Violence with political roots is tearing our country apart

July 14, 2026

The physical interference with government agents who are arresting people who have broken our immigration laws by coming into the country the wrong way is an example of political violence. And the violent attacks on these agents is an even worse example.

The week-long preliminary hearing for Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer highlights a far more serious one, along with the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson on a New York street in 2024, the murder of a Minnesota state lawmaker in 2025, two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump in 2024, and attacks on the CDC headquarters, and other targets.

Charged with Kirk’s murder is 22-year-old Tyler Robinson. After the murder and before he was arrested Robinson was talking with his parents. They reportedly asked him why he committed this crime, to which he said, "there is too much evil and the guy spreads too much hate."

Robinson’s roommate and lover, Lance Twiggs, testified in the hearing that Robinson confessed to killing Kirk for the same reason he had given his parents: he was angry at Kirk and disagreed with the things he said at his public appearances.

Since the murder of Brian Thompson, allegedly because of features of healthcare insurance to which many people object, a shockingly large number of people have celebrated the murder as a good and proper way to complain about the way the industry is operating.

So, in the minds of some people, anger at differing ideas, and disgust with insurance issues somehow justify murdering someone.

All of this political violence ought to concern everyone. And, in fact, according to a Pew Research Center survey of 3,445 U.S. adults conducted last September, people do recognize this trend.

The poll shows that 85 percent of those polled believe politically motivated violence is increasing. And Democrats and Republicans are almost evenly supportive of that opinion. The poll shows that 86 percent of Republicans and those who lean Republican, and 85 percent of Democrats and those who lean Democrat recognize that political violence is increasing. 

Both left-wing and right-wing politics are blamed for this increase, at nearly the same levels, both over 50 percent among those polled. And, those polled say that nearly half of the extremism is from those who do not have clear political views.

Among Democrats, 76 percent say it is right-wing extremism that is the major problem, and 32 percent say it is left-wing extremism.

Among Republicans, 77 percent say the left-wing is the major problem, and 27 percent say the right-wing is the problem.

Just how big of a problem is political violence? A poll by YouGov shows that 59 percent of all adults think it is a big problem. In the party breakdown of whether it is a big problem, 58 percent of Democrats think it is, 54 percent of Independents think it is, and 67 percent of Republicans think it is.

Perhaps more troubling is the result of whether political violence is ever justified. Here is the percentage of those polled by YouGov who think it is sometimes justified, in the following categories: Very Conservative - 3; Conservative - 6; Moderate - 8; Liberal - 17; Very Liberal - 25.

GovFacts online offers this explanation of the cause of this violence: “At the heart is affective polarization — not mere policy disagreement, but visceral dislike and distrust of opposing parties. Since the 1990s, Americans’ feelings of anger, contempt, and hatred for political opponents have intensified more sharply than in most other Western democracies.

“This is driven less by economic debates about ‘who gets what’ and more by cultural debates over identity, immigration, and religion — arguments about ‘who we are’ that are harder to compromise on.”

This development is so at odds with the American culture. It is a danger to our nation’s well-being, and it puts the country’s future at serious risk.

One of the hallmarks of our constitutional republic is the idea that political differences can, should, and will be resolved through peaceful discussion and compromise, not by violence.

If the people fear violence in response to an idea, they may be deterred from taking part in political activities or exercising their right to free speech. And during a heated or even violent election period, people may even fear going to the polls to vote. This is wrong. It is not the America.

We cannot allow this political violence to continue, let alone to increase. People on all sides need to settle down, cool the hot rhetoric, realize that their differences are merely based on differing ideas that have equal status under the First Amendment, and return to sensible, peaceful means of resolving them.

That requires maturity of thoughts and actions, and staying true to the ideals of America’s founding.

We have got to get back to how things were done a few decades ago. Back then, Democrats and Republicans, who most often held different views on issues, made the effort to talk to each other sensibly and peacefully, working to find a mutually suitable solution to the problems. It isn’t that hard, if you put your mind to it.

Last Saturday was an interesting, busy and unusual day!

