By GLEN BIEGEL
How does society train young men to be safe? How do young men channel their energies to do good and avoid violence? The answer is oddly found in the formerly agreed-upon rules of decorum, which value societal humility, and is easily seen throughout the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
Comment from the Daily Wire: My daughter was at a restaurant when the news about Charlie came on the tv screens. She was absolutely appalled when the two female bartenders clapped in response. Yes, there are monsters in this world and those two are examples.
Comment from my Facebook post: Also RIP to Minnesota House representative who were gunned down in their home 12 weeks ago.
Reporting from Newsmax: Ammunition found in the rifle believed to have been used in the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk was reportedly engraved with slogans linked to transgender and antifascist ideology.
Reporting form Powerline Blog contributing attorney: Rutgers found that only 45% of those who described themselves as liberal (including those who said they were “slightly liberal”) think that assassinating President Trump would be “not at all justified.” A majority saw some justification, and an appalling 13% said that killing Trump would be “completely justified.” No wonder that two people, so far, have tried to do it.
It is not surprising that violence results as a significant fraction of our nation becomes unmoored from rules of decorum and trained for a generation to dehumanize their opponents. The reality is that our public discourse is now so coarse that dehumanizing your opponent is often the very first response regarding anyone who disagrees with a person on the left. The movements we elevate in schools include any number of false and dangerous us-vs-them propositions: Transgenderism, Anti-Racism, Anti-Fascism, Gender ideology, Anti-Colonialism, religious hostility, and economic Marxism. In each case, the leftist mantra is the same:
Those with whom we disagree treat others inhumanely. Historical, religious, and societal norms need to be abandoned, and opposing speech demonized. There is no possibility that we are misinformed. We are justified. Those whom we stand against will not stop or reform—no safe spaces. Therefore, we can treat those with whom we disagree as less than humans. Rules are made to be broken, violently when necessary.
The comments and excerpts from Powerline Blog, Newsmax, and Daily Wire above are easy to understand. They are outcomes of a young man radicalized, justified, trained and set loose on society. I want to highlight this comment on my Facebook post, where I remembered Charlie Kirk.
Also RIP to Minnesota House representative who were gunned down in their home 12 weeks ago.
The essence of this is a simple and powerful explanation of the first three principles above.
The poster confuses whether a political assassination by an adherent to a violent ideology, sadly held by millions of Americans, is equivalent to a madman who had a personal disagreement with people and a gun. The societal norm here is that we expect human beings to be able to understand when things are similar or equivalent. This fracture of being able to judge when something is similar shows the initial miseducation of the person who posted. If a person can’t understand how Charlie Kirk’s assassination is different, then they can justify any conclusion on any subject. They are primed to be radicalized. After all, if you disagree that a 12-year-old can have their breasts removed against their parents’ wishes, you are deleting that person’s essence. You are denying their very existence, right?
Not only is the person equating the disgustingly celebrated assassination of Charlie Kirk to the tragic killing of the Minnesota Representative logically flawed, but it also shows that there is no question of equivalency in the person’s mind. You know that this person had made that duplicitous remark hundreds of times. The poster was not confused about the violence of right and left; they were justified in invading our stunned reaction to a political assassination of a man beloved by tens of millions and resulting from a widespread, often violent, movement, not a lone madman who was universally condemned.
In the face of a grieving person, there are rules about attacking them, distracting them, and disrespecting their grief. This is a normal human sensitivity. Decent human beings understand that in their souls. At least we used to. No, the commenter on my Facebook is an adherent to the ‘no safe spaces’ movement.
The tragic results from removing the rules of decorum are what the excerpts above demonstrate so clearly.
A final caution to those who feel overwhelmed by the forces that created these increasingly violent movements. Underlying all these is Satan, and he wishes for nothing more than for conservatives to lose sight of the humanity of our leftist brethren, as so many of them have lost sight of ours. While we dismantle the movements that created the fertile field resulting in this horrific outcome, we should not fall into the very error that has overcome a significant fraction of our opponents, lest the devil win twice.
Glen Biegel is a technology security professional, Catholic father of nine, husband to a saint, and politically active conservative.
