TO THE EDITOR:
According to Merriam-Webster, assassination is defined as “murder by sudden or secret attack, often for political reasons.” The murder of Charlie Kirk fits this definition. The killer carved politically charged phrases into shell casings and took other deliberate steps pointing to a motive rooted in hatred for Kirk’s conservative message. This wasn’t random—it was political. And it reflects a disturbing pattern of violence from the political left aimed at silencing voices on the right.
Some commentators were upset by my September 15 letter to the editor, which called out this reality. Are they right to be upset? I wrote that “many” on the left celebrated. The response was it was just a “fringe few”. But news coverage showing many public and online celebrations and polling dispute this. Following the assassination, YouGov found that only 38% of Democrat respondents said “political violence is never acceptable.” That means 62% believe it can be justified. This isn’t just about one poll. Time and again, the political left—deeply embedded in the Democrat Party—has used or excused violence to resolve political disputes. Just last week, the Virginia Attorney General candidate Jay Jones reportedly called for the murder of a fellow legislator and his children. Yet Democrats continue to support him. If my letter doesn’t reflect your personal views, I respect that. But remember: when you’re among Democrat or leftist peers, statistically, nearly two out of three disagree with you on the acceptability of political violence. And if you felt satisfaction when Trump or Kirk were shot, you’ve only confirmed the point I was making. We must reject political violence—clearly, consistently, and without exception. That starts with telling the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Dan Schonhardt
Chairman
Wright County
Republicans
TO THE EDITOR:
In Tom Emmer’s 10/11/25 column, he repeats the Republican lie that Democrats want free health care for illegal immigrants. Federal law prohibits undocumented immigrants from receiving health care from Medicare, Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act. Per Federal law, they can only access emergency medical care and limited state benefits. Emmer should be working to mediate a solution to the government shut-down. While on “vacation” the last month, Republicans continue to receive pay and taxpayer funded health care, while over 250,000 federal workers have missed paychecks. Meanwhile: —ACA insurance costs are increasing 114% annually; many Minnesotans risk losing health coverage. —Rural hospitals that treat low-income patients will suffer from Trump’s payment cuts. —45,000 Minnesotans will lose SNAP benefits due to insufficient funding. —MN food shelves will lose more than a million pounds of food from cuts to the Emergency Food Assistance Program. —Farmers are suffering financially, with losses of 40% on soybean prices because China stopped purchases due to tariffs. Cuts to programs that help Minnesotas are funding Trump’s tax breaks to the wealthy. The richest 10% of Americans will see income increases of about $13,600 a year, while the bottom 10% will lose $1,200 a year.
Teri Bayer
Becker MN
