Mercy, Yes, But Justice Too

J. Budziszewski , First Things

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Sometimes we hope desperately that our predictions are wrong. Fourteen years ago, I suggested that it was only a matter of time before character assassination would be replaced by real assassination. That has happened in a big way. Although the political murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has been called by some a tipping point, there have been a lot of political killings and attempted killings. And no, there is not “equal wrong on both sides,” a fact that has the unfortunate result of making efforts to do justice seem partisan.