Please don’t lecture me on “rules of decorum and societal humility” so long as Trump and Vance are in office.
⬆️Fact.
Elaborate!
Seems decorum went out the window when a president shook his finger towards the camera and declared ” I did not have sexual relations with that woman”, those hanging chads didn’t hang for the right (oh sorry left) guy, some other president proclaimed that “people acted stupidly” without knowing any facts and lastly one called someone a “lying dog-faced pony soldier”……
Oh and while you are at it look at some of the vigils for Charlie with thousands of people quietly honoring him and then at the vigils oh sorry “mostly peaceful protest/riots” for George Floyd!
Then let’s talk about decorum and civility.
Interestingly Hans includes VP Vance in his observation. I guess he is telling everyone that he will be rude and uncivil for the next 11+ years.
Thank you for getting that out there Hans and Rino!
Lecture you? Clearly you only read this site looking for things to fuel your vile hatred. If you think this is lecturing you, just stop reading.
Amen!
You’re exactly the person who should be lectured, Hans. The way Trump and Vance have been attacked is a perfect illustration as to why people like you need to be lectured. Look in the mirror.
Whataboutism is a failing argument. I expected better from you.
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See, that right there is the problem with children… errr… I mean the left. (Sorry to repeat myself.) Trump is not showing decorum and social humility, so no one should? Most idiotic argument ever.
The fact that you have to point out that people should conduct themselves in a manner better than the president of United States speaks volumes. Do you see irony of what you wrote?
Nothing ironic about reminding the world that just because someone acts poorly is no excuse to act poorly yourself.
And, the adults have a social responsibility to guide the children toward adulthood, and reasonable decision making processes. Sometimes that requires semi-ironic statements.
Actually that’s not how I read that. CBMTTek is simply restating Hans’ premise and exposes it for the lame excuse it is.
You know he doesn’t.
No Bill. I do not see the irony.
Please show it to all of us.
Hans- You are correct, decorum and humility are definitely not part of your vocabulary or practice. You have proven that over and over on this forum.
Don’t you have a real life outside of the keyboard and basement in Portland?
And you, Hans, don’t pretend to be all Pope-Holy and above it all, after the Biden Red Speech. And the ” take them out behind the gym” cmments. You have noground under your feet for your sniveling you’re part of the problem spare us your sanctimony
Biden and Co destroyed all those well before Trump and Vance took office. You’re acting like this is Trump’s fault? Go huff fumes out of your TV some more
Clinton destroyed it with Monica.
Oh, and JFK destroyed it with Marylin, LBJ destroyed it with his outspoken racism.
Huh? LBJ was responsible for both the Voting Rights Act and the Civil Rights Act. I would recommend you read “Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.
And, it is impossible for a racist to sign legislation they do not agree with?
Never heard of a veto proof majority? Never heard of naming a law something that is actually the opposite of the expected outcome? (the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Affordable Care Act spring to mind.)
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So… yep. A racist could do both of those things and still be a racist.
Amen, Mr. Biegel, Amen.
Well Hans it sounds as if you could really benefit from a big ole heaping helping of ‘decorum and societal humility’. And how about shot of basic humanity as well? We all love you Hans, and we are worried about the destiny of your Soul. Trump and Vance love you too. May God Bless You.
You can worry about your soul and I’ll worry about mine (actually, no I won’t because there is no such thing).
And according to Trump this past weekend, he hates his enemies, one of which he would certainly consider me to be.
The author is correct, but it is also very true that we have allowed this society of ours to get so off tract that some of us believe that turning the other cheek to these degenerates and wicked people in high places while they kill us is the Christian thing to do. Maybe that is so but possibly our God is watching to see what WE will do in the face of this evil and how WE will represent HIS laws. This is something that everyone should possibly consider as it may be the most important decision they make for their future. These monsters will not stop based on Christian morality because they ARE NOT Christians and shouldn’t be mistaken to have morality. You can place your neck on the block or choose to keep the executions from happening.
Great article! Faith is the one thing most lacking today. God is the ultimate progenitor of right and wrong. Eliminating God, as so much of modern debate seems to do, leaves a moral vacuum which evil rushes in to fill. It’s sad to see!
