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There is no but, political assassinations have no place in our society

September 15, 2025

Charlie Kirk

OPINION by BOB SHANBROM

As a self-professed San Francisco-progressive, I’ve been getting a lot of social media feeds that read like this: “I condemn the killing of Charlie Kirk but… .” There are no buts about this assassination.

A family will wonder for the rest of their lives when daddy is coming home. Someone who was a hero to many was taken from their lives. Our nation has taken another step toward the brink.

Agree with Charlie Kirk or not, he was exercising his constitutional right to free speech. For those too-many of us who would argue, “but it was hateful,” we need to remind ourselves that the First Amendment isn’t there to protect acceptable speech, it is there to protect “offensive” speech.

Frankly, although I read widely–not widely enough, I didn’t know of Charlie Kirk at all before Sept. 10. As I watch and read the obituaries and retrospectives come in I am seeing a clip that contains some valuable insight, that leftists need to return to their liberal roots, especially free speech.

To that I would add pacifism and the rejection of hatred, what MLK preached. I never feel prouder of my nation than when the ACLU defends the KKK on its right to free speech, despicable as it may be.

We are conceived as a nation *under law* where open discourse is enshrined in the very first amendment. As one of our godparents, Voltaire, is attributed to have said, “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

We need to mourn the victims of political assassinations and to reject political assassination without any ifs, ands or buts–just a period.

Bob Shanbrom is a community activist who lives in San Luis Obispo.

 


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Very eye opening to see so many people in our community dismiss, justify and even celebrate this religious and political assassination. Shame on all those soulless demons that take up with evil


17

Oh, this is well trodden ground. Remember the execution of the United Health Care CEO? The Reddit comments were INCREDIBLY disturbing…


Our only saving grace is that it was mostly bots, although I doubt that…


11

I’m curious, San Francisco-progessive, did you write a piece similar to this one after Minnesota Senator Melissa Hortman, her husband and her Golden retriever were shot down in their own home?


Did you write a piece like this one after Paul Pelosi was brutally attacked and nearly killed in his own home?


Did you write a piece like this when Gabby Gifford was shot during a public forum?


Did you write a piece like this when somebody firebombed Pennsylvania Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro’s house?


I must have missed those pieces.


-31

Did you or anyone else organize a vigil for Melissa Hortman in SLO County? That would be a big no. No one knew her outside of Minnesota, the world knew Charlie Kirk.


3

Similar to many here, I had no clue who Charlie Kirk was either, until the news of his passing at the hands of someone “off the rails”.


Unfortunately, “Political Assassinations”, whether via violence or metaphorically with rhetoric, are as American as “Apple Pie”, and have been since this country was founded, and much earlier on the North American continent, no doubt.


I would suggest checking your history books, assuming they have not been thrown out in favor of the “utopian ideal” being forced upon us on a collective basis in the name of “activism” and “equality”…


Thanks to the internet and some “activists”, quite a few folks are quietly pondering whether they are “racists”, “homophobes”, “anti-trans”, “non-inclusive”, ad nauseum on a daily basis thanks to the discourse provided by the “morally superior” “activists” on their pulpits. 


It’s almost as bad as listening to a Baptist preacher on a Sunday morning… Which is probably also as American as “Apple Pie”…


I had a co-worker who felt awful as she was accused of being a “racist” by a “person of color” (whatever that means). I guess this is the new “scarlet letter” or “yellow badge” being thrown around.


My spouse and her family worked in the fields of California when that “activist” known as “Cesar Chavez” was “rabble rousing” and spreading fear, go ask them how they feel about “activists”, just a synonym for for “brown shirts”.


You can call me whatever you want, I’m just going to smile back…


-24

Interesting you invoke MLK in your essay.


Charlie Kirk speaking at America Fest, a political convention organized by Turning Point USA, in December 2023:  “MLK was awful. He’s not a good person.”


NO one that I am aware of is celebrating his assassination, it is a vile, abhorrent act, and the perpetrator should be fully prosecuted and punished.


