The Latest Lies

Charlie Kirk is dead. If you didn't know who he was before his violent and barbaric killing this past week, then count yourself lucky. He was a hateful right-wing reactionary, who proudly wanted to implement a white supremacist agenda. He was openly xenophobic and misogynistic. He felt that the empathy was a made-up concept, and, as has been noted by many in the aftermath of his​ killing by high powered rifle, he felt that some number of deaths every year was a worthy exchange for our second Amendment. I doubt that he meant himself when he said it, although he probably would have been fine with the deaths of the school children in Colorado who were shot at nearly the same time as him. He certainly didn't feel any sense of sorrow at the assassination of democratic lawmakers earlier this year, or when he suggested that the right-wing assailant of Paul Pelosi should be bailed out as a patriot.

We, however, are not the cruel and callous bigots spreading hate and devaluing human life like Charlie Kirk. We can recognize that his violent murder with a gun is not a positive development, it is further indication of the profound issues we face as a country awash in guns, untreated mental illness, and deep political polarization. We are witnessing a rising tide of predominantly right-wing violence, as people increasingly feel that the traditional avenues of political discourse and electoral politics have reached dead ends.

Here too, good old Charlie Kirk was knee-deep on the wrong side of this issue. He helped bus in January 6^th rioters, and he has advocated and pushed violence and conspiracy theories. He was an exemplar of what has gone so very wrong in our politics and our media ecosystem today. Still, as a waning star on the political right, the full-blown apoplexies on display by the right wing has been eye-opening, to say the least. Especially given the sheer number of bodies Republicans have been willing to sacrifice for their political agenda.

We, at DSOT, would not have spent much, if any, time on Charlie Kirk as other than a footnote in the political violence of our times, however, it appears that the Trump regime is attempting to use his killing as their own version of the Reichstag Fire, an infamous event in Germany where the Nazi’s consolidated their power.  Trump et. al.are using this horrible event to crack down on all dissent from their political opposition claiming the specter of violence and extremism on the left is an existential threat. As the Trump Administration has run out of juice, with the economy getting worse, his immigration policies becoming increasingly unpopular, patience for the genocide in Gaza running thin even on the Republican side, and the Epstein files still a thorn in his side, Trump is using this opportunity to crack down on dissent and consolidate power.

This has been made explicit by members like Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, and JD Vance who have outright said that right-wing extremism is not a problem, but the purposely nebulous left’s extremism is a threat to the nation. In response Trump and Miller claim they will be going after both individuals and left-wing organizations in an attempt to eradicate them entirely.

There is a problem with violence in this country, but it is not from the left-wing. Neither in this specific case (what we have learned about the shooter thus far paints a picture of a right-wing, terminally online individual) nor in general, where right-wing political violence outnumbers left-wing incidents 10 to 1. The truth matters very little, however, to the propaganda machine which has already geared up won’t let pesky things like facts get in the way of their agenda of domination and exploitation.

As the Trump Administration attempts to exploit the continuing tragedy of gun violence in America for their own fascistic ends and use the death of a vile man as some American fascist martyr, we must build a coalition of economic and political solidarity for peace and acceptance against the powerful interests that profit from this continued violence. Don't make the mistake of letting them first come for the leftist organizations and you say nothing. We know how that story ends, don't be standing alone when they come for you. So, join us each Tuesday in growing solidarity as we fight back against the propaganda and authoritarian crackdown. Don’t Shop on Tuesday.

#DSOT