Whenever someone in speaking on a program or writing in an opinion piece and it comes to an actual or attempted assassination, the speaker or writer always has to add, “The rhetoric comes from both sides. Congratulations. The writer or speaker has proven their bonafides. AND, simultaneously gaslighted the Right. In less than fifteen months we have seen this up close and personal with the attempted political assassination of Donald Trump and the actual philosophical one of Charlie Kirk. Sorry, no. We are not the same.

We were going to solemnly recognize the 24th anniversary of September 11, 2001 and the day before Charlie Kirk was violently assassinated. For a bit after 9/11, we were united as a country. Twenty-four years later, we have lost that unity and the rhetoric is flat ugly. Our dear Carol recognized this cultural coarseness yesterday: “Have We Forgotten? From 9/11 to Charlie Kirk’s Assassination”

Twenty-four years ago, I remember where I was when jihadists turned jumbo jets into weapons of war, striking the towers with the singular intent to sow terror and break America’s spirit. I remember the shock, the fear, the gut-wrenching grief that never really left. In those days, we promised, fervently and desperately, that we would never forget.

But do we remember? Really?

And now, with Charlie Kirk’s assassination, I cannot help but think of Martin Luther King Jr. Both men were influential voices in a movement, both stirred the hearts of millions, and both were silenced by violence. The parallel is chilling. One happened in 1968, the other in 2025. Different eras, different causes, but the same intent: to kill the messenger and cripple the political message.

No, we don’t remember, and we have (again) allowed the Left to control the narrative, blame us and gaslight us. The talking heads and their “experts” tell us that sides engage in violent and threatening political rhetoric. The New York Post noticed:

This is what it means to be an American — to crave the voices of those you disagree with, and the rush of trying to convince them.

And it is this that led to his murder.

A culture on the Left, opposed to honest, spirited debate, has demonized the views of the other side as “hateful,” as fascism, as Nazism.

When you call your political opponents Hitler enough times, you’ve signed their death warrant.

Who wouldn’t kill Hitler if given the chance?

Yet even in their condemnations of Kirk’s murder, Democrats are doubling down on the rhetoric that led to it.

We are told both sides are equally responsible for the ugly rhetoric and incite violence. If I saw the Right-wing riot, burn cities and destroy politicians as I see the Left do, I wouldn’t vote Right ever again. I really don’t like even posting this kind of small ugly.

“The scourge of gun violence and political violence must end. The shooting of Charlie Kirk is the latest incident of this chaos and it must stop. We cannot go down this road,” tweeted Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).

“This kind of despicable violence has no place in our democracy,” former President Barack Obama posted, language echoed almost word for word by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and New York City mayoral front-runner Zohran Mamdani.

Note the both-sidesing.

Note the passive voice.

Even in their denunciations, the left is gaslighting us about the truth: The vast majority of the political violence in this country is coming from their side.

And they are unwilling to take an ounce of responsibility for it.

They can’t — because there’s nothing in their philosophy to explain why the cold-blooded murder of Charlie Kirk is wrong.

They view the world not through the Judeo-Christian lens of right versus wrong, but through the lens of power.

Here is some of Trump’s ugly rhetoric:

So ugly, right?

Sometimes, they are so desperate to show their both sides credentials, they get it all wrong. Take John Yoo, for instance.

This John Yoo guy just said on Fox News that “political violence is not only coming from the left, because look at who attacked Nancy Pelosi‘s husband.” Are you serious right now, dude? I tried to find you on X, but maybe you’re just on the blue app. pic.twitter.com/k7LsQQaedZ

— Margo Buchanan ✝️ (@BuchananMa27647) September 12, 2025

This is not okay. It’s not both sides and it goes back to Maxine Waters telling people to get in Conservative’s faces. Remember. Both sides, bah.

Featured Image: Gage Skidmore/Wikimedia Commons.org/cropped/Creative Commons