To heal, America must remember what debate is — and is not: Richard Nunez Richard Nunez

In the wake of the tragic shooting of conservative commentator and political influencer Charlie Kirk , the entire nation was left reeling.

Grieving because this type of violence strikes at the heart of what it means to be American: the right to free speech and to practice one’s beliefs without fear.

This country was founded on debate. The Constitution , the document that structures our freedoms and limits government power, was born from months of fierce debate and compromise. Afterward, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote the Federalist Papers to defend the Constitution and persuade a skeptical public of its merits.

Debate has always been at the center of how we advance, even when compromises have been deeply flawed. Not all agreements were just. The Three-Fif