Charlie Kirk’s Professor Watchlist wasn’t about free speech. It was about fear. Here’s how it turned professors into targets — and why the national eulogies ignore the damage he left behind.
He was a vile, disgusting person. Vance posted what you would have thought was about the 2nd coming of Jesus. He and chump both praise this man. How disgusting. They revere someone who spews hate on all levels.
There was a beautiful sailing ship whose keel was laid down between the two world wars by Germany for an officers' training vessel, but they named her /Horst Wessel/ for a little jerk-face Nazi Charlie Kirk-type (the Nazis capitalized on Wessel's "assassination" as well, drumming up support due to his "martyrdom" and naming lots of things for the li'l turd). Most of the guys who sailed on her, even during WWII, did NOT like the idea and barely gave lip service and very grudging salutes to Der Fuhrer's face when he visited.
(She was captured in WWII and given to the Americans, who turned her into the Coast Guard training ship /Eagle/. She's still in service! :D One dude who'd served on her as a young German Navy man during the war was extremely jazzed to see her again once he was allowed to immigrate into this country [what a concept...], and said he wished he was young enough to sail on her again, training to HELP people. :D He wrote a book on her: https://www.oldsaltblog.com/2011/08/uscg-barque-eagle-a-perfect-lady/)
The eulogizing by the fascist right of good ol' Charlie is repulsive. He was a racist fascist punk. Didn't deserve to die and at the same time was a hurtful person spewing hate.
Thanks for not sugarcoating Kirk. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE MURDERED. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE TARGETED FOR THEIR SPEECH. Free speech is our right! Pointing an arrow at those you disagree with is a real danger especially since your intent is to sic the sickos on the individual. The sickos don’t debate, they vomit on that person and worse as you detailed above. The politics of fear is the Trump trademark. The sickness starts at the top.
Apparently Kirk was "assassinated" (funny, I don't recall having voted for him into office of any sort) by someone who was even more right-wing and hate-filled, because he wasn't harsh enough. :-/
I spoke too soon. Usually when I have doubt I look up the definition but this time I didn’t before I responded. I also though it could only apply to an elected individual. However it appears that the distinction is that assassination is the deliberate killing of a prominent person for political or religious reasons. A targeted killing for ideological reasons/purposes. Every assassination is a murder but not vice versa. I live and learn.
I just subscribed to monthly. Sorry I haven’t been able to do it sooner but very happy to do it now. you have a great sense of humor as well as a heart and you are brilliant on top of it all.
I was only peripherally aware of this man until he was unalived. Since then I’ve watched some of the videos of his “dialogues”. I’ll sum it up in just one word, “shocked”. There are many more adjectives I could use to express why I’m shocked to my core, but I’ll spare you. What I don’t understand is why the higher education community would allow this kind of dialogue on their campuses. Now before you go on screaming about the right to free speech, I have to ask you if freedom of speech includes hate filled rhetoric be condoned? Words (and lists to target anyone) fall -into this “right”. It’s one thing to have civil discourse about subjects that are offensive, but words can oftentimes be as deadly as bullets. Shouldn’t the people who are concerned about the hate rhetoric that is disguised as “free speech” be protected from this hatefulness? Is it freedom of speech when someone posts a “hit list” of people who don’t agree with you? As our country is becoming more divided and losing our freedoms, we are on a journey to civil war. Should people whose dialogues acerbate the tensions be held accountable for this form of violence? It is violence be assured. “The pen is mightier than the sword”.
Ah, “he never advocated for death.” Brother, the man turned every podium into a funeral home franchise. He compared gun deaths to car accidents like human lives were bumper stickers. He pushed “Second Amendment blood sacrifice” with the zeal of a televangelist hawking miracle seed. You are clutching pearls over whether he said “lynch” while ignoring the steady drip of dehumanization he preached daily. That is not free speech, that is a permission slip for cruelty. Blessed be the donkey brains, at least they carry more weight than your argument.
Ah yes, the “but he never literally said the word lynch” defense. That’s like saying the arsonist never explicitly told the fire to spread. He didn’t have to. He just kept tossing rhetorical gasoline every time a camera was pointed at him.
Calling professors “enemies of America,” putting their faces on watchlists, framing them as threats — that’s not debate, that’s intimidation cosplay. You don’t need to hand out torches for people to start lighting things up.
And no, this isn’t “division.” Division is when people disagree over pineapple on pizza. This was a well-funded machine that painted entire groups as less-than-human and called it patriotism. If you think that’s harmless, you’ve been breathing the fumes too long.
Blessed be the ones who stop mistaking cruelty for courage.
Thank you for this. I don’t read you that often because I am so damn busy but when I do, I am never disappointed.
He was a vile, disgusting person. Vance posted what you would have thought was about the 2nd coming of Jesus. He and chump both praise this man. How disgusting. They revere someone who spews hate on all levels.
My sister has been a college professor for over 40 years, Masters & PhD in German. Thank you 🙏😢
Has she been harassed? :-/
And now this brand of toxic white supremacy will carry the imprimatur of state as Congress halts to martyr him.
Why do I get the feeling...
