The Beginning of Life Debate
Kirk: “It’s all right if you have an opinion. I’m saying it’s not all right if you don’t understand how the female reproductive system works. Pop quiz. When does heartbeat begin for babies in utero?”
Student: “Have you ever eaten an egg before? That’s yes or no. Have you ever eaten an egg before?”
Kirk: “Uh, scrambled. Yeah.”
Student: “Okay. So, would that be you scrambled a full chicken?”
Kirk: “Well, hold on. You understand it takes an egg to be fertilized, right? Your point, the whole point you’re making. So, but no, since we’re doing pop quiz on human development. So, when exactly do heart waves begin in utero? You know that, but you don’t know the facts. Tell me when.”
Student: “I don’t know.”
Kirk: “You don’t know? So, you’re trying to say I know more about the woman’s reproductive system than you do.”
Student: “I am a woman. So, yes. Yes.”
Kirk: “Well, but the point being is we could both go back and forth of independent trivial facts when it comes to the woman’s reproductive system. But here’s something we all know because God wrote this on the human heart of every individual. As it says in the book of Romans, we know deep down it’s wrong to murder a baby.”
Student: “You’re not murdering a baby. It’s not a baby.”
Kirk: “Okay. Well, let’s play this out. What is it then?”
Student: “It is an embryo, which is not a baby.”
Kirk: “Well, okay. So, it’s a fertilized embryo, correct? Which is not a baby. So, at what point does it become a baby?”
Student: “When it is born.”
Kirk: “I don’t agree with abortions up to full-term abortions. But hold on. But you said it becomes a baby when it’s born. Then why would you have abortion limits before it’s born? I thought it’s just an embryo.”
Student: “No, embryo rights aren’t a thing. But then where would you draw a line for abortion then? And why? And under what moral standard?”
Kirk: “There are medical reasons…”
Student: “That’s not the question. That’s not the question. You just asked me why would I not have an abortion full term for medical reasons.”
Kirk: “Okay. So, at 29 weeks, the baby is nearly fully developed, can recognize the mother’s voice, has a heartbeat, has brain waves. Is it okay to abort that baby?”
Student: “I don’t…it’s not okay.”
Kirk: “But you’re going to say it’s okay to have an abortion then? Like, I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
Kirk: “It’s not okay to have an abortion ever. How about 3 weeks in? Correct. No abortion. Correct. Why? Well, because your life started at conception.”
Student: “It did not though. It did not.”
Kirk: “Well, hold on. So, let’s play this out. So, who are you as an individual? From your skin color to your eye color to your likes, your dislikes, from your temperament to your everything.”
Student: “I am not an embryo. I’m a person.”
Kirk: “Hold on a second. But it started with something called deoxyribonucleic acid. And your own individual DNA started at the point of egg and sperm meeting. That’s where your journey started. And so from that point in particular, life begins. Not at birth, not at first words, not at first steps, but when your DNA, which is who you actually are. You are your DNA. Every one of your DNA cells is coded XX or XY. It’s coded with all of your unique characteristics and attributes that God, we believe, God individually curated for the rest of your life. That doesn’t happen at 8 weeks or 10 weeks. It happens at conception.”
Medical Necessity and Abortion
Student: “What happens if you need a medical abortion? If the mother will die if she does not get an abortion, what’s your stance on that?”
Kirk: “The only place where medical abortion is necessary is before 20 weeks, which is incredibly rare. Let’s take an example like this is a very important question. Let’s say it’s 27 weeks, and the mother will die. Why shouldn’t you—would you agree—why don’t we just have the baby delivered by cesarean section? You know what a cesarean section is, right?”
Student: “Yes.”
Kirk: “What is a cesarean section?”
Student: “A C-section.”
Kirk: “Why wouldn’t we just get the baby out by C-section instead of terminating it?”
Student: “Because if the mother will die, it’s not safe to do that.”
Kirk: “You remove the baby. I understand that. I know what a C-section is, but it’s actually safer than an abortion. So every time they say, ‘This is for you guys.’ They say, ‘Oh, you need to have abortion for medical reasons.’ Respond, ‘Then have a C-section.’”
Student: “What if you’re not able to have a C-section? What if you are on your deathbed? You need to have an abortion right now. And it’s illegal. You can’t. So, you have to die.”
Kirk: “First and foremost, C-section is safer. C-section is quicker and a C-section saves both lives. A C-section [is better] if the baby is already dead. You just said, ‘No, but even… No, no, no. Hold on a second. You’re saying if the baby’s already dead, then it doesn’t have an abortion, right? Then you’re talking about a removal of a carcass, which is a completely different medical operation.’”
Student: “So, you’re saying that’s okay.”
Kirk: “If you’re removing a carcass of a baby, that is not an abortion by definition.”
Student: “Same process.”
Kirk: “No, it it’s completely different. During an abortion, they actually inject the spinal fluid with cyanide poisoning as the baby squirms and tries to find its mother and it is gasping for air of life. Have you ever watched an abortion?”
Student: “Yeah, actually I have.”
Kirk: “And I encourage every human being to watch one to know what you are fighting against because when you see abortion, your life will be changed, that we allow the massacre of a million and a half babies a year under the guise of woman reproductive health. We are allowing babies every single year to just say, you know, we’re going to discard them. Why? Oh, they’re smaller. They’re not humans. You’re using dehumanizing language saying, ‘Oh, it’s an embryo.’ No, that’s a baby made in the image of God deserving of protection.”
Adoption and Social Responsibility
Student: “What do you do with those children once they’re born into a bad house?”
Kirk: “So, now we’ve transitioned to ‘what do you do with the kids?’ Glad we’re past the other part of the argument. Okay. What do you do with them? You know, there’s twice as many people on the adoption waiting list than there are abortions every single year that they’re still on the list.”
Student: “So, you want to send a child into an orphanage. Is that what you want for a child? Is that a good life for a child?”
Kirk: “No, I’m not advocating that. In fact, I’m advocating for to make it easier to be able to adopt. Number one. Number two, there’s no such thing as an unwanted child. Number three, it is never right to justify the mass elimination or termination of people under the guise of saying they’re unwanted. That’s how we get Auschwitz. That’s how we get the greatest horrors of the 20th century. ‘Those people are unwanted.’”
