I won’t be cowed into silence

Vallejo Times-Herald, by Charles Kruger, 21 September 2025

I’m not seeking to publish this short essay about Charlie Kirk because I think it will persuade anybody. Those who agree already know. Those who disagree won’t be convinced.

I’m doing it because crafting words is what I do. I’m a writer. And also because there is an active movement by powerful players making powerful threats who would prefer that I shut up.

But if I do that out of fear, wouldn’t that be surrendering my freedom in advance?

Sometimes it’s important to speak the truth in order to show courage in the face of power that wants it suppressed.

So, here goes:

Charlie Kirk was not objectionable for “expressing his opinion.” He was a skilled political operative and propagandist who used his talents to advance a fascist project in the United States, dressed up as “civilized debate.” Propaganda is a profession, and Kirk was one of its masters. His rewards were prestige and millions of dollars.

He did nothing illegal, and he performed his job brilliantly, way beyond mere competence. But selling fascism and racism to undergraduates is not an achievement we should admire, in life or in death. I will not pretend to feel admiration for what I find contemptible.

His assassination was a heinous crime, but his public career was a disgrace. Both statements are true, and one does not cancel out the other.

He should not be mistaken for a free-speech advocate or a defender of civil debate. He was a propagandist for fascism in America, a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

His death does not change the facts or make his agenda respectable. Death does not perfume the stench of garbage. No matter how many flags have flown at halfmast.

— Charles Kruger, Vallejo