I'm confused. Conservatives have railed about the “cancel culture” imposed by progressives and perceived infringements on free speech. Yet it's appropriate to fire someone for remarks about Charlie Kirk's assassination? Is that not free speech?
The people who have lost their jobs for posts about Charlie Kirk | Axios
Hagiography. A new word in my lexicon.
I’ve heard it from several pundits who are responding to the assassination of Charlie Kirk. None is applauding or justifying the killing. Quite the opposite, they are decrying the use of violence as a means of disagreement. Invoking hagiography, they are noting that many of the responses to his martyrdom are diminishing the divisive and hateful messages he promoted.
A good example from Jamelle Boule worth reading:
Charlie Kirk Didn’t Shy Away From Who He Was. We Shouldn’t Either.
If assassination is the only way to win the argument, your argument isn’t very persuasive.
While I recoil at the philosophy espoused by Charlie Kirk, he had every right to safely express his ideas, especially in a forum inviting debate (albeit more theater than a thoughtful exchange of ideas).
Spencer Cox, the governor of Utah, asks whether this could be a turning point in American culture. At a news conference yesterday, announcing the arrest of the self-confessed killer, he said
“Social media is a cancer on our society right now, and I would encourage people to log off, turn off, touch grass, hug a family member, go out and do good in your community.”
Robert Kennedy’s strategy to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) is to destroy America’s public health institutions, which he justifies as necessary to restore the country’s confidence in them. His actions and the resulting confusion confirm my belief that he lacks the knowledge and leadership to actually improve the country’s health.
Rather than ruminate alone, I shared my disdain with Alabama’s Senators, who voted to confirm Kennedy as HHS secretary.
Robert Kennedy barely received Senate confirmation to become Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary. You voted to confirm him.
Among his many commitments to gain Republican support, he assured the Senate he would make no change to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). He promised not to make it more difficult to access vaccines.
Violating both promises, he dismissed all 17 members of the ACIP and appointed several new members who share his skepticism of vaccines. He changed the CDC’s recommendations for COVID boosters, which will make it difficult, if not impossible, for some people to receive the vaccine. His disingenuous claim that boosters will be available for anyone who wants them doesn’t acknowledge that not all pharmacies will offer the vaccine, and the cost may be unaffordable for many.
Secretary Kennedy fired Dr. Susan Monarez, the Director of the CDC, less than a month after she was confirmed by the Senate. His rationale was absurd and unbelievable.
Kennedy has severely cut research, and his budget proposal for FY2026 is 40 percent below previous years’ budgets. Research cuts include $500 million for projects to apply mRNA technology to other vaccines. mRNA vaccines were arguably the finest accomplishment of the first Trump administration, given their efficacy and the “warp speed” to develop. Yet the secretary claims they provide insufficient protection.
Secretary Kennedy promised to restore America’s trust in the CDC and our other health institutions.
Writing as one American, I now have no trust in the actions and staffing appointments made by Secretary Kennedy, which he cloaks in fake science.
I urge you to help restore the CDC, NIH, and other health institutions. It’s not too late to redeem your tragic vote to confirm Secretary Kennedy by calling for his resignation or firing.
