Too quiet around here lately, so let me start.

Before we get the ball rolling let me say that the actions of alleged political assassin, Tyler Robinson do not represent my sentiments or politics at all.  I actually worry that he and persons like him might somehow develop delusions that they speak for or represent the political needs and desires of a multitude of people.  I hope and pray that this is not the case.  I DO NOT want to be associated with any group that condones murder as part of its political agenda.

Maybe I live in a cave in my retirement but until this horrific event, I was not familiar with Charlie Kirk.  Over the past 24 hours I have researched his name, hoping to find what there was about him that might incite someone whose own politics were extreme to his own.

At any point in my essay that you feel that I am in anyway sympathetic to Tyler Robinson - please refer back to my opening paragraph.  More about him later.

From my limited and rapid research, here’s my impression of Charlie Kirk.  Here’s a guy who dropped out of college after a couple of years, but who’s managed to enamor himself to the political right in this country.  My readings tell me that Mr. Kirk was perhaps an over-zealous supporter of the 2nd Amendment.  This to the point of saying (words to the effect) that in a “gun society” we’re going to have occasional unjustified shootings (i.e. murders), including MASS shootings that include school age children.  Mr. Kirk seems to share the Oklahoma City bomber, Timothy McVeigh’s opinion that these are merely “collateral damage” of some sort.

Unfamiliar with Charlie Kirk, but I do not agree with his rhetoric - which I find to be inciteful.  I’m pretty sure that I would not have liked Mr. Kirk - this based on his rhetoric and his offers of, “debate me - PROVE I’M WRONG”.  Kirk’s offers of debate seemed more to me (so this is opinion) of someone who is not a skilled debater, but who instead insists on talking down to his opponent and refusing to even accept the notion that he just might be amiss in a detail or two. The creators of South Park referenced him a in a recent episode - now removed from streaming platforms.  In this respect, he kinda reminds me of myself when I was his age.  Two years of college - feeling and thinking that I actually knew shit about shit - and welcoming every opportunity to flaunt my “newly acquired knowledge”.  Had he lived, I wonder (hope even) if he might've ... matured in his thinking and rhetoric.

Back to Tyler Robinson.  Twenty-two year old kid.  Perhaps a self-styled revolutionary?  Does he actually think and feel that his actions speak for a significant segment of American society? What group of extremists must he have been in association with to even give him this notion? Are there more of his type out there?  Scary stuff.

Here’s a thought that I’ve been espousing for the past five years or so.  Don’t stop me if you’ve heard it.  There was a time when as radically different as politicians and their parties were - they all started sounding similar during election year.  If you hadn’t been doing your civic duty of reading newspapers and watching newscasts (minding the media) you might even have a hard time differentiating one from the other during the election cycle.

That all started changing at the advent of the 24 hour news cycle and corresponding with the Clinton era (just a time frame - not picking on Bill or Hillary).  

Nowadays, rather than trying to sound similar or playing to the middle -BOTH major parties seem to embrace their extremists.  Why work for 70% of the vote when 53% will get you the office you seek?

To some this tactic probably sounds like a stroke of political genius.  But there is a horrible downside to it.  What both the Democrats and the Republicans are currently doing is ripping us apart as a nation.  There is absolutely no effort being made by either party to UNIFY the people anymore.  This manifests itself at family gatherings, social scenes and even website chatrooms.  Screw the middle!   

So now we have Tyler Robinson and his ilk.  To him add Mark Luther Boelter, who has been charged with the “politically charged assassination” of Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark just a couple of months ago. Add to this the 13 men who planned to kidnap Michigan Governor, Gretchen Whitmer in 2020.  The list of bad behavior by political zealots is ever-growing  - including TWO attempts on the life of President Donald Trump himself.

I guess I rambled a little bit here.  Is anybody reading?

Quick, chopped off ending:  The United States is in DIRE need of new parties that will seek to unify us.  The “big two” have done nothing but pander to their lowest common denominators to the point where nobody is willing to compromise or concede. 

I offer my most sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Charlie Kirk.  I mean this.