Student: “So, you’re comparing abortion to the Holocaust.”
Kirk: “Absolutely, I am. In fact, it’s worse. It’s worse.”
Student: “It’s really not.”
Kirk: “45 million babies. It’s nearly eight times worse than the Holocaust. What’s the moral difference between a small baby in the womb and a grown Jew who was killed at Auschwitz? What’s the moral difference?”
Student: “One is older and is a person.”
Kirk: “What species is the baby in the womb?”
Student: “It’s a human. But therefore, they should have human rights.”
Kirk: “No, they should have human rights. I do not agree.”
Kirk: “Oh, so small humans, no human rights. Grown humans, human rights.”
Student: “It’s not a small human. It’s an embryo.”
Kirk: “You just said it was a human species.”
Student: “It’s not a living human child.”
Kirk: “It’s not a what?”
Student: “It’s not a child.”
Kirk: “It’s not a living child. It has a heartbeat. It has brain waves. That doesn’t make it a child? But tell me when it becomes a child then.”
Student: “When it is born.”
Kirk: “Again. So, under every other objective definition, do you see, guys, how quickly the pro-abortion arguments fall apart with just the slightest questioning? But our position is one rooted not in feelings, not in personal autonomy, but one in biological consistency and reality that your life had an agreed upon starting point. That starting point should be protected and preserved. And the excuses given for abortion is dehumanization. ‘Oh, it’s just an embryo.’ Guys, that’s just using different language to justify the massacre of something smaller than you. That’s all that it is.”
A Challenging Confrontation
Man: “So, my name is Eric. I’m 70 years old. I’ve been a born-again evangelical Christian for 35 plus years. Praise God. Worship here in the valley with a bunch of people. I was on worship teams in the valley for quite a few churches. But the Holy Spirit brought me here today to prove you wrong. And so what the Holy Spirit has led me to do is to try to explain to you that I don’t think you’re a good godly man. Right away. And this is why—because what a godly man does, a good godly man does, is stand up for people. He stands up for people. He stands up and even fights for people. And I don’t believe you stand up and fight for people. You use your mouth and all these kids. You’re good at all these kids.”
Kirk: “Are they people? Yeah, they’re people. Do I fight for them? And how dare you say that after I just shared the gospel to nearly 2,000 people here at Boise State University.”
Man: “Because there’s a difference between someone who just shares the gospel and someone who’s a godly man. I can explain the difference to you right now.”
Kirk: “Tell the world why I am not a godly man.”
Man: “Because you only stand for people who are white and male.”
Kirk: “Where’s my brother up here? Where’s my man? Look at him. You got to come up here. Come up here. Come up here. Come up here. Get over the gate. Come over the gate. Look at this guy here. Look at this. Right up to the mic. You stand for me. We good. Wait. I only stand up for white… What? Is that a white man? Can you look at him? Please look at him. Is that a white man? Fist bump. Is that a white man? He’s got dreads. He looks nice, too. But you just lied to me in front of 2,000 people saying I only stand up for white men and I got a brother in Christ right here. How dare you say something like that.”
Man: “I’m ready to, if you quit messing around, I’ll prove it to you right now.”
Kirk: “Messing around? Bringing up a person of color is messing around? Isn’t that your whole shtick?”
Man: “The Holy Spirit specifically brought me here because this is Idaho. This is the Old West, right? The Holy Spirit brought me here to challenge you to a gentleman’s fist fight right here in front of this whole crowd.”
Kirk: “I would hate to hospitalize you in front of 2,000 people.”
Man: “I’m a 70-year-old man. I haven’t been in a fight in like 60 years. However, does a godly man come up here? Does a godly man challenge another to a duel? Does a godly man come up here and threaten someone?”
Kirk: “Can I speak? All right. So, look. I’m telling you, I’m not up here just fighting for me. The Lord has come up to me to ask for fight for people that you diss all the time like women.”
Crowd: “The Lord brought him here to speak to you.”
Man: “Women, gay people, trans people, immigrants, people of color, people of different religions, immigrants, refugees. So, look, you seriously, I’m serious. You can have your goons. They can search me. I’ll sign a waiver. I’ll let you take the first punch. Let’s go. Put up or shut up, Charlie Kirk. Shut up or shut up.”
Kirk: “So, first of all, it says very clearly in the Bible that we shouldn’t harm those that are worthy of protection. And you obviously are. You’re on Medicare age. But let’s play this out. Despite the obvious fact, and we you and I both know who would win this duel, however…”
Man: “Well, you are…”
Kirk: “Hold on a second. This is a great embodiment of the American left. You can’t debate. So, you want to go to blows. The only thing that is preventing this country from going to civil war is debate and dialogue. And you don’t even want to have debate. You want to go and you want to wrestle like a seven-year-old. Who here is actually dividing the country?”
Man: “Gentlemen’s fist fight. You know what that is, right?”
Kirk: “Again, I would like to think that we are elevated above trying to go have a fight in the streets or a fight in front of 2,000 people. In fact, a correct mark of civilization is that we don’t have to go to blows or bullets, that we can have discourse and debate, but yet you’re inviting that.”
Man: “And you know that out here in the West, that’s a bunch of…”
Kirk: “Oh, really? You don’t debate out in the West? Men stand up for what they believe. You guys don’t dialogue in the West? Come on, man.”
Kirk: “Now, how about this? Why don’t you, since you’re a 70-year-old aged elder and you want to have a fist fight with a 31-year-old, is that how old you are? Why don’t you tell me what a woman is?”
Man: “I am not here to debate you. I’m here to prove you wrong. Prove you wrong.”
Crowd: “Prove him wrong.”
Man: “So, either put up or shut up. I’ll walk away. You tell me right now.”
Kirk: “I will say this. I will say this. I’m not going to fight you because I don’t have to. Because you know why? You are acting as if someone who is very desperate, who is clout-chasing. We are going to remain peaceful while the left promotes violence. We are going to be the peace. Because as Christ our Lord said, blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Thank you, sir. And get out of here.”
