A House Divided #354
By Hank Silverberg
Commentary
"A house divided against itself, cannot stand."
Those words from a famous Abraham Lincoln speech of 1858 came to mind this week as I watched and listened to the reactions to the assassination of conservative political activist, Charlie Kirk. I didn't know Mr. Kirk, though we had exchanged an occasional post on X from time to time over the last few years. And let me say clearly we did not agree on pretty much every political issue you can think of. But political violence in the United States, though not new by any means, is deplorable and unacceptable.
What strikes me most about the reaction to Kirk's assassination was the rampant and rapid spread of misinformation on the internet about the motive for his murder, even after the suspected killer was found and taken into custody.
Conspiracy theories abound. The mischaracterization of the young man accused of the crime grew fast, and the finger pointing was ruthless.
To me, the young man accused of the crime appears to be a mixed-up 22-year-old wedged between his traditional conservative upbringing and a plethora of misinformation, innuendo and propaganda he read on the dark web social media sites like Discord.
But that did not stop the right-wing from declaring that he was egged on by the "extremist left-wing," or "Marxist" college professors (the suspect spent one semester at the University of Utah and then dropped out). Nor did it stop some on the left from demonizing Kirk, who certainly exposed radical right-wing ideas, but in a folksy non-threatening style that worked all too well with the young.
To be clear, no one should be murdered for their political views in the United States. And this is not the first time it has happened. Those of us who lived through the 1960's remember well.
What the country needs now is a verbal cease fire. The rhetoric should calm down even as the debate goes on over which track this country should take.
That doesn't mean we all poke our heads in the sand and hope it all goes away. We can't do that, especially with the President using bullying tactics every day. But it does means we work to promote a better country through an existing framework, starting with fair and open elections which we must make sure are not tampered with by either side.
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| (photo by Jody Silverberg) |
Nothing answers that question more than a speech given by Robert F. Kennedy (senior) on April 4th,1968, in Indianapolis, the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered in Memphis. Kennedy was speaking to a mostly Black crowd just a short time after King's death. The people in the crowd had not yet heard about the assassination.
I have used this example as a perfect persuasive speech in my Public Speaking class for years, and I showed it to a new batch of students this past week. I post it here now for your viewing as I sadly remind you that RFK was also assassinated a month and two days after he gave this speech. Check it out at this link.
Mr. Kennedy's words echo loudly right now.
We all need to take some time this week to reflect on what America has been, what it is, and what it can become. We have been on this road before. and It has been a bumpy ride, but we made it to our destination most of the time.
News You May have Missed!
Repression Grows in North Korea
It is getting much worse for people who live under the most repressive regime in the world. A report from the United Nations this week says North Korea is now executing people for distributing any foreign media, including popular South Korean TV shows. Since 2015, Pyongyang has used advanced technology to detect violations with stepped up inspections of computers, radios, televisions and home searches with an aim to find violators.
The U.N. report says North Korea is now the most restrictive country in the world. The 14-page report was written after interviews with 300 people who had escaped from North Korea. It also said children are made to work in forced labor "shock brigades" in such areas as construction and coal mining. The report documented rapes, torture, deliberate starvation and detention camps with up to 120,000 people. And the report says violence by guards in detention facilities has NOT been reduced since the last report, even though new laws were supposed to strengthen fair trial guarantees.
https://www.newsweek.com/topic/united-nations
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-executes-people-sharing-foreign-films-tv-un-report-says-2025-09-12/
What Do You Think?
Like most things in the political spectrum, there's a poll on the Charlie Kirk murder. YouGov did it, an online poll taken, ironically, on 9/11. It appears though, the overwhelming majority of Americans agree that Kirk's murder "represents a broader problem in American Society."
Nearly eight in ten (79%) took that position with only 7% saying it was a one-off event. And on this, Democrats and Republicans agree; 76% of Democrats, 73% of Republicans agree it represents a broader problem.
The poll also found almost total agreement that it is unacceptable to be happy about the death of a public figure (78%).
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It should be noted that several right-wing "influencers" started lists of those who took pleasure over the murder and posted it on- line. Those "influencers" began sending those names to employers. A significant number of people were then fired for expressing happiness over Kirk's murder.
Dumbest Quote of The Week!
This week's dumbest and most horrific quote comes from Fox News "host" Brian Kilmeade. It came in an exchange with Laurence Jones on the very unfriendly "Fox and Friends" program. They were discussing the tragic Charlotte murder of Ukranian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was allegedly stabbed by a mentally ill man with numerous criminal convictions. Jones pointed out that many of the homeless and mentally ill resist the help that is available to them and prefer to live on the street. He suggested those who refuse help should be "locked up." But Kilmeade was even worse. He added:
"Or involuntary lethal injection or something--just kill 'em."
I will point out that was done once, in Germany, between 1933 and 1945. Enough said.
(You suggestions and comments are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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