There was a beautiful sailing ship whose keel was laid down between the two world wars by Germany for an officers' training vessel, but they named her /Horst Wessel/ for a little jerk-face Nazi Charlie Kirk-type (the Nazis capitalized on Wessel's "assassination" as well, drumming up support due to his "martyrdom" and naming lots of things for the li'l turd). Most of the guys who sailed on her, even during WWII, did NOT like the idea and barely gave lip service and very grudging salutes to Der Fuhrer's face when he visited.
(She was captured in WWII and given to the Americans, who turned her into the Coast Guard training ship /Eagle/. She's still in service! :D One dude who'd served on her as a young German Navy man during the war was extremely jazzed to see her again once he was allowed to immigrate into this country [what a concept...], and said he wished he was young enough to sail on her again, training to HELP people. :D He wrote a book on her: https://www.oldsaltblog.com/2011/08/uscg-barque-eagle-a-perfect-lady/)
He’s a drifting college dropout, who figured out how to make a few bucks, grooming, young men to be Nazis and violent
The eulogizing by the fascist right of good ol' Charlie is repulsive. He was a racist fascist punk. Didn't deserve to die and at the same time was a hurtful person spewing hate.
"We cannot pretend Kirk was just some innocent champion of dialogue". < Absolutely true.
That is far too much charity than he deserves.
ThankQ VMB! I knew of Charlie Kirk and could see what an unsavory character he was.
Your writing very effectively confirmed my observations.
Selling merch, while poisoning young minds, as a way to make a buck, reminds me of Malcolm X's famous line about the chickens coming home to roost.
You are a brilliant writer with lots of wit & flair - good on ya', mate 🤠
Thanks for not sugarcoating Kirk. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE MURDERED. NO ONE DESERVES TO BE TARGETED FOR THEIR SPEECH. Free speech is our right! Pointing an arrow at those you disagree with is a real danger especially since your intent is to sic the sickos on the individual. The sickos don’t debate, they vomit on that person and worse as you detailed above. The politics of fear is the Trump trademark. The sickness starts at the top.
Apparently Kirk was "assassinated" (funny, I don't recall having voted for him into office of any sort) by someone who was even more right-wing and hate-filled, because he wasn't harsh enough. :-/
You are totally right, it was a murder, not an assassination. I keep hearing that misleading term.
Yes! That really doesn’t bode well for the future. Not that things are looking rosy at this point🤔
I spoke too soon. Usually when I have doubt I look up the definition but this time I didn’t before I responded. I also though it could only apply to an elected individual. However it appears that the distinction is that assassination is the deliberate killing of a prominent person for political or religious reasons. A targeted killing for ideological reasons/purposes. Every assassination is a murder but not vice versa. I live and learn.
Blessed be the ones who tell truth and you who enlighten us. Thank you
This is a helpful way of explaining to folks outside of academia some of what’s been going on.
I appreciate the information you shared … it deepens my understanding in a significant way.
I just subscribed to monthly. Sorry I haven’t been able to do it sooner but very happy to do it now. you have a great sense of humor as well as a heart and you are brilliant on top of it all.
I was only peripherally aware of this man until he was unalived. Since then I’ve watched some of the videos of his “dialogues”. I’ll sum it up in just one word, “shocked”. There are many more adjectives I could use to express why I’m shocked to my core, but I’ll spare you. What I don’t understand is why the higher education community would allow this kind of dialogue on their campuses. Now before you go on screaming about the right to free speech, I have to ask you if freedom of speech includes hate filled rhetoric be condoned? Words (and lists to target anyone) fall -into this “right”. It’s one thing to have civil discourse about subjects that are offensive, but words can oftentimes be as deadly as bullets. Shouldn’t the people who are concerned about the hate rhetoric that is disguised as “free speech” be protected from this hatefulness? Is it freedom of speech when someone posts a “hit list” of people who don’t agree with you? As our country is becoming more divided and losing our freedoms, we are on a journey to civil war. Should people whose dialogues acerbate the tensions be held accountable for this form of violence? It is violence be assured. “The pen is mightier than the sword”.
Ah, “he never advocated for death.” Brother, the man turned every podium into a funeral home franchise. He compared gun deaths to car accidents like human lives were bumper stickers. He pushed “Second Amendment blood sacrifice” with the zeal of a televangelist hawking miracle seed. You are clutching pearls over whether he said “lynch” while ignoring the steady drip of dehumanization he preached daily. That is not free speech, that is a permission slip for cruelty. Blessed be the donkey brains, at least they carry more weight than your argument.
Mate, you need to stop at a minute lube and change the oil in your brain.
Kirk's words were dangerous & destructive, just read what some of the college professors that were on his list had to say, sheesh 🙄
Ah yes, the “but he never literally said the word lynch” defense. That’s like saying the arsonist never explicitly told the fire to spread. He didn’t have to. He just kept tossing rhetorical gasoline every time a camera was pointed at him.
Calling professors “enemies of America,” putting their faces on watchlists, framing them as threats — that’s not debate, that’s intimidation cosplay. You don’t need to hand out torches for people to start lighting things up.
And no, this isn’t “division.” Division is when people disagree over pineapple on pizza. This was a well-funded machine that painted entire groups as less-than-human and called it patriotism. If you think that’s harmless, you’ve been breathing the fumes too long.
Blessed be the ones who stop mistaking cruelty for courage.