Man: “Oh yeah. Don’t hurry on it, buddy. You’re a coward, dude. Anytime. Get out of here.”
Immigration and American Identity
Student: “I think that the anti-immigration rhetoric you have is not new. I think that you try to paint a picture of it being this current phenomenon that we’re facing, but there’s been rhetoric from your side for a long time throughout the entirety of history. I mean, if we look at the immigration policies in the US, even though Chinese immigrants built the entire Western Railroad, there was still the Chinese Exclusion Act because they were providing insane value to the United States, but we still had these exclusion acts because of xenophobic attitudes. And so, this is not a novel idea that immigrants are bad for the country. So, I’m interested in why you think that all of a sudden we need to change the way the United States works.”
Kirk: “Well, first of all, immigration has gone in great influxes. We basically turned off all immigration in the 1940s and 50s. We had like net zero immigration for almost 15 years. Most people don’t even know that. So, we had Ellis Island in the early 1900s and then we turned on the spigot of immigration. But let’s be honest, for 40 years, we have tried this mass immigration project for the last 40 years. Has it worked? Are we a more connected country? Have middle class wages kept up? Look at the material data. Has immigration enriched the well-being of the United States of America, especially the last five or six years? I would say of course not. Actually, we’re more divided, we’re more fractious. And we see this in almost every European country as well. When you import a bunch of people that don’t speak your language that are from the third world, all of a sudden you have mass destabilization happening in your country. It’s not a matter of being xenophobic. Instead, it’s a matter of being patriotic to your own country and your own citizens. It’s not about hating the foreigner. It’s about loving the citizen and your obligation is always to citizens first, not foreigners.”
Student: “Okay. So, you don’t think that the MAGA movement has led to xenophobic attitudes at all?”
Kirk: “I don’t even know how to answer that. I mean, like, why not?”
Student: “Well, because you have to first define what you mean by xenophobic attitudes.”
Student: “I mean, just like you said, you said we’re living in a divided world. Do you don’t think that comes from people being anti-immigration?”
Kirk: “Not no, I think it’s the opposite. I think when you allow a bunch of people that aren’t native-born Americans too quickly with no checks, no background, no idea who they are and flood them into your towns. Definitionally, diversity is not a strength when it comes to local community ties.”
Student: “If you don’t use it, if you don’t use it, I don’t know that you’re committed to finding its strength.”
Kirk: “Hold on. No, explain this to me. This is a good question. Yeah. What country has ever grown stronger the more divided it’s been?”
Student: “None. But I’m not saying that we have to get more divided.”
Kirk: “No, no, but diversity definitionally will divide you. Unity unifies you. You notice they never say unity is our strength. They say diversity is our strength. In fact, just so we are clear, there is nothing racist or xenophobic to say that you want your kids to be around people that speak English. There’s nothing racist to say that. It’s actually means that you want to be able to communicate with your neighbor. There’s nothing racist and xenophobic to say, for example, we don’t want to import people from a far-off distant land that don’t share Western values, that don’t treat women the same, that don’t have the same respect for freedom of speech. So, what we see is the unraveling of the United States of America because a country is just like undoubtedly a it is the people that inhabit it. So, you have to be very careful what people you allow into your country.”
Student: “Sure. And I think that what you’re talking about this like mass shift in American culture is like not happening. I think you’re fear-mongering. And also, I think that the United States forever has been a mix of culture. I don’t really know where you can point to a time in US history that hasn’t included immigrants in its culture.”
Kirk: “Again, from the 1920s to the 1960s, we had very little immigration in this country. Nearly 40 years. In fact, that is what largely led to us becoming a world superpower in the 1950s. We had the Bracero program back then where we brought in tons of laborers from Mexico to the United States to work in agriculture and that’s how we fed the United States. So, it was very limited in scope versus what we see today. But again, I will ask a more moral question. Does a politician have first loyalty to its own citizens or to another country’s citizens?”
American Foreign Policy and Immigration
Student: “Absolutely. I’m glad you brought this because I wanted to circle back to my original question about the United States creating instability in the rest of the world. I do think that every single politician like let’s say I’m the prime minister of South Africa…”
Kirk: “Which is an incredibly anti-white country. Oh my goodness.”
Student: “Okay. Anyway…”
Kirk: “Do you know about that by the way? You should.”
Student: “Apartheid. Yes.”
Kirk: “Oh no, no, no, no. It’s like they’re killing white people in the streets in South Africa, stealing farmland. They’re stealing farmland. And if you don’t know about that, that shows how the media is lying to all of you. It is literally a mini white genocide happening in South Africa right now.”
Student: “But I don’t think that we should…”
Kirk: “No, it’s fine. You brought up South Africa, not me. But yes, that was just an example. Anyway, let’s stay on topic.”
Student: “So let’s say I’m the prime minister for a country. I do agree with you that my first job is that country for sure. That’s who I’m leading. But considering the United States has created mass violence, instability, and poverty around the world, you don’t think that we have some sort of obligation to the people who then have to flee from that?”
Kirk: “No. Why not?”
Student: “Why not?”
Kirk: “Define your terms. Where have we created mass instability? I’ll grant you Iraq. That was a disaster. Where else?”
Student: “In all of Latin America, in different countries in Africa, places that… We colonize Puerto Rico. Yeah. I mean, of course…”
Kirk: “I’m always so interested in this as if it’s like you can never blame those countries for not having their act together, it’s somehow America’s fault. Like, ‘Oh, it’s America’s fault that Nicaragua can’t get its act together.’ It’s America’s fault. Even though we welcome Puerto Rico to become US citizens, like we’ve colonized them. So, here’s the paradox. You don’t think that Puerto Rico is colonized?”
Kirk: “No, no, no. I’m saying though, so if we don’t help Puerto Rico, we’re evil. When they become a territory, we colonize them and we haven’t done enough. It’s like, which one is it exactly?”
Student: “So Puerto Rico was taken from the Spanish as a colony and used as a sugar farm for years where the workers were paid less than a dollar per day to create sugar for the United States. And it’s not really about statehood or independence. It’s about letting Puerto Rico decide that for themselves. And anyway, this isn’t about Puerto Rico.”
