was such a touchstone of what was happening," she said.

The police officer who kept his knee on Floyd's neck until he died was convicted of second-degree murder and is serving a long prison sentence. Instead of calling for calm and letting the justice system work, too many political leaders on the left and progressive social influencers either fanned the flames of unrest or failed to act until enormous damage was done.

"Common sense versus crazy" is a polite way to define the midterm elections when "civilized versus barbarism" is more fitting. America is at a critical crossroads for the type of future in store beyond issues of affordability, groceries and gas prices due to global conflicts.

The biggest issue on the ballot in November is for voters to decide what profit is there if one gains the whole world and our country loses its soul.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and author of "Necessary Noise, How Donald Trump Inflames the Culture War and Why this is Good News for America" (Hachette 2019).

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