Violence is the enemy of liberal democracy. Charlie Kirk’s assassination is only the latest reminder of the dangers of rising political violence in America. Unchecked, it risks leading our nation to dark consequences that no patriot could sanction. These are also the moments when we cannot lose sight of our humanity. Yes, our nation must mourn Kirk, as our editorial board writes, because he died pursuing the principles we hold dear: our right to free speech and expression. He was also only 31, and he leaves behind a family who grieve him as a son, father and husband. Our prayers must be with them amid this tragedy, and may he rest in peace. My colleague David French speaks to Kirk’s leadership as the founder of the youth political movement Turning Point USA and his commitment to political dialogue and debate. French’s fellow columnist Ross Douthat adds, “Kirk didn’t abandon the nerdy-controversialist side of campus conservatism; he tried to embrace it and live it out, as well, showing up on his college tours ready to debate and argue publicly with anyone, liberal or far left or further right.” That impulse of Kirk’s, writes Ezra Klein, sets an example for practicing politics in just the way America needs now. “A taste for disagreement is a virtue in a democracy,” he writes. Today is the anniversary of another dark day in American history, the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. One of the more important lessons of that event is that the cost of vengeance is too high, especially to America’s ideals. Yet, as captured in a moving visual essay Times Opinion published this morning, the years since the terrorist attacks can remind us of another American trait — the stubborn, hopeful belief that we may yet chart a different course toward a brighter future. Read Opinion’s coverage: Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
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