Love him or loathe him, Charlie Kirk's death has turned our world upside down

Rather than calling for unity, revenge is the word of the day

In the Catholic tradition that I hold dear, I will pray for the soul of Charlie Kirk and I will pray for his family and friends and other loved ones, but I'll leave the ultimate judgment of his life to God.

To be honest, I had certainly heard of Charlie Kirk, but didn't know much about him. I had never attended one of his rallies or seen him interviewed at any length.

I do know now that he had a large and passionate following, mostly from people much younger than I am.

I also know that he clearly believed in free speech and open debate in the best American tradition, partly perhaps because he was such an effective debater and was solid in his convictions, many of which would be deemed controversial or even abhorrent by half the citizens of this country.

Be that as it may, some of his most ardent supporters in the federal government, allegedly in Charlie's memory, are turning on its head the very principles of free speech that Kirk so richly championed.

Just yesterday Vice President JD Vance, after praising Kirk for his "willingness to speak openly and debate ideas," told Americans to "call the employer" of anyone who spoke in negative terms about Kirk's ideas and legacy.

In other words, expressing opposition to the positions Kirk so ardently stood for should cost you your job. So much for open and honest debate about the contentious issues of the day.