By: Keith Kappes
Columnist
Carter County Times
I’m only 82 but I candistinctly remember when we Americans defended our political views with ballots instead of bullets.
But last week’s killing of political activist Charlie Kirk may be another tragic signal that extremists apparently have grown weary of civilized discourse and now prefer deadly discord.
Kirk, 31, was likely the highest profile conservative activist and media personality in our country and a trusted ally of President Donald Trump. He was murdered while hosting a college event for Turning Point USA, the organization he co-founded 13 years ago.
Political violence is having a resurgence in the U.S. following the recent killing of a state legislator in Minnesota and the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump during last fall’s campaign.
Political assassinations in the U.S. are a rare yet impactful part of our national history and most often have occurred during periods of great political turmoil. Four sitting presidents have been assassinated: Abraham Lincoln in 1865, James A. Garfield in 1881, William McKinley in 1901, and John F. Kennedy in 1963.
Lincoln’s death at the hands of a Southern sympathizer was a result of the Civil War. Garfield was killed by a disgruntled office seeker, and it led eventually to the creation of the federal civil service system.
McKinley’s demise at the hands of an anarchist was part of a failed attempt to destabilize the national government. Kennedy’s killing created perhaps the most analyzed and debated event in American history with an abundance of conspiracy theories.
The decade of the 1960s saw other significant political figures being targeted, including Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X and Robert F. Kennedy, Sr. Those acts of violence reflected deep social and political divisions of the time.
One of the statements issued by national figures after the Kirk assassination seemed to me to define the great danger we face as a free nation and it’s a profound observation about the politics of hate.
“Hateful thoughts can become hateful words that can become hateful deeds.”
(Contact Keith at keithkappes@gmail.com).
