Al Green Addresses Violence and the Death of Charlie Kirk on House Floor
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Al Green Addresses Violence and the Death of Charlie Kirk on House Floor
Al Green delivers an impassioned House floor speech addressing violence in America following the apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk. The congressman, previously censured and removed from a joint session of Congress, condemns all forms of violence while reflecting on the rights to life, liberty, and free speech. Green expresses condolences to Kirk's family despite political differences, drawing parallels between Kirk's death, 9/11 victims, and others killed in acts of violence across the nation. He argues that all these victims share one thing in common: they were innocent people exercising their constitutional rights.
Al Green opened his remarks by establishing his unique position in Congress. He identified himself as a "liberated Democrat" who is "unbought, unbossed, unafraid." Green noted his distinction as the only member of the House of Representatives to be removed from a joint session of Congress and subsequently censured. "I have been censured, Mr. Speaker, but I have not been silenced. Censured, but not silenced," he declared.
A Dark Day for America
Green began by agreeing with the president's characterization of recent events as "dark days." He referenced two newspaper articles that framed his concerns. The first, from USA Today, discussed the fractured alliances 24 years after 9/11 and the lives lost to terrorism. The second, from the Washington Times, was titled "Growing left-wing violence, blamed for deadly shooting." These articles set the stage for his central theme: addressing violence in all its forms.
Green shared that he had published a tweet invoking Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s words: "We must all learn to live together as brothers and sisters or we will perish together as fools." This message, he emphasized, was a call for all persons of goodwill to take a stand against violence.
On Charlie Kirk's Death
Green addressed the apparent assassination of Charlie Kirk directly and personally. "I did not know Mr. Kirk. I don't believe I've ever met him. I meet a lot of people so I may have but I don't believe that I have," he said. Despite not knowing Kirk personally, Green emphasized Kirk's fundamental humanity and rights.
"He was a human being. He was a child of the same creator that created me. He had every right to express his views. He had every right to differ with me as much as he wanted to and anybody else," Green stated. He continued, "He had every right to be where he was and to speak on the issues of importance to him in ways that I might not agree with. But he had a right to do this. He had a right to life."
Green expressed his condolences directly: "I want his wife and his children to know that I'm saddened by his demise. I'm saddened by the fact that he was assassinated. I'm saddened by it. It is painful. I regret that it happened. And if I could have prevented it, I would have."
Condemning Celebration of Violence
The congressman made clear his stance on those who would celebrate such violence: "I don't believe that we should have a country that somehow would have people lose their lives, be assassinated, and then people gloat and celebrate an assassination."
Common Thread Among Victims
Green drew connections between Kirk's death and other acts of violence in America. "What did Mr. Kirk and the victims of 9/11 and the persons who have died in churches while praying, persons who were killed as they were praying in various religious institutions, children who have been murdered in schools, what do they all have in common?"
His answer: "The one thing that they all have in common and there may be others is that they were innocent people. Innocent people. Innocent people going about their business. None of them were breaking the law."
Constitutional Rights and Protection
Green framed the issue as transcending individual politics or beliefs. "This is bigger than any one of us or any group of us. It's bigger than any person's religiosity. It's bigger than where you happen to be at a given time. This is about the right to life and the right to speak freely. It's about what the constitution affords all of us in this country and about the necessity for every one of us to protect these constitutional rights."
He emphasized that these rights apply to everyone: "People who have been born and fortunate enough to have been born in the United States of America or people who have come to the United States of America. People who just happen to be passing through. It's about the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The Primacy of Life
Green stressed the fundamental importance of the right to life: "And especially life because without life you cannot have the liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
He categorized the sources of violence that have claimed innocent lives: "Some to terrorism, persons who came to this country to impose and inflict terrorism upon people and some from terrorists within the country. Some from people who were just crazed. Some from people who were persons that should not have had the opportunity to have the type of weaponry that they had."
A Prayer for the Nation
Green concluded his prepared remarks by offering a prayer, acknowledging that participation was voluntary: "I don't ask everyone to pray with me. You pray with me if you desire. If you choose to do other things then do those other things. But I pray this prayer for my country."
His prayer addressed the creator by acknowledging the diversity of faith: "Most gracious creator, we know you by many names, but we also know that by any name you are the creator of all that was, is, and ever shall be."
The prayer invoked the essential elements of life: air as "the breath of life," water as "the elixir of life," the sun as "the light and warmth of life," and earth as "the foundation and the home of life."
Green asked for courage: "I beg that you would understand and pray that you would give me the courage to not only speak truth to power to speak it in a righteous way to have the courage to do all that I can to protect all of your creation."
The speech concluded mid-sentence as Green was preparing to address current circumstances in greater detail.
