False Equivalence

 There has been a rash of people comparing the deaths of the Hortman family (with much attention given to their dog) with Charlie Kirk of late.   While I do not want to diminish the tragedy of the Hortmans (or the Hoffmans who get ignored because the left needs dead people and dogs, not merely wounded), there are problems with the comparisons.  

1.  Most obviously, Hortman was a fairly unknown legislator in MN (let alone nationally) until she was murdered.  Her biggest claim to fame was bucking her party on their bill to give taxpayer funded healthcare to illegal aliens as part of a biannual budget awash in red ink (Thanks Walz and the DFL for pissing away the surplus).    Obviously she was important to her family friends and some of her constituents, but she was not the face of a national/international organization/movement.  

2.  It is more and more likely that Kirk's assassin was motivated by his extreme, left wing, political views.  Especially his involvement with ANTIFA and "trans" issues.    At best Hortman's assassin's motivations ate not nearly as clear cut as the left would prefer.  His "manifesto" was rambling and incoherent (if it had been otherwise, it would be all over to support the narrative), and his appointment by DFL governors is hardly a sign of him being a "right wing extremist".   FYI, most MN "right wing" voters lean further left that "right wing" votes in the rest of the country.  

3.  The beatification of Hortman (and the rest) seems strangely belated.   There was nowhere near this level of love for her (them) when this happened.  It seems more like a convenient way to  take attention away from the Kirk assassination and the vile celebrations from those on the left.  

 4.  It seems that Kirk's assassination was  (at least partly) an attempt to silence a person/movement that threatened the ASPL.  Hortman was (per some theories) killed because she sided with the GOP.   In any case, Hortman was not even a leader of a party/movement in the state of MN, let alone nationally.   Not that this makes one more valuable than the other, just that the equivalence is flawed at best.  

I do not want to minimize or diminish either tragedy.   Nor do I want to suggest that the Hortmans, the Hoffmans, and the Hortman's dog are not worthy of mourning.   I do want to suggest that the comparisons and equivalencies are flawed (at best), and merely one more way to attempt to justify or excuse the Kirk assassin.  The reality is that both are tragedies and both should be mourned by those who have a shred of humanity.  The reality is that GOP figures in both state and federal government were quick to praise and mourn the MN victims, and no one celebrated her death.   I know that the left needs to push the "both sides" narrative, but this is just a bad example.