Kirk: “No, it’s fine. And more broadly, and I’ll get to the final couple final questions here. I can sense that your problem is that America’s super successful and these other countries aren’t. And foundationally it’s rooted in envy, bitterness, and resentment because we are the world’s superpower. It’s not because we’ve held anybody back. It’s because we’ve had incredible people, really good ideas.”
Student: “I think the US has intervened in a negative way in other countries.”
Kirk: “At times, yes, at times we’ve intervened very favorably. Can you at least acknowledge at times that sure there has been aid but there’s also been…”
Student: “No, not just aid. South Korea exists because of American involvement. Kuwait exists because of American involvement.”
Student: “But it’s not so, but to look at American accountability you have to look at the whole of that accountability and to say that certain countries are less developed purely on their own fault is to ignore history.”
Kirk: “I [disagree]. Countries have to take responsibility for their own future. Which again, this is one of the reasons why so many people hate Israel. Every other country around there is like a third world country and Israel is super successful and super agentic and they’re able to be like one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. You got to wonder what is it that they’re doing? Oh, it’s the Jews because they’re stealing all this money. No, actually, they like work super hard and they don’t believe in Islam and they…”
Student: “Have you ever been to those countries?”
Kirk: “Yeah, actually, I have been to Israel and I’ve been to the Palestinian Authority. I’ve been to the West Bank. I’ve actually visited it. Even if I hadn’t, that doesn’t mean what I’m saying is wrong. Just for the record. By the way, I encourage you to try to go to Lebanon or Syria. Not exactly the Four Seasons, right? So, and you think that US intervention has anything to do with that?”
Kirk: “Partially, but again, to blame the evil US intervention for every single problem is at its core intellectually sloppy.”
Student: “I don’t think so. Because the United States has two times the military of the rest of the world. It has been in our DNA to intervene in a military way in other countries. So to say…”
Kirk: “I mean, you I know you believe it. So, I want to try to square this all together. I got to get another question just to make sure I’m clear. So, you’re mad at America for getting involved in other people’s countries, right? So America’s bad for that. But then you want everyone to come to America. I thought America’s bad.”
Student: “I’m saying that the United States needs to be held accountable. You can’t meddle in…”
Kirk: “So, we’re held accountable by inviting the entire world here? If you are going to mess up that country, you have to do something about it.”
Student: “Maybe if you’re the reason that they have to leave.”
Kirk: “That at its core, I’m glad you articulated it, is neoconservatism, which is ‘invade the world, invite the world,’ which is that you don’t support the invasion part of it, but somehow we have to invite the world as some sort of like mass penance. But that’s like, you invade and then say, ‘Oh, no. I don’t support the invasions.’ I think you are overly ascribing fault to the United States of America when in reality it’s these own broken countries that cannot get their own act together. A great example is this and I’ll close with this. El Salvador has become actually safer than America. It has billions of dollars flowing into El Salvador. Why? Because they elected [Bukele] who decided to go after MS-13 and clean up the streets of El Salvador, which again, it wasn’t—it was because they decided to do good things with massive action. Countries can be wealthy. Singapore is wealthy. You could be a very wealthy country if you embrace western market ideas, private property with low crime, and it’s not always…”
Student: “I mean, in the case of El Salvador, the United States was the reason that the country broke down into gang warfare, and now if you look at the way they were able to turn around, they had to declare a state of emergency just to be able to turn things around. It’s just like this is where we’re different and then I’ll close.”
Kirk: “I look at America as a force for good. You look at everything wrong and you say it must be America.”
Student: “No, sir. I’m looking at bad things that they have done and calling for accountability.”
Kirk: “Okay. Look, I mean, maybe we disagree. I don’t know. I guess I think we’re a wonderful country and I think if a country is poor, they’re poor by choice and they have to be able to get their act together, make better decisions, and stop acting like victims all the time. Thank you very much.”
Debating Debate Tactics
Student: “Hi, good afternoon. I’m going to try and keep this right on point so you guys can get going. My name is Dennis. I’m here with San Francisco State’s speech and debate crew, our forensics crew here on SF State. And I’m hoping to engage you guys, both of you. It’s very nice to meet you both in a fair, honest debate on pursuing truth. The points I’m going to hit today are going to be your podcast that you just made about us, about SF State, as well as some of your points on religion and immigration. And I like to believe that you’re hopefully here in good consciousness trying to debate people fairly.”
Kirk: “Faster, man. What is it?”
Student: “I’m doing it. You called our campus an island of totalitarianism. You said ‘you should see what these people believe, what they think,’ that SF State is much like Stalingrad or Leningrad, a Maoist type concentration camp.”
Kirk: “Yes. Now look, I think they could have done a little better job with the architecture and all, but also a campus that’s totalitarian. As you said, this is literally you said on your podcast this, you did. You said this. I’m talking to both of you. You said this on your…”
Student: “You said this.”
Kirk: “Okay. I said island totalitarianism, but I agree with everything she said. So anyways, on your podcast, you said this and I don’t think an island of totalitarianism would be hosting this event for you to come debate people fairly.”
Kirk: “No. Last time I was here, they did it. Yeah, they only did because we threatened to sue them. That’s why we’re here today. You know, they… do you know she was literally locked in a room for hours because a bunch of trans zealots were threatening her life and they canceled the event in a classroom and the university did nothing to punish the people responsible and instead sent out an email apologizing that her presence was even on campus. What do you think about that?”
Student: “I think that if people should do protest peacefully trying to debate with logic and facts like we’re trying to do now and that…”
Kirk: “So you would condemn what happened two years ago to me on this campus?”
Student: “I think violence is condemnable without debate but I’d like to bring up that I don’t think sometimes you guys are here fairly when you come to debate people. I watched a debate that you had with Texas A&M where you brought up…”
Kirk: “Come up, come up, come up, come up. Come on. Come on up. Right here. This mic is for you. Come on up. Walk her up. I’ll say very briefly. You said you had every intention approaching this conversation of truth.”
Student: “Absolutely.”
Kirk: “Do you believe that men can get pregnant?”
