Ichabod's Kin
A place for politics, pop culture, and social issues

           Tom Harris’ 1967 wildly popular book, “I’m OK/You’re Ok,” led to a humorous rejoinder: I’m Not Okay, You’re Not OK—and that’s OK.

No, we’re not. We should only wish. We’re royally self-screwed–living in a hail of bullets. This is not a medical condition or something that fell out of the sky. This is our own doing. Heretofore there’s been less right-wing outrage about gun violence because you can’t know who’s falling out of the boat if you don’t hear the splash. You pay attention when it’s someone you care about.

           The death of Charlie Kirk is not okay. Neither were all the prior killings of school children before his but this time it’s someone that white Christian gun-lovers care about. Nor is it okay that MAGA World is making the most of Kirk’s death by shutting down free speech. How much more will we endure before we rise, united, to say enough is enough.

           I hope all who read this feel as I do that this is not the way we want differences to end, whether political, social or personal ones. Assassinations disrupt the democratic process and interfere with the reasonable, peaceful synthesis that results from dialogue and new understanding.

           I admit that Charlie Kirk was not on my radar. I was not aware of his success in engaging youngsters and coming to have a remarkable influence on them. And I want all those who mourn his untimely death to feel the same way for all those before and who will come after him whose lives are brutally snuffed out in our lax gun culture. There are countless other broken hearts whose children have been slaughtered in places that should have been the safest of all for them.

           I also hope we will stop politicizing his tragedy. Those who feel its okay now to suspend free speech: compare the assassination of Harvey Milk in 1978—another brief career but of one who was an icon in San Francisco and  in its LGBTQ community. He wasn’t killed because he was gay–the mayor of San Francisco died with him–but by Dan White, a disgruntled former employee of the city.

           Both were elected Supervisors; White, a conservative and former cop, and Milk, a liberal, appeared together on talk shows where Milk expressed willingness to work productively with White despite their differences.

           The deaths sparked city-wide vigils and Milk became a martyr both to civic service and to the gay community. But there were widespread celebrations of his murder among police who proudly brandished White’s revolver, thus inciting clashes with citizens.

           Cops from White’s former precinct celebrated his crime and viewed him as a colleague who had carried out their “dirty work.” Some wore “Free Dan White” T-shirts and raised money within their ranks for his defense. Free speech? Apparently so, and it opened deep rifts between law enforcement and LGBTQs.

           White was convicted on a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter instead of murder and served only five years. Milk is not forgotten and much has happened since to stir LGBTQ and related sympathies.

           After Kirk, there is no free speech. Heads are rolling and venom is visited on the slightest remarks of disagreement. When Rush Limbaugh was criticized for extremist statements he begged off saying he was just an entertainer. So are Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel but their heads are on the chopping block. This too is not okay.

           Among my searches of interest regarding Charlie Kirk I found many comments and assertions that were inflammatory. I found frequent ad hominem charges and cruel accusations. He was more than merely confrontational.

His targets were widespread, including calling Simone Biles a “national disgrace” when she struggled with mental problems in 2021—before she recovered and re-gained international prominence. You can easily google to find what I found.

The free speech Kirk’s supporters wanted for him they will now deny to others. There’s even a call to make his birthday a national holiday while Kimmel is told he must apologize and pay restitution to Kirk’s family. This is all baldly absurd.

           It all comes to this: I’m not OK. You’re not OK. We’re not ok.

           And that’s NOT okay.