The Rhetoric

Most everyone is saying the presumed right thing in the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination: tone down our rhetoric. But will we? No. It won't happen. Men are weak, as Elrond says in Tolkien's famous trilogy. Should we? I don't know how to answer that one.

I'm going to say something very direct and very true: abortion is murder, every time, no exceptions. What is your response?

If you agree with me, good. You are on the side of truth and right. If you disagree, is what I just said hate speech? If you think so, you are wrong. Expressing something true and right, something virtually axiomatic, obviously true in itself, cannot be hate. You either agree that it's true or you are wrong.

That's the crux of the issue, perhaps. When we discuss serious matters, when we are debating what government should do or how society in general should act, what are we trying to do? Are we seeking what is true and working to implement that in our daily political and personal actions, or are we seeking our truth, the truth for me (whatever that means, and that as it is can easily and readily be devious), a comfortable truth which fits what we want to be true, a truth which by definition is selfish, not selfless. 

Please don't bother me about isn't this only your truth, Marty? That's vacuous and tired, a simplistic argument which is nothing more than deflection at best. At worst, I will say it, it's evil. Are we seeking the truth? The truth, which is perfectly understandable for any and all...if they want it. 

If we are to solve humanity's ills we must be able to make statements such as this is right and you are wrong. If that's hate speech, progress is impossible.