Student: “No, you’re not…”
Kirk: “Come on up. That’s a complex issue that I don’t…”
Kirk: “It’s not complex. It’s not a complex issue.”
Student: “Okay. I’m not going to answer that because you guys asked me to be…”
Kirk: “You’re interested in the truth. If you cannot say if men can or cannot get pregnant, you’re clearly not interested in the truth.”
Student: “I am. I just I don’t want to give you an untruthful answer. So, I’m going to continue to my next question.”
Kirk: “I will give you the answer. The only answer, it’s no, men cannot get pregnant.”
Student: “Okay, I will accept that as your answer. Now, I want to show to the crowd this photo. Anyone wants to look at that, Charlie Kirk showed at a debate at Texas A&M as proof that Kilar Abrego Garcia, yes, he has it right there, is a criminal with very photoshopped…”
Kirk: “Now, look at that. It’s called labeling. Do you know what a label is?”
Student: “No.”
Kirk: “When you drink a water bottle, is that photoshopped? When it labels something and describes it…”
Student: “Between labeling and…”
Kirk: “Hold on. These tattoos are not photoshopped. They’re labeled. Do you know the difference between labeling and a photo?”
Student: “Understand. Please don’t be condescending. I have a photo of…”
Kirk: “Hold on a second, Mr. debate champion. If it’s correct, sir, I’m trying to engage you in a…”
Student: “Let me finish my thought. Please respect. Let me finish my thought.”
Kirk: “If it’s true that there is nothing wrong with the tattoos on his hands, why did his girlfriend blur it out in all the images she posted?”
Student: “I cannot speak to what his girlfriend has or hasn’t done. All I can show is right here. He doesn’t have MS-13 tattoos. Literally right here.”
Kirk: “Has that been proven? Is that factual?”
Student: “Yes, it is. Trump has used this labeling to try and prove that he’s a part of…”
Kirk: “Next question. Thank you very much.”
Student: “Okay. I’m… part religion. Will you let me debate you on religion?”
Kirk: “We got a long line. Thank you.”
Student: “All right. Thank you for your time.”
Debating Illegal Immigration
Student: “I have a couple points that I want to talk about in illegal immigration. Is it okay if I say all of them with no interruption?”
Kirk: “Okay, cool.”
Student: "So, first, illegal immigrants power our economy. They are 50% of US farm workers harvesting the food on our tables and fill 70% of construction jobs in states like Texas. They pay 13 billion annually in taxes, including 2 billion to social security that they can’t claim. Deporting them would slash agricultural output by 60 billion and raise food prices by 6%. Why gut our farms and wallets when these workers fuel our prosperity? That’s my first point.
Second point, they strengthen our communities with lower crime rates. So in Texas, undocumented immigrants have a 26% lower homicide conviction rate. So which is 2.2 per 100,000 versus three for native-born citizens. Nationally immigrants are incarcerated at half the rate of native-born, where it’s 0.85% versus 1.7%. That’s according to Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2019. So if safety is your goal, why deport people who make our streets safer?
This is my third point. Mass deportation tears apart American families. Over 4.4 million US citizen children have an undocumented parent and in Texas one in seven kids lives in a mixed status household.
This is my fourth point. Deportation is a fiscal nightmare. Removing 11 million people would cost 315 to 400 billion, more than the entire homeland security budget and shrink our GDP by 1.7 trillion over 10 years.
And this is my last point. Our immigration system is broken, pushing people to cross illegally. Visa waits for Mexicans can exceed 20 years and the asylum blockage is 1.3 million cases with hearings four to six years out."
Kirk: “You done? That’s pretty much it. Yeah. All right. So without looking at the phone, look at me. What should the penalty be for breaking into America?”
Student: “I think there should be a system where it’s more merit-based. So if this person…”
Kirk: “Penalty. So what is the penalty? So what should happen? It’s a fel… it’s not a felony. It’s a misdemean…”
Kirk: “That’s not true. It’s 8 USC 1312. You can look it up right now. It’s a felony if it’s done twice if you try to cross.”
Student: “That is correct.”
Kirk: “That is not correct. I googled it. To illegally go across the southern border with the intent to harbor yourself into the interior of the United States is a violation of 8 USC 1312, which is a felony in the federal criminal code. Now it can be enforced as a misdemeanor or it can be upwards to five years in prison. Now I want to know since it’s a felony law on the books, 8 USC 1312, what should the penalty be?”
Student: “Um well, in my opinion, these kinds of laws are not… are usually they’re… they’re um what do you call it? They’re um sorry. Usually the the like the… sorry um wait, sorry. Can I check my phone real quick? I apologize. Can you repeat the question? Sorry.”
Kirk: “What should the penalty be?”
Student: “Penalty be for someone that breaks or comes into America illegally, what should the penalty be?”
Student: “I think there should be a merit system where the people…”
Kirk: “Okay, the penalty. All right, that’s not the answer. It’s a very simple moral and legal question. What should the penalty be if you come into America illegally?”
Student: “Okay. So, since it’s a misdemeanor, not a felony, misdemeanor.”
Kirk: “I just told you it’s not… it’s 8 USC. You can look up on your ChatGPT. What is 8 USC 1312? Look up.”
Student: “What is 8 USC 1312? No, I know. I’ve already looked it up. Yes. It’s… which is when it’s your second time crossing the border illegally, then it becomes a felony.”
Kirk: “It can be and it is enforced as a felony and it usually is done as a misdemeanor citation because no one has the stones to do 20 million felony applications. Okay. So I just want to ask what should the penalty be then for someone that comes into this country illegally?”
Student: “Usually there’s three ways that go about this when there’s a penalty. There’s either like a fine or there is some kind of public service that this person does. Or you send them back.”
Kirk: “Send them back. I agree. That’s what we should do.”
Student: “Okay. So, this is interesting. So, one of the stats, one of the statistics that I read said that illegal immigrants don’t cause as much crime as people who are native born.”
Kirk: “That is statistical. But every single one of them are criminals. They’re all criminals.”
Student: “They’re okay. Sure. By law. By law.”
