Loose Lips Sink Ships

Loose lips sink ships—and can kill people.

The first half of that saying came from WWII and has been etched into my brain. When people talked too much or spread false statements, others died needlessly.

That war is over, but the axiom still holds true today. Words can kill either the talker or the listener.

If someone were to tell me, “Trump won the 2020 election,” that would upset me because I know Biden won fairly by a large margin. It suggests that everyone running our elections is corrupt and casts doubt on the strength and validity of our current democracy.

When someone claims that it was “worth it” to have gun deaths in order to protect the Second Amendment, a red light goes on in my head. Killing innocent people with guns is never worth it. I am convinced that guns are destroying our democracy and are a blight to our country.

If a man makes a claim that “women should put motherhood before their jobs,” I know that man is a misogynist and probably belongs to some religious cult that looks at women as objects and property. Such a claim is diametrically opposed to our democratic principle of “freedom and justice for all.”

When a person suggests abortion is similar to the Holocaust, I am hearing words of a sick human being who has absolutely no understanding of the horrific genocide practiced by the Nazis in World War II.

In our democracy, fortunately one is free to make such statements, but one also has to be willing to face the consequences of making outlandish statements.

Above, I have listed just a few of the outrageous statements that Charlie Kirk made over the past few years. There are plenty more, but that’s not my main point. He’s free to do that in our democracy, but no one should be surprised if he has to pay a price for “loose lips.”

Kirk was thirty-one when he was murdered. He was young, naive, and immature and had a sense of invincibility. Regardless, I suspect Kirk was aware that his words could get him in trouble. Unfortunately, he was much more interested in his fame and position in the cult of Trump, so on went his loose lips.

Kirk, as far as I was concerned, was an enemy of democracy. Daily, he was instrumental in undermining it as he pushed for an authoritarian theocracy. In my eyes, he was a domestic terrorist, willing to destroy my country and me along with it. I didn’t celebrate his assassination, but I won’t miss his blatant lies and constant attempts to destroy the country I love.

I find it ironic that Kirk’s love affair with the Second Amendment led to his own demise. I’ll hold him up as a shining example of the saying “Be careful what you wish for.”

What Kirk did to Christianity and my Jesus is a travesty. If Kirk was a Christian, I would never become one. He made my religion a cult of white male haters. My Jesus has become an angry, mean, judgmental, vindictive figure who never existed. My Jesus, who preached agape—unconditional love for all, no matter where they are in their life’s journey—has been “canceled.”

Kirk has become a martyr for MAGA. For me, he is the epitome of what is wrong with our democracy, full of traitors and heretics.

I know my words might upset some readers. If I did, I am sorry. I also know my truth could be detrimental to my health.

PeaceLoveJoyHopeKindness

Bil

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P.S. People often ask me provocative questions about current events, both religious and secular. I have found that some of these questions are being asked universally. I’ll be periodically alternating regular articles with one of those questions and my answer. I invite you to send me your question to bilaulenbach@yahoo.com.

 

Photo courtesy of U.S. National Archives and Records Administration