Restore the Balance Invites all to Combat Extremism

By Dave Murphy, Chair, Board of Directors, Restore the Balance

Originally published in The Daily Sentinel, October 29, 2025

In his column published in the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel on Oct. 18, Timothy King makes several points.

He notes that some online reactions to Charlie Kirk’s murder along with other instances of hate speech that celebrate violence are deeply concerning and should be condemned. He goes on to state that leaders who dehumanize others contribute to a political atmosphere that tolerates violence against others. Restore the Balance, (RTB), joins with Mr. King in taking the opportunity to condemn extremism.

RTB was formed to try to combat extremism and promote collaboration in our politics. Here are a couple of the points, verbatim, as listed by RTB as characteristic of extremists: “those who use intimidation and name-calling instead of respectful disagreement” and “those who tolerate or encourage violence.”

Regarding Mr. King’s implication that RTB ignores violence or extremism on the left — three days after Charlie Kirk’s murder, RTB emailed all its members with a statement about his assassination that included the following: “We were shocked and dismayed by the news of the political assassination of Charlie Kirk. We reject political violence of any kind, including threatening speech.”

The percentage of Americans who, in polls, seem to consider political violence justifiable has grown, on the left and on the right, in the U.S. This is a trend that should worry us all. And if we want to do something about it, we might consider avoiding stereotyping those who belong to different groups than we do.

Therefore, we invite Mr. King and all other concerned citizens to join RTB in our efforts to combat extremism in our politics and in our politicians.

— Dave Murphy

Chair, Board of Directors

Restore the Balance

Grand Junction