Michael Ramirez: Guest Essay From Melissa Praemonitus, "The Left's Big But" 9-27-25
From America's Premier Editorial Cartoonist
The Left’s Big But
By Melissa Praemonitus
This essay is reprinted with the author’s permission, and was originally published on Ricochet.
I met Charlie Kirk in my days as a producer for Whiskey Politics and have followed his career with interest and pleasure, even after I retired to care for my mother and focus on my family. Around 2020, we decided to make politics off-limits at home when the children and grandchildren came to visit. This was to foster a calm atmosphere during and after the Biden years, and we made sure not to mention Trump in their presence.
One member of the family, let’s call her the wife of a cousin, would sometimes attend our parties and made a point of texting that she respected me, loved me, thought of me as a mother, and would never let politics interfere with our relationship. We never spoke about current events, the presidency, or anything else that could be construed as “politics,” and maintained, I thought, a cordial, if somewhat distant, relationship. Through other family members I was aware she produced vituperative anti-Trump screeds on social media, but I didn’t follow her.
On a long drive last week, I tuned the radio to Sean Hannity and listened numbly as the news broke.
When I arrived home that awful day, I told my daughter the news. “Who’s Charlie Kirk?” she asked. I realized that many people outside college campuses must be unaware of him, and I texted tearfully in a family chat:
“I am absolutely crushed by the assassination today of a good and decent young man. Public, ideological hatred needs to end.”
I assumed it would garner agreement that fomenting hatred in general was a bad thing, even though no one yet knew who had committed the terrible deed. I received a text about the need for gun control, and from others, words expressing sympathy, and then this, from the “cousin-in-law”:
“I never support violence on either side of the spectrum and I am also shocked at the news I saw between sessions. But to be completely honest Melissa, your comment has me shocked and disgusted. It’s problematic at best that you consider a white supremacist to be your friend. You said nothing of this sort when democratic lawmakers in Minnesota were gunned down, yet you feel the need to express sympathy for a white supremacist who said empathy is weakness. THIS IS WHY WE NEED GUN LAWS. So both sides don’t have to fear for their safety. So YOUR GRANDCHILDREN don’t have to fear for their safety. The kids shouldn’t have to have active shooter drills be normalized. Honestly, I am so deeply ashamed of you. I really wanted to believe you were starting to change. Kids were shot today in Colorado and you don’t seem to care. I’m appalled that someone who claims to love and care about me would still side with people who want to hurt me and my entire family. I’m beyond disgusted and I’m done being quiet. Enough is enough. You need to do better. This is not ok.”
My reflections on this viperous little lecture took some time to process, and I was hesitant to make public a personally embarrassing rupture in my precious family, but here goes:
She is “shocked and disgusted,” because her leftist sense of moral superiority informs her that it’s permissible, even optimal, to hate family members who support anyone conservative — especially if they are effective leaders like Charlie, who she claims, without evidence, is a white supremacist.
She is “deeply ashamed” of me, because…I was supposed to change to her liking. I’m not sure why she thought I was trying to change my political beliefs at all. We’ve literally never talked about this.
She is “appalled” that “I side with people” who are a threat to her family. Her parents are, as far as I know, naturalized U.S. citizens, and she was born here. So I’m not sure what she’s talking about, but it should be noted that she claims to carry her birth certificate everywhere because she fears ICE might arrest her by mistake.
Because it’s capitalized, I know she believes we need “gun laws.” Presumably, she means the abolition of private ownership of guns, since our Democrat led state already has quite a few “gun laws” on the books, including a new requirement to store guns in locked safes. After receiving no response from other family members, she exited the group chat.
Her disrespectful, unhinged remarks are very similar to those of other intolerant leftists in the past week or so. The ones who start their TikTok videos with, “Of course I’m against all violence, BUT…” And it’s that “big but” that they believe conveniently excuses whatever hideous thing they’re about to say. Lefties scattered about my family seem to believe that half the country is not conventionally moderate or conservative, but a seething majority of deeply racist, violence-loving fascists/nazis. People who secretly long to eradicate every good “progressive” person in the country and install Donald Trump as permanent dictator, with gun-toting maniacs in charge of internment camps. Indeed, we are self-righteously informed, right-wing violence far outpaces left-wing violence — after all, so says the MSM, and who are you going to believe: left-wing media, or your lyin’ eyes?
Young people, and some who are old enough to know better, have become increasingly influenced by sophisticated propaganda that works its way from talking points spread across the internet and social media, channeled through by AI algorithms that repeat the consensus opinion of the left. Thus, if you ask Google which side is more violent, you’ll receive an oddly biased response that presents school and church attacks, riots, and even attempts on President Trump’s life as far-right-wing perpetrated violence. Google AI does not differentiate between conservatives, “far-right,” the KKK, or Nazis either. The algorithms also prioritize leftist opinion on searches, so searchers are consistently misled. Leftists cling to this fake “reality.”
Democrats were much happier under Biden. They got vax mandates, mask requirements, expensive fuel, a disastrous Afghanistan exit, murderous gangs during BLM riots, and a rising rich upper caste of Democrat politicians. They were strongly supportive of cancel culture, censorship, and jailing political opponents, confident in their roles as superior beings with the right opinions. Now they are forced to stand by helplessly as Trump rampages through the china shop of their most precious beliefs, and this has driven them dangerously mad.
Pretending that we could all get along by avoiding politics was a mistake. The left has become increasingly insular, and we have underestimated the fact that we are awash in a sea of mightily unhappy, unbalanced young people who are unmoored to reality and increasingly susceptible to violent themes in political discourse. In addition to that, there is an older population of unhappy Democrats who prefer to nuke family and friend relationships because of politics — something Charlie Kirk counseled against.
Mark Steyn writes that “ …every enduring society needs a transcendent meaning.” That longing is perhaps why we’ve seen so many videos of tattooed young people who, after viewing Charlie Kirk videos, tearfully vow to go back to church, open a bible, and discover what was previously missing in their lives. All in contrast to the callous, soul-crushing nihilism of the left. It is a desperate race now to bring enough people back to sanity to win the midterms and begin the long work of restoration. If we fail, we may witness this century’s worst nightmare unfold.
The left’s murderous rage threatens to expand into civil war as they align themselves with the violent Antifa and Islamic anti-American crowds. Even as they arm up and march off under the orders of evil men, they will say, like so many before, “I never support violence, but…”
Melissa Praemonitus currently writes at Ricochet.com and is the former editor of Ramireztoons. She continues in the capacity of being Michael’s current manager, and deeply wanted to share her thoughts with our readers.
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Wow, Melissa. I know I have tried a little bit of what you did, by not talking
"politics" with certain family members, to keep peace. And I can see clearly now, that has not been a good idea. I didn't know much about Charlie myself until the day he was killed, and now I know we must engage with the other side, just as he did. No more being quiet. I'm certainly not out to start up trouble per se, but my opinion about the wrong direction our country has been going is not going to be a mystery anymore. I started with my 3 Washington DC reps. They got it full blast for siding with the Democrat leadership, and I insisted they think of the damage being done to our youth. The 2 that are democrats I called them wimps, and not real men for being sheep. Please write more.
Great piece, Melissa! "The Left's Big But" is also perfectly in sync with Michael's "Tolerance" cartoon. Thank you, both.