When I die, instead of being cremated, I think I’d prefer to be bronzed. And then, if possible, placed atop the tallest building in town.
Assuming, of course, we could hire local kids with BB guns to keep me clean. (Those damn, pesky pigeons have no respect for the dead.)
I’d also like my tombstone to read: “Attention future people of Earth! Whoever reanimates my body with your advanced technology will be awarded my secret collection of gold, diamonds, and precious metals!” (I mean, I don’t actually have any gold or diamonds, but by the time they figure that out, the jokes on them: I’m already reanimated.)
But beyond that, I couldn’t care less about my funeral, corpse, or final resting place. Not even a little bit.
It’s none of my business: I’m gone, bro.
Funerals are for the living, not the dead. It’s a coping mechanism to lessen the pain and heartache over losing a loved one.
However my family chooses to mourn is 100% cool with me because it’s no longer about me: I’ve already left. I want my memory to be a blessing, not a burden.
The only thing I wouldn’t want is to needlessly prolong my family’s suffering.
That’s the moral obligation of decent, civilized people: When someone dies a horrible, violent death, we owe it to their loved ones to alleviate their suffering however we can. That’s why we pray, hug, cry, share stories, and honor the legacy of the deceased.
Because what we’re really, truly honoring are the lives of the living.
The dead exist on a different canvas. They’re now untouched by our terrestrial world, finally freed from the shackles and sorrows of earthly existence. Nothing said or done by the living can alter the reality of their choices, decisions, love, and true legacy.
Their book is closed.
Yet their loved ones must endure.
Three months earlier, it was Charlie Kirk’s family. This week, it’s Rob Reiner’s.
And eventually, it’ll be your family and mine.
There are only three PR rules for politicians commenting on the deaths of others:
- You don’t have to say anything. (Keeping your mouth shut is almost always a viable option.)
- Keep in mind that whatever you say will reflect your humanity and values, too.
- Don’t be a monstrous ghoul.
Reiner was as far to the left as Kirk was to the right. And although the circumstances of their murders were different — Kirk was a free speech martyr who was assassinated for his political beliefs, whereas Reiner was, apparently, stabbed to death by his mentally-unhinged son — both their families are suffering unspeakable, torturous agony.
During the BLM protests, many conservatives countered with, “All lives matter.” Which was a true statement: In a free, egalitarian society, all lives must matter.
This includes the lives of Reiner and his wife.
I understand why President Donald Trump reacted the way he did. Trump is a counterpuncher, and Reiner’s comments about “hating” the president were cruel and hurtful:
Trump is right about Rob Reiner!
— Laura Loomer (@LauraLoomer) December 16, 2025
President Trump Did Nothing Wrong! pic.twitter.com/NlMqoZULMT
If someone lied about me like that, I’d be angry, too.
But it’s unfair to reduce someone to their most-incendiary quotes. Yes, Reiner was an unapologetic, loudmouthed liberal. Yes, he worked tirelessly to undermine the Trump administration at every turn. Yes, he championed every left-wing cause, trope, and mission since the early 1970s.
But he was also an artist. A daddy. A husband. A grandpa. A friend. An American.
A man made in the image of God.
And when Kirk died, Reiner went out of his way to be kind and respectful:
Rob Reiner on Charlie Kirk's death:
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) December 15, 2025
“Absolute horror, and I unfortunately saw the video of it. It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving… pic.twitter.com/A3lSgF40fI
Stripping away the humanity, the PR cost of Trump’s Truth Social post is that it dulled the bright line that (briefly) separated the evil, vampiric celebrations of leftists when Kirk was murdered from the rest of us. So many liberals danced in the streets when Kirk was assassinated — while everyone with a heart recoiled in horror. Had this bright line held, it would’ve become yet another branding distinction between conservatives and liberals: Conservatives don’t celebrate murder; liberals do.
With one Truth Social post, we forfeited a huge hunk of the moral high ground.
Jack, seems like your president may disagree with you. Sick. https://t.co/keSqssLjL8
— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) December 15, 2025
I don’t want to overstate it: This, too, will pass. Trump’s post isn’t the end of the world, nor will it be the end of his presidency. Like his 2015 comment about John McCain getting captured, it’ll quickly fade from the frontpage, tossed atop the ash-heap of Trump’s roaring id. Today, it’s the topic du jour; tomorrow, it’ll be yet another example of the president’s plainspoken, say-it-like-it-is, no-punches-pulled persona.
This is who Trump is. When we voted for Trump we got the whole package — the good, the bad, and the ugly.
His Rob Reiner post was ugly.
Come hell or high water, Trump is gonna be Trump. We know this. (And for the most part, we love this.) The good FAR outweighs the bad and the ugly, and it’s not even close: From securing the border to stopping wars to ending the Iranian nuclear threat to retaining the tax cuts to killing DEI to lowering inflation to resurrecting the U.S. economy, it’s been an extraordinarily successful first year of his second term.
More of that, please!
But for PR purposes, it’d be better if he limited his dancing to that gorgeous new White House ballroom he’s building — and not on the graves of his political enemies.
One Last Thing: The Democrats are on the ropes, but make no mistake: The donkeys are still dangerous. We need your help to succeed!
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