That does NOT redeem Charlie Kirk from his blatantly racist and hurtful views.


-40

I was previously unaware of Charlie Kirk and never offended by someone whose speeches I had never heard. Nor will I ever understand why anyone would repeatedly listen to someone if they knew their message infuriates them. Isn’t there a definition for that somewhere?


-8

If and when the FBI releases audio recordings of Kirk having extra-marital affairs, like they did with MLK, maybe then Kirk’s remarks (if they are in fact true), will make sense. MLK was human; he had faults. Extra-marital affairs and charges of plagiarism, for instance.


1

Wow,That’s a powerful opinion piece. When you’re an activist for freedom of speech and equality, it can be tough to balance those two concepts. Your opinion piece focuses heavily on the First Amendment and the importance of defending even offensive speech, citing Voltaire and the ACLU defending the KKK. It also brings up the point of mourning victims of political assassinations, regardless of their views.


To address this from your perspective, focusing on equality and compassion, you could’ve pointed out the selective application of compassion. You argue for mourning the victim of a political assassination, which is a call for compassion.


However, where is that same level of compassion and public mourning for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein? The lack of equal treatment for all victims seems to be a significant point of hypocrisy.


You could argue that while free speech is a cornerstone of our democracy, true compassion requires a more consistent application.


The same society that can be moved to mourn one victim, and rightly so, should also be moved to mourn and seek justice for the victims of immense abuse, like those tied to Epstein.


If we are to be a nation of laws and compassion, that compassion should not be conditional based on who the victim is or who the perpetrator is.


The principle of equality demands that all victims receive the same consideration and treatment, not just those whose deaths are politically convenient to mourn.


8

If we want higher standards start here. At the top.


https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000158-26b6-dda3-afd8-b6fe46f40000


I dare any of my “conservative” Christian friends here to download and read this actual court filing. And let us know what you think.


There are better conservatives worthy of your support.


-38

You won’t get any replies. MAGA are not capable of proving any points with actual facts.


-34

A grunt or a a good moan will do…


-25

Maybe they’re having another moment of silence for a podcaster.


-9

This court filing has no factual evidence to ever to come forth on this accusation.


Filed 9/30/2016 and thrown out shortly there after


Typical withch hunt from the radical left!!! Nice try “Yawny the Commi”


12

Another Jane Doe, nobody’s buying it anymore.


2

People are so angry Trump won but instead of working to change minds of voters they lash out like children… If they were smart they would see anger will only keep them in the losing column… that anger spreads, it’s contagious and sometime it spreads to people who can’t control themselves like this assasin… and like the person who killed those kids in church…

Be smart and lower the temperature and develop an agenda people could subscribe to… remember the sticks and stones lesson…


38

There’s a wiki page on politicians who have been assassinated in America:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_assassinated_American_politicians


I was not able to get through all of them, but it was an interesting read. Quite a few of the perpetrators were young, many in their 20’s, and male. Much of it seemed oddly reminiscent of “gang” activity, and it covered all political sides, even anarchists, go figure.


-4

Bob, let me fix the title of your essay…”Any and all assassinations, have no place in our society.” There, expand on that, let’s address hate speech, let’s address gun violence, let’s tone down the intolerance rhetoric. Let the down votes begin…LOL


26

[The “downvoters” must not have understood your comment – it’s bad when you can’t even count on the downvoters anymore]


-3

“Gun deaths are a cost of the Second Amendment worth paying”


“If I see a black pilot I’m going to question their qualifications”


“College educated women will destroy the country”


Etc etc. Nothing but hate and division from that guy; WISDOM there is not.


-23

Statements taken right out of context to fit a narrative.


Good job Perp24!!!!


Typical left B.S.!!!!


13

“Oh, oh, but he traveled around to colleges and, and, and, held his own debates with people in the crowd …”


3

If he was making these statements to test reactivity and see who would get, “Spun Up”, he certainly succeeded…


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