Episode · The Charlie Kirk Show · 2026-11-11
Books mentioned on How Far Does Free Speech Go?
Despite a midterm thrashing, Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune as their leader. The show reacts to that and to a viewer email asking why they should stay involved in Republican politics.
Michael Knowles recommended A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke and others, and discussed Speechless by Michael Knowles, Areopagitica by John Milton, and The Federalist papers by Alexander Hamilton and others. Also mentioned: Revolutionary Snipers by Patrick K. O'Donnell.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Speechless
Discussed“So I said, I wrote this book about it called Speechless, Controlling Words, Controlling Minds. At the time, I said, the debate between free speech on the one hand and censorship on the other is a fake debate.”
Where to get it
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A Letter Concerning Toleration
Recommended“They impose much harsher standards than I would. Go read Milton's or John Locke's letter concerning toleration.”
Where to get it
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Areopagitica
Discussed“Even, look, I'm a macro snapping paper with decent bona fides on that. But I almost wanted to defend John Locke or John Milton, another early liberal, very pro free speech wrote area, Pajitika, probably the most powerful pro free speech text ever written.”
Where to get it
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The Federalist papers
Discussed“The people who developed the concept of free speech, the framers, the founders, they actually did have an answer to that. In America, free speech is for the blessings of liberty. Liberty itself is for certain blessings.”
Where to get it
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Revolutionary Snipers
Discussed“Patrick O'Donnell, historian and author of the brand new book, Revolutionary Snipers, Washington's frontier commandos whose marksmanship forged a new way of war and helped win the revolution. I want to read just a portion of the description of this book because it's so vivid.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (4) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Passing The Indispensables
“Good palate cleanser is Patrick K. O'Donnell, best-selling author of The Indispensibles and The Unvanquish.”
Passing The Unvanquished
“Good palate cleanser is Patrick K. O'Donnell, best-selling author of The Indispensibles and The Unvanquish.”
Plugged Revolutionary Snipers
“And he has a book now called Revolutionary Snipers, Washington's Frontier Commandos, whose marksmanship forged a new way of war and helped win the revolution. You've seen him on our show before. We're so glad to have him back.”
Plugged Revolutionary Snipers
“This is a major theme within my book, and the book is a band of brothers on these characters that will travel from '75 and even '74 all the way through the war to Yorktown. And it's about the enlisted men.”