Kirk: “No. No. By law. Of course. Of course they are. So if they commit less crime and they’re all criminals… Wait a second. By definition, they all have broken the law by being here. And they break the law every day by staying here because you’re actually not allowed to stay here either. Do you know that? So every day you’re here, you’re actually continually breaking the law. You can’t break in or harbor. That’s what the federal law says. So by breaking in, it’s not just the only law they broke. Every second you remain here, you’re also breaking the law. So that statistic is invalidated by just them breathing here, they’re breaking the law.”
Student: “No, of course not. Of course not. So of course it makes sense for them when they’re here, they’re breaking the law because they’re illegal immigrants. Obviously. Obviously. But once they’re here, once they are here, what kind of harm are they actually doing when we look at the numbers statistically?”
Kirk: “No. No, that’s not true. Okay. Black wages have gone up. Okay. In Texas, DUI have gone up dramatically.”
Student: “Try not to interrupt, bro. Hold on. I I’m interjecting and I let you go uninterrupted with your whole soliloquy, right? So let me just let me ask you a question now. Okay. So if it is correct that illegal aliens commit less crimes, which of course it’s not correct.”
Student: “That is correct. Look it up. In Texas, they made a study in 2019. 26% are lower.”
Kirk: “If it’s any crime, it’s just not correct. But I’m not going to debate that. It’s I just proved it at its face because they commit a crime by being here every day. That is a crime.”
Student: “Okay. Once they are here, what kind of crimes are they committing?”
Kirk: “Which is okay. Well, they’re 26%…”
Kirk: “Do you know the name Laken Riley?”
Student: “No.”
Kirk: “Educate me. Oh, you don’t?”
Kirk: “Do you know the name Rachel Morin?”
Student: “No, I don’t.”
Kirk: “Wow. Educate me. What?”
Kirk: “So Laken Riley was a girl at the University of Georgia. Okay. There was a peeping Tom—an illegal alien that was deported five times prior and Biden kept on letting him back in. He hunted her down, raped her, sodomized her, and murdered her on a hiking trail at University of Georgia.”
Student: “So, one person doesn’t represent all illegal immigrants.”
Kirk: “Every person who is killed by an illegal alien is one that should not happen. Every single one.”
Student: “Of course. And also the ones that are born. Everyone.”
Kirk: “And so that’s the point is that it’s not a matter of the rate. The rate, even if I accept your premise, which is incorrect, the rate is irrelevant. The number is what’s relevant. There should be zero illegal aliens. There should be zero Americans being killed by illegals. Not to mention, there’s six other problems with illegal aliens. They steal social security numbers. They depress wages. They are heavily involved, by the way. Not to mention a lot of people that cross on the southern border are also smuggling girls, weapons, and drugs alongside the southern border when they come. It’s the largest slavery operation in American history that many illegal aliens help make possible on the southern border. And I guess the final question I’ll have is, should a government serve its citizens first and foremost?”
Student: “No, of course. Of course.”
Kirk: “Well, okay. There’s many there’s been many people who are like very political leaders who have said that this place is built off of immigrants.”
Kirk: “Oh, is it? Well, hold on. Let’s think about that. Was was first of all, it’s legal, not illegal. But was America founded by immigrants or settlers?”
Student: “Settlers.”
Kirk: “That’s not an immigrant. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, that’s not my point.”
Student: “My point is that people…”
Kirk: “You brought up the nation built by immigrants?”
Student: “Yeah. Because the political leaders have said that this place is built…”
Kirk: “Yeah. And they’re they’re wrong. They’re wrong. Political leaders are wrong. George W. Bush is wrong.”
Student: “All these political leaders who have built America, by the way, the first person to say that was…”
Student: “How is that wrong when illegal immigrants make… they grow the economy statistically?”
Kirk: “Allow me again. Allow me to build it out for you. Immigrants have helped at times in American history. But we are first and foremost a nation founded by settlers. Immigrants come to a country already built. Settlers come to a barren place and build something new. This land was barren when people came in the 1840s gold rush. This was not an easy place to live. California was not exactly industrialized. There was not immigrants coming west to California. Those were settlers building a new place around, you know, western values. Finally, I would just ask the question, do you see a moral distinction between a legal immigrant and an illegal immigrant?”
Student: “Well, the argument is that they’re cutting in line. Like their argument is that they’re cutting in line in the 20-year process that it would take for someone to be to cross.”
Kirk: “It’s not 20. But at most it’s 20. At most it’s 20. Right now there’s around like 1.2 million people who are currently waiting. That would take six to seven years for a hearing. And by the way, no one has a right to come to this country. Just to be clear, let me stay on track of what I was going to say. Okay. So, people who come here usually almost all the time when they come here, they benefit society. They benefit society. There’s studies that have done this.”
Kirk: “Not necessarily. Not necessarily, but overall in general, when you look over…”
Kirk: “I mentally disagree with that, you can’t disagree with a fact.”
Kirk: “Hold on. Do you think Ilhan Omar has enriched the United States of America?”
Student: “I don’t know who…”
Kirk: “Do you think Rashida Tlaib? I mean, I could go through person by person by person. So, I don’t know these people. Are these people who have like are illegal immigrants that have caused harm?”
Kirk: “Yeah. Again, I if you don’t know, I don’t mean to pick on you. It’s fine. But I guess the final question is, do you have any concern that there are too many people coming into this country and we’re a nation of strangers, not a nation of neighbors?”
Student: “If the people who are coming are creating America, making it more growing, like the economy is growing, then what harm is that doing? Especially if the people are coming at an economy though, aren’t we?”
Kirk: “We’re a culture. We’re a language.”
Student: “Of course. Okay. So, let’s talk about that front. When they come here, they don’t have any kind of they’re not committing as more crimes than the people who are already here.”
Kirk: “We’ve already dispelled that, but you can’t get… Do you think there’s anything wrong that a majority of young people in California speak Spanish, not English?”
Student: “Is there… Wait, sorry. I can see the…”
Kirk: “Do you think there’s anything wrong or troubling to the fact that a majority of people under the age of 30 here in the state speak Spanish, not English?”
Student: “Um, is there a problem with that?”
Kirk: “Well, yeah. Everyone should be able to have ability to communicate with the rest of the crowd. So, I guess I don’t know what the big issue of that.”
