God does not make ‘throw away’ people, but Brian Kilmeade disagreed when he said that “homeless people with severe mental illness should face involuntary lethal injection.” He then added, “Just kill’em.” I don’t know this guy. I have never listened to him. However, his comment went viral so I heard him say it. Those words really burn me up. It touches heavily on folks I love.
First, regarding the homeless: I have loved ones who have found themselves without a home for a time. They camped out or slept in the car while looking for the job so they could fill in the ‘employment’ blank on a rental application. An estimated half of the homeless experience a similar situation. Some who earn minimum wage cannot afford a place. Others simply need time to get on their feet as portrayed in the movie “Pursuit of Happyness.” Based on the life of Chris Gardner, it tells of a single dad and his son after eviction and loss of money. He starts from scratch on the street with no home. In time he becomes a multi-millionaire but first the two experience homelessness.
Second, Kilmeade spoke condemnation against “the severely mentally ill.” I take offense at his comment because I know, love and am related to folks who fit that profile. Friends and extended family worried when one grew ill and quickly became homeless thousands of miles away from his immediate family. He entered an episode of irrational behavior that lasted months. Years later he said he finally grew tired and accepted help. He now has a highly responsible job, dresses neatly and converses rationally. If applied, Kilmeade’s flippant declaration would have cut him off and ended his life.
Third, ‘Give them an involuntary lethal injection.’ Since when has having a severe mental illness been grounds for the death penalty? That is what Kilmeade meant. Remember, he explicitly added, “Just kill them.” Shades of Germany in the 1930s and 40s when the government exterminated the mentally ill, gypsies, the disabled as well as the Jews and others deemed undesirable.
Why did he say it? Because nationally there seems to be a move against anyone who is different. For the severely mentally ill that involves their different behavior and medical needs. Unfortunately that judgment too quickly falls on anyone who exhibits a different style of living, different opinions or different ways of worship. Currently our nation’s response too often is, “Go away or I will do something drastic.” It is not a new idea. During the Spanish Inquisition, the powers that be insisted that those different from them must conform or be cruelly hurt until they did. The Pilgrims and Puritans came to the New World to escape such persecution. However, once they became the majority, they too insisted folks conform to their ways.
The Taliban today enforces Sharia law against anyone who fails to conform in even the most insignificant way. If the beard is different or the woman’s attire misses the mark, then the sword of Damocales falls on them. God forbid that anyone from another religion enter their area of influence. People are messy. Personal nuances can leave us uncomfortable. And yes, some do cause problems. That does not automatically warrant a death sentence. Yet Kilmeade expressed it should. Oh sure, he apologized for his harsh words, but according to Jesus, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks,” (Matt. 12:34 and Luke 6:45)
Kilmeade condemned the homeless with severe mental illness. No matter whom anyone dismisses or sweeps aside as unworthy, Christ responds, “In as much as you have done to the least of these my brothers, you have done it to me.” When those words become the abundance of our individual and national heart, we will truly become great.