I had not heard of Charlie Kirk before his senseless and tragic murder.  Maybe that's because I do not live in the United States, or maybe it's because I do not pay much attention to conservative spokespeople.  But based on what I have heard about him since his death, he seems like the kind of guy I would like to sit down and have a beer with.  Maybe I'd be the only one with a beer, but no matter. What have I heard about him?

From my thirteen year-old daughter, I heard that Charlie Kirk said he could hear carbon dioxide.  She said he would debate with college students on climate change.  She said he'd let a kid talk 'for like four seconds and then he'd cut them off.' 

From my eighteen year-old son, I heard that Charlie Kirk said that he didn't think Muslims belonged in the United States. 

From my husband, I heard that Charlie Kirk said that he would not get on a plane with a black pilot.  "Why not?" I asked.  "Because he says he was a DEI hire."

My fifteen year-old had nothing to say on the topic.  She doesn't pay attention to current affairs.

So this is exactly the kind of person Iike to sit down and talk to.  Here's how I imagine it would go (assuming he doesn't cut me off):

Me:  Hi there.  So, you think we shouldn't do anything about climate change?

CK:  What is there to do?  It's part of nature. 

Me: We could slow the buildup of CO2 in the atmosphere. And in our oceans.

CK: Why? So what if it gets hotter? Plants grow better when it's hot.

Me: Sure, until there's a drought, or a flood, or a forest fire, all of which are more common because temperatures are going up. And people don't do better when it's so hot. They die of heat stroke.

CK: Unfortunate side effect. It gets too hot now, and people find a way to deal with it.

Me: 125 degrees? In India? How does a person deal with that?

CK: That's just weather. It gets hot in india.

Me: So you think these temperature increases globally have nothing to do with carbon emissions?

CK: I didn't say that. Maybe they do, but that's the price of progress.

Me: I thought you said you were Christian? Anyway. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Are you against policies that bring more diversity into schools and workplaces because it causes people to question the merit of the people brought to keep a workplace reflective of the broader community? Because I could kind of understand that point of view. Is that why you won't get on a plane piloted by a black person? Because you think they were put there for the color of their skin rather than the fact that they qualified for their pilot's license?

CK: Yes.

Me: You're implying that the qualification standards are lowered for test takers of color, but as it's a standardized test, I don't see how that's possible.

CK: I reserve the right to not get on a plane that's flown by a black person.

Me: You'd lose the price of your ticket though. Not that the money would matter as much to you but you'd still want to get to where you need to be on time, right? But I guess if you PJ everywhere you probably have more control over who's in the cockpit. Moving on. This thing I heard about no Muslims in the United States. What's that about?

CK: Islam is a threat to our country.

Me: How?

CK: Did you forget about 9/11?

Me: Do you know anything about Islam? Say, the five pillars of Islam? Do you have any Muslim friends?

CK: That faith is incompatible with Western values.

Me: The faith is this: there is but one God; fasting; prayer; charity; and the Hadj. Those are the five pillars of Islam. I think Christians do all those things but the Hadj, so is it the Hadj that's problematic?

Here, I'm not sure what he would say, because like I said, all I know about him is what I heard. And what I heard is probably faulty - it's a game of telephone after all. But it almost doesn't matter. What matters is the dialogue.

So, MAGA, I'm here to listen. But only if you can do these three things:

May Charlie Kirk rest in peace, and may he leave a legacy of people who seek to understand.