Kirk: “See, I think it’s a huge problem when we have a nation where you can’t communicate with your fellow.”
Student: “Simple solution. Teach them how to speak English. What is your…”
Kirk: “Yeah. And that our schools don’t do that actually. And also, how about a better solution? Don’t import a bunch of people that don’t speak English.”
Student: “You mean importing people who actually grow the economy?”
Kirk: “I reject your premise.”
Student: “Another premise. That’s a study that’s been done.”
Kirk: “Do you know what a premise is? I don’t actually care as much about economic growth because we’re one nation under… we’re one nation under GDP. We’re not one nation under GDP. We’re a nation under God. And when we lose social cohesion and you import a bunch of people that don’t share our values, that don’t necessarily always assimilate, that’s a major and serious problem. And we are a people first and foremost with a creed. And that creed is falling apart. Mass immigration has not helped that creed. Yes, they might buy more trinkets. They might help depress wages. Mass immigration of course can help. All good things. All great things for America.”
Kirk: “Well, they help major corporations, but you know what they also do? They keep down the wages of working people. If you are a plumber, yes, of course. If you think about it, if you’re a plumber, electrician, or a welder, and you have to compete against someone from Nicaragua who’s willing to do it for five bucks less an hour, that depresses the wages of the American citizen, right?”
Student: “Yeah. So, there’s been studies I’ve done that also like counteract that illegal immigrants…”
Kirk: “No, our studies… statistics. How about our reason? So, we’ve had mass immigration for 20 years. Have wages gone up?”
Student: “I don’t know.”
Kirk: “No, they haven’t, actually. So, forget your studies. For 10 years, we’ve had studies for 10 years, we’ve had 30 million people come into America. Wages have gone down dramatically. Maybe there’s a reason why. Okay. So, what I encourage you to do just because there’s a study that confirms… you should use your reason and look actually at self-evident truths. Be like, ‘Huh, does that make sense?’”
Student: “Can you name statistics are self-evident?”
Kirk: “Well, not always. Statistics are very misleading. Yes. You like for example I could say did you know that 600 people a year die because of seat belts. Well that’s a misleading statistic because over 100,000 lives are saved by seat belts. That’s an incomplete statistic.”
Student: “Wait okay so where where is the so that’s a gray area so where’s the gray area where people are talking about where 26% of illegal immigrants who come here commit less crimes than native born.”
Kirk: “Okay, we have… how many times have we been over this? That’s just not correct.”
Student: “That is correct. That is correct. Every single crime… it doesn’t matter. This is a study that was done in Texas. The most diverse, second most diverse…”
Kirk: “Every crime an illegal commits is one that should never have happened. Period. They should not be here. So I don’t care about the rate. The rate is irrelevant. So let me just ask one final question.”
Student: “It is relevant. Someone broke into the country and cut in line. What should happen to them?”
Student: “Well, they get they’re given… ideally there’s a system, ideally there’s a system that’s merit-based where these people then become part of the citizen. Like they become a legal citizen.”
Kirk: “Yeah. I mean we have clarity but not agreement. I say deport them all back to their country of origin and put Americans first.”
Student: “That’s not… that’s not an appropriate solution when the American people voted for it and it is appropriate.”
Student: “It isn’t appropriate because most of the people that do come here illegally contribute positively to society.”
Kirk: “Not again, dude. Statistically, everything backs this. You’re not listening to anything I’m saying and that’s fine. They take jobs from Americans. They depress wages. They steal social security numbers. They commit a crime every single day that they’re here. They flood our public schools. They flood our social services. They flood our hospitals. They are a burden on the taxpayer. They should go back and make their own country great again and apply and become a legal immigrant if they want to live here. Thank you very much. Thank you.”
Final Abortion Debate
Student: “Hi. Okay. I’m just here to talk about abortion. But my first question was: why should women who are raped have to give birth to that baby?”
Kirk: “I think it’s as simple as do you believe life matters or not? I mean, is it because it has a heartbeat when it is conceived? Well, it right…”
Student: “So, what is the question you’re asking? I’m saying that my question to you is do you believe that life matters?”
Student: “I do believe life matters after the person is born with child.”
Kirk: “After the person is born. So, okay. So, here we go. If any woman were to be pregnant right now and there’s a baby that’s 20 weeks developed, is that baby alive?”
Student: “No.”
Kirk: “No. I mean, not physically, is it? I mean, it’s…”
Kirk: “Wait, so it has a heartbeat?”
Kirk: “It can hear the mom’s voice. Has its own fingerprint, its own DNA, it can empty its own bladder. What about it is not alive?”
Student: “The fact if it doesn’t have a heartbeat at 20 weeks…”
Kirk: “It does. So heartbeats start at six weeks, right? So I’m talking about a 20-week baby, 20-week-year-old baby. How is that not alive?”
Student: “I mean we I guess we see it different ways, but I mean in my view, you have to cut an umbilical cord to get that child out. And I feel like if the child is still attached to the mother, if the mother is still… the mother has to eat to feed the baby, if the mother… the baby is still living inside of the mother. It should not… it isn’t alive.”
Kirk: “Well, a mother has to feed a baby months and months and months and months after the baby is already like on this planet. But is the mother feeding? So what about someone on a feeding tube? If you don’t feed them through their feeding tube, are they not worthy of life?”
Student: “How old is that person? Are they are they born? Like have they been born yet?”
Kirk: “But why does the moral worth of a human being matter whether they’re born or not?”
Student: “Um, probably… well the point that I was trying to get out with it… the point that I was trying to get out with it is that women shouldn’t have to be forced to give birth to that child if they’re if they don’t want to. That’s the point I was just trying to get out there.”
Kirk: “Okay. Um, let’s say I have two ultrasounds here. One of the babies is dolphin fetus again. One of them is a baby conceived in rape. Okay. The other one is a baby conceived in a loving relationship. Which one is which? I mean, it’s up to them.”
Student: “The thing… No, but which one is which? I can’t tell the difference. Help me out.”
Student: “I’m not saying that there’s a difference between those two.”
Kirk: “Exactly. So, they both deserve human rights.”
