JL;DR SUMMARY The murders of Charlie Kirk in 2025 and Alan Berg in 1984 have exposed the dangerous extremes of political polarization, posing threats to free expression and amplifying the perilous intersection between the First and Second Amendments in the U.S. Charlie Kirk, a conservative pundit known for extremist rhetoric, was assassinated similarly to Berg, a liberal radio host killed for his outspoken views. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.