I’ve now seen a number of headlines decrying the rise of political violence in this country—the one article I’ve read was by Tara Palmeri, who eloquently concludes with the same warning.[1]
But let’s not forget who’s who in this political violence. The leadership of the Black Panthers suffered numerous assassinations, as did Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Disaffected right-wingers blew up the federal building in Oklahoma City; they have harassed and attacked abortion clinics, patients, and practitioners. And that’s just from memory. Indeed, there has been a lot of right-wing domestic terrorism—the January 6 coup attempt being only one example.[2]
Charlie Kirk and Donald Trump have motivated a lot of it. If you don’t like political violence, it’s the right—not the left—you have a problem with.
[1] Tara Palmeri, “The Complicated Legacy of Charlie Kirk,” Red Letter, September 11, 2025, https://www.tarapalmeri.com/p/the-complicated-legacy-of-charlie
[2] Public Broadcasting System News, “Far-right violence a growing threat and law enforcement’s top domestic terrorism concern,” September 5, 2023, https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/far-right-violence-a-growing-threat-and-law-enforcements-top-domestic-terrorism-concern
David Benfell, Ph.D. (he/him/his)
npub1qn…emx0u
2025-09-11 21:42:06 UTC
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2025-09-11 21:42:06 UTCEvent JSON
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