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Hans: You can avoid “being lectured” by not visiting this site.
I would hate for Hans and the rest of the leftists to stop commenting on MRAK articles. Where else can a person get such clear demonstrations of hypocrisy and double standards.
With the leftists, I notice it is always ‘the other side’ that does everything wrong. They are always at fault. Oh no, Obama and Biden never said or did anything that was below the decorum of the Presidency. Nope… it is only Republicans that are the uncultured ones.
And then what would you do with all of your time if we left, CBMT?
Don’t leave, I always enjoy lively debate with Liberals. The real fun starts when you folks get trapped in a corner with your failed ideology. Then comes the name calling and profanity which is always enjoyable.
That is the reason I would hate to see you and your band of merry leftists leave the site. It provides me hours of entertainment.
Praise God Almighty
Good point, CBM! Really, it’s no longer a debate for some on the left: it’s a religious crusade, now. Their political beliefs ‘rushed in’ to fill the vacuum left by their rejection of God. So in their minds, we ‘heretics’ who refuse to join their ‘true faith’ are deserving of the same kinds of terrible retribution Charlie Kirk got. Sad situation!
Exactly.
In order for them to get everyone worshiping at the altar of the All-Powerful State, leftists have to destroy all other relationships. First any religion, because a relationship with God is always going to take precedent over the State. Next is family, the Marriage falling first, then replacing parents with schools and daycare. Now, friends and teammates.
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And, for those that refuse to comply, violence and death. The All-Powerful State is most important.
I just find it depressing (and that is the emotion I feel the most) that so many like you on here see this issue as if left and right were like Croats or Serbs in Yugoslavia in the 80’s. That is, one side is somehow collectively responsible for the actions of an individual. It’s intellectually dishonest and if you really believe that, then I would urge you to re-examine your views on this issue. We live in a complex world with complex issues, and things aren’t always as black and white as many on here seem to believe.
I, for instance, do not, as you posit, believe that conservatives do everything wrong. There are plenty iof issues where I think the left gets things dead wrong. Biden’s lack of a coherent immigration policy for one, or that men can somehow become women and vice versa. However, just because the left might be wrong on issues like that, it doesn’t mean they’re wrong on every issue. And the same can be said about the right. If you think conservatives are always right on every issue, then you really shouldn’t be claiming that it’s wrong for liberals to feel the same way. Maybe you don’t feel
that way but it’s hard to divine from
your comment.
Sounds like you are more of a liberal than a leftist.
Big difference.
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And, I am absolutely sure the left is not one unified front. I need look no further than JK Rowling (a TERF???), and Scott Adams (a declared liberal) to see the left will eat their own.
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Now, tell me. Do you ever refer to the residents of France as the French? Do you refer to residents of Texas as Texans? Yeah, you do. And, I suspect you assign certain traits to the collective whole of the French that is “It’s intellectually dishonest.” when discussing them.
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We all know there are individuals on the left that do not fit the stereotype. Assuming we do not is “intellectually dishonest” on your part. Dismissing an argument because someone did exactly what pretty much every human does on a daily basis is “It’s intellectually dishonest.”
Ok, I tried.
It’s a very weak argument, cman.
“Not everyone on the left side of the aisle is a leftist.” Weak sauce. It is about as effective as pointing out someone accidentally used “their” instead of “there” as proof their argument is invalid.
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Outright ignoring human nature? You are better than that.
Honestly, did you really expect anything different? Many people here hanker for conflict instead of reconciliation and rapproachment.
I cannot speak for cman, but I am pretty sure he did expect something different.
And, had his position been argued based on a solid foundation, instead of saying everyone should ignore human nature, he might have gotten a different response.
No you did not “try”. You made an attempt to disassociate yourself from the increasing violence from radial left-leaning agitators, by blaming the other side of “lumping all together”.
Just like Hans, who talks about reconciliation and rapprochement, but can’t be bothered to set aside his severe dislike for all things conservative and DJT to have an actual conversation.
This week it was demonstrated bluntly and obvious to the whole world that one does not have to resort to name calling, riots and violence in the face of tragedy and provocation. This week showed how decent people deal with death with dignity and respect. This week outed the left agitators revealing their ugly, unhinged callousness out to sow chaos and strife to everyone.
