America must reject political violence completely

Political violence has no place in American life, and the media, politicians and the public should reject it completely.

This week, two young men attacked a San Diego mosque, killing three people before taking their own lives, police said.

One of the teens took firearms from his parents’ home and left a suicide note that referenced racial pride, a law enforcement source told The Post, and authorities found anti-Islamic writings in the car the teens drove.

The men apparently left behind a hate-filled, 75-page manifesto that assailed a range of groups –– including Muslims, Jews and gay people –– and praised Adolf Hitler and other mass murderers, The California Post reported.

It should be obvious, and it is to many people, that all such violence is wrong, full stop.

Victims and their families deserve support, compassion and justice, not political wrangling over what happened and why.

In this case, the motive apparently grew from anti-Islam hate and a desire to start a race war as a way to end civilization.

In recent years, the vile, gut-wrenching attacks have spanned the political gamut. 

High-profile cases have included the killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, DC, in 2025; the public shooting of conservative youth leader Charlie Kirk in Utah in 2025; and the Manhattan slaying of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024.

In the latter two cases in particular, the killings have been ghoulishly cheered by a certain set in the media and online, with some expressing glee that their political adversaries had met their demise.

That’s repugnant. It’s wrong, and it’s leading this country to a dark place.

Again, it’s obvious to many, but not to all: Kirk didn’t deserve to die by an assassin’s bullet because his views did not square with those of liberals or progressives. And Thompson did not deserve a street execution because he worked in a dysfunctional health-care system that frustrates Americans.

Just like the victims in this week’s mosque attack did not deserve to die, or be targeted for violence, because of their race or beliefs.

All political and ideological violence should be condemned, categorically.

Yes, it is worthwhile to understand, as best we can, the motives of those who commit atrocities, to better comprehend what happened and how to prevent similar attacks going forward.

But there is no cause that justifies vigilante violence. None.

As Americans, we should be able to agree on this. We should reject the hard-core haters. Reject the rationalizations for violent attacks on perceived adversaries. And reject the political violence, period.