Student: “No, I’m saying that if a mother doesn’t want to give birth to her child, she shouldn’t have to.”
Kirk: “Okay. So, should you be able to commit murder of a newborn if you don’t want the baby anymore?”
Student: “No, you would.”
Kirk: “Why?”
Student: “Well, then what’s the difference? You wouldn’t have the child if you didn’t want it. That’s the point of abortion.”
Kirk: “Well, hold on. I hope you never have an abortion. Actually, abortion’s really bad.”
Student: “It’s my body, my choice. That’s the thing.”
Kirk: “Well, hold on. If it’s your body, your choice, and I’ll let Riley chime in. Is it your choice? Because you’re a man and you get to make those decisions.”
Kirk: “Hold on. Time out. Well, you want to say that to Riley? Riley’s a woman, too. So, say the same statement to her. Say the same statement to her. But I’m no. Your logic must be equally applicable to all sexes. Say that same statement to her.”
Student: “I’m saying that she can say the same statement to her. I’m not saying that statement to you. I’m saying that you as a man just said it to me.”
Kirk: “No, I’m saying you as a man should not have… you have the right to choose whether I can.”
Kirk: “Okay. Does she have the right to choose?”
Student: “She does have the right.”
Kirk: “She doesn’t… have… no one has the right to choose from…”
Kirk: “Okay. So, it’s not a man thing. That’s what I’m saying. As a man because Trump is in charge and he is the one he said that he is the reason that Roe v. Wade is overturned. He said that.”
Kirk: “Praise the Lord. Roe versus Wade is overturned.”
Student: “In what way? Like it’s… it also kills other women in Texas.”
Kirk: “You know, we have more babies being born in Texas than ever before since the abolition of abortion. Isn’t that a good thing? And that’s that’s why we have such a high population. That’s why we have 20 million people.”
Student: “We have a declining population.”
Kirk: “We have a population collapse. What are you talking about? The world is on the verge of a population extinction event. We don’t have enough babies. We’re below replacement levels in the West. So, you want to make women happy?”
Student: “Not make.”
Kirk: “Okay. Let’s go through fundamental biology. How do people get pregnant?”
Student: “I know how a woman gets pregnant. So, if you decide to have sex, you might win a certain prize.”
Student: “What if you don’t decide?”
Kirk: “I’m sorry. What?”
Student: “What if you do not decide to have sex and you get raped?”
Kirk: “Again, it’s still a human life. You don’t get to have… You don’t get to kill a baby just because a human life occurs. Something evil, rape, does not get better when another evil action occurs. And I will say this, somebody in this audience was conceived in rape. Can you tell me who? It doesn’t matter who.”
Student: “That’s the thing. That’s the thing is they’re all human.”
Kirk: “I’m not saying I’m not saying that they’re not a human life. I’m saying the mother should have the choice whether she got it.”
Kirk: “No, but let’s… You said they’re not a human life. So, they are a human life. Therefore, an abolition of an extermination of human life is called what? Murder. So, yes, abortion is murder. Even the case of rape, and that’s a hard thing to internalize.”
Student: “Doesn’t matter. So, you’re saying it’s a child, but it’s not.”
Kirk: “What species is it? It is a human.”
Student: “But ah, okay. But is it a… has the child formed yet?”
Kirk: “But hold on. You’re not fully formed. Riley’s not fully formed. I’m not fully formed. We actually go through this process of development our entire life. An embryo is just one stage upon human development. It doesn’t mean you get less rights just because you’re earlier in the human development scale.”
Student: “Um, I mean, I feel like I do have more rights than a baby that is in some…”
Kirk: “Why does your age give you more rights over an embryo? Why? The ability to eliminate a smaller human? Why is that morally consistent?”
Student: “I’m not saying that it’s better because it is a smaller human. I’m saying that… Oh my god. I’m saying that women themselves should have the choice to get no choice.”
Kirk: “Yeah, that’s why I should have the choice.”
Kirk: “Riley, do you want to take this as a woman?”
Riley: “Yeah, I mean this is… it’s just a flawed logic to insinuate that if you have a heartbeat, these certain qualifications, that is what determines human rights. The moment you’re conceived, you are a human, right? We we all just agreed that the species is a homo sapien. You are a human at that point. That’s when human rights begin. So, I think it’s ironic that the other side who touts human rights, who claims to fight for human rights, they don’t they don’t believe those belong to children. And as a woman, I believe every single life is worthy. Every life matters.”
Student: “Well I mean there are so many women out there who do get pregnant and because of laws that there are in place that they cannot have an abortion and they have to give birth to that baby. Many women that are pregnant I’m not going to say I’m not saying all of them. I’m saying some of them are drug addicts. Some of them just physically can’t financially keep a child. What is the solution?”
Riley: “Adoption.”
Student: “But the thing is that do do you know how many kids are actually adopted from adoption agency?”
Kirk: “Do you know how many women struggle with infertility who would love to adopt a baby?”
Student: “Exactly. 25% of these kids get adopted before they are 18. And the kids that do not get adopted are let go from the adoption agency and they do not like know what they’re doing.”
Kirk: “Not that they don’t know what they’re doing. There certainly could be reforms within the foster care community and within the adoption system, but there are plenty and plenty and plenty of families of women who are hoping to be able to adopt because they can’t conceive on their own.”
Student: “But 25% like only… no only 25%… there should be a reform adoption. What are you going to do? You want to say that we cannot have an abortion but many children are not finding homes until they’re 18. And a lot of these kids once they let go from adoption agencies become homeless, become drug addicts. You say that we cannot have abortion, but you are not doing anything to make…”
Kirk: “But first of all, number one, neither are you.”
Student: “Exactly. So, well, what am I supposed to do? I’m 16.”
Kirk: “So, again, the essence of this again, and we’ll wrap this up. There’s twice as many people on the adoption waiting list than there are actually being adopted. Twice as many. So, the adoption waiting list is very long. You just have to make it easier to adoption reform.”
Student: “Well, then that mean that only 50% of these kids would be adopted. And there are still 50% of these children which are…”
Kirk: “I think she missed her… I think you missed the point. That’s okay. Thank you for your time. We’ll get to the next question.”
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