June 21, 2025

On Saturday, the nation celebrated the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army, which actually shares a birthday with President Donald Trump. This important point escaped the notice of many leftists.

But the left instead celebrated a new “holiday” called “No Kings.” This was enjoyed by celebrants at protests across the nation to complain about the “King,” the 45th and 47th President of the United States of America.

There were many responses to this “holiday” on social media, in emails and elsewhere. Here are a few examples: “Half his orders are tied up in the judicial branch and he cannot get his budget through the Senate his party controls. That doesn’t sound like a king to me.”

“Is a king a President who is caught having stolen classified documents but doesn’t get prosecuted because he is a ‘well-meaning old man with a poor memory?’” 

“A king might be a man who ignores immigration laws and invites anyone to come into the country.”

“A king is a man who allows foreign countries to fly spy balloons over military bases and won’t let the army shoot them down.”

Many on the left are busy financing or participating in violent “protests” resulting in injuries and property damage and destruction on the basis of their belief that illegal aliens — many of whom have been convicted of violent crimes, or charged with them — should not be deported without additional and unnecessary legal proceedings, despite their being known criminals by virtue of the having entered the country illegally, and existing charges and convictions.

Instead, they blame “King” Trump for using federal authorities to find and remove the illegal aliens, as they are required to do by the U.S. Constitution and federal laws.

At one of the “protests,” there was a poster attached to a speaker stand that said, “No Kings,” and below that are the numbers “8647.” In case you are unaware, 8647 means to eighty-six (murder) president number 47.

But the best idea of all is that in a land that actually was ruled by a king similar to the one the left tries to convince us is in charge of the U.S., there would be no protests championing “No Kings.” Or if there were, particpants would be jailed or shot. Maybe the “king” was unaware of this activity.

Also on Saturday, two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses were shot in a horrible assassination attempt “by someone impersonating a police officer,” as reported by Fox 9, Minneapolis/St. Paul. 

“Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark were killed. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were taken to a hospital for surgery.”

“Gov. Tim Walz called the incident ‘an unspeakable tragedy.’ This was an act of targeted political violence. Peaceful discourse is the foundation of our democracy. We don't settle our differences with violence or at gunpoint," Walz said.

“Authorities have identified the suspect as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, who remains at large,” Fox 9 reported. And early comments and reports showed different ideas about the suspect’s connections and motives.

A Facebook friend happily posted a video with the person saying that Boelter “has been confirmed to be a strong Trump supporter, who voted for Donald Trump, as well as a registered Republican.” He showed information that convinced him that Boelter is “a right-wing Christian, nationalist.”

He showed a photo of the New York Post newspaper that said Boelter was registered as a Republican. He also strongly condemned those on the right, whom he said rushed to judgement to blame someone on the left for these horrible crimes.

Soon thereafter, a report from NPR said, “Records from the state's secretary of state indicate that Boelter was a member of the Governor's Workforce Development Board once from 2016 until 2018 and again from 2019 until early 2023. State records indicate that he was not registered with any political party.”

“At a press conference, Col. Christina Bogojevic of the Minnesota State Patrol said flyers reading "No Kings" were found in the suspect's car, though she added that there were no direct links beyond that that authorities knew of,” the NPR report continued.

So, which report do we believe: The New York Post that lists Boelter as a Republican, or NPR that said there was no evidence of political affiliation, but that the suspect had worked for state Democrat administrations?

An additional piece of information is that the two Democrat lawmakers who were targeted were voting against their party on an important issue. Both had crossed party lines to vote against continuing free healthcare for illegal immigrants last week.

That fact, and the fact that “No Kings” material was found in the suspect’s car suggest a liberal position for Boelter. However, a list of potential future targets found in Boelter’s car had Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice organizations and people.

It appears that the murders were politically based, although the evidence available does not make it clear which side was behind it.

The level of political-based violence in this country is unacceptable in this country, which highly respects the freedom to hold whatever political positions one chooses. Here, political decisions are made at the ballot box, not through the use of force.