Matt, I have to say that your comment about having a national day off for Dolly Parton instead of Charlie Kirk really struck a nerve with me.
I have nothing but respect for Dolly Parton and everything she has accomplished in her 80 years of life. But I found your comparison incredibly disrespectful given the circumstances surrounding Charlie’s death.
Charlie Kirk was a young husband, father, and son who was murdered in public while doing what he believed in—speaking with students and engaging in political discussion. You may disagree with his politics, and you absolutely have the right to do so. But disagreeing with someone’s views is very different from minimizing the loss of a young man who was violently taken from his family.
There are plenty of ways to criticize Charlie Kirk, his beliefs, or his politics without making light of his death or comparing his life and murder to the celebration of another beloved public figure.
I hope you’ll think about how those words may have sounded to the people who loved Charlie and to those who were deeply affected by what happened to him. Disagreement is one thing. Respect for human life and for a grieving family should be something we can all agree on.