Your “who me??” doesn’t fly cman.
Could conservatives do better? Absolutely, but when you constantly have to fight off being called a fascist, having a debate is somewhat difficult.
Interesting assertion cman, so I perused the last article with lengthy commentary (Jimmy Kimmel suspension) and found that you are doing the very thing you now bemoan so solemnly.
You accuse “the right” of either hating the 1st Amendment or being too stupid to understand it and told someone he followed “Dear Leader” (I will give you that he called mind-controlled), but if you want discernment and more precise debate as an individual, then cman lead by example.
While you are correct an individual murdered Charlie Kirk, his killer did not exist in a vacuum. It is clear that this young man was steeped in the rhetoric of the left radical agitators, who declared those who do not agree with them to be tyrants, fascist, nazis etc.(making rational assessment of fact impossible or in their case desired) Sadly that nasty rhetoric has infiltrated common conversations. That daily mantra can logically be seen to have contributed to his actions.
What you fail to take into account is that none of those, like yourself, stood up or did anything to reign in the above mentioned agitators, which amounts to an indirect approval of their tactics and actions. So it is intellectually dishonest of you to bemoan on the one hand the left/right entrenched mindset, while not speaking up against your worst agitators.
Case in point (Setting the FCC aside for one minute) you did not come out and condemn Jimmy Kimmel’s words, you ignored them.
The conservative side of the isle has problems too.(like calling all leftists mind-controlled). At least several commentators however pointed out that the FCC chairman should mind his own business (and no I was not one of them, but I upon further reflection agree with that sentiment). I will give the president a pass, he was very close to Charlie and had just violently lost a good friend. I saw him in that moment as man in grief.
In conclusion if you want a more nuanced debate and less insults and finger pointing start setting the example, allow that others have a point and are entitled to their opinion without being called names or lumped into a group. Stand up to those, who agitate daily to shut down debate by vilifying those they disagree with.
Words have meaning!
“You accuse “the right” of either hating the 1st Amendment or being too stupid to understand it and told someone he followed “Dear Leader” ”
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It is human nature to group like things together, and cman is trying to discredit arguments he disagrees with by saying everyone should outright ignore human nature. What is one supposed to do, exactly? Provide statistics (87.3% of leftists agree…) or other qualifying information.
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That is why his argument is so weak. Everyone does it. Including cman.
Not one person on this forum has ever claimed that Conservatives or republican do not ever make mistakes or are wrong in their actions. Your baseless assertion is unsupportable, yet ardently posited.
On the other hand, the leftist horde and femocrat party members/voters are responsible for almost EVERYTHING that is wrong with this nation; as well as the degenerate hateful actions taken towards destruction of those with whom they disagree – and their overwhelming hatred towards God Almighty.
Liked your radio talk show Glen, was sad to see it go.
But, this piece needs editing ….. imo.
Not your fault though; I always tell my kids: “I have been reading the “news” since my freshman year in high school w/ my 8th grade reading skills”
Simplify (Hemingway was really good at that)
Everyone should read, “The Naked Communist” to understand what is happening in America. Here are some of the communist goals: 1. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions; 2. Get control of the schools, soften the curriculum, get control of teachers unions and put the party line in textbooks; 3. Use student riots to foment public protests; 4. Infiltrate the press; 5. Gain control of mainstream media; 6. Promote homosexuality and promiscuity as “normal”; 7. Discourage the teaching of American history; 8. Discredit and dismantle the FBI; 9. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions; 10. Discredit the family as an institution; 11. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the family.
These are just a few of traveling down the road to communism. Recognize any?
BTW, Dr. Ben Carson mentioned this book in his comments at Charlie Kirk’s memorial the other day.
All should read this book to prevent our Nation from falling to ruin.
All of the goals you stated above got a big push in the sixties during the sex revolution and the radical pushback protesting the war in Vietnam as well as the way the government “handled” Kennedys assassinations were all telling of the transformation taking root.
The press and the media became America’s “gospel” with schools and universities grooming the generations to follow.
Reagan said it best when he stated America is only a generation away from communism.
Thanks for the tip about this book Dave.