On the day that right-wing provocateur Charlie Kirk was murdered, Gov. Josh Green ordered Hawai‘i’s flags to be flown half-staff. Did you even notice? The order was tucked in with an order to lower flags to mark Sept. 11, Patriot Day. Here is the statement issued by his office:

“Separately, at the direction of the President of the United States, Governor Green has ordered that the United States flag and the Hawaiʻi state flag be flown at half-staff at the Hawaiʻi State Capitol and at all state offices and agencies, as well as the Hawaiʻi National Guard in the state of Hawaiʻi effective immediately through sunset on Sunday, September 14, in memory of Charlie Kirk.

“‘There is no place in Hawaiʻi or in our country for political violence. We may disagree on policies, but we must never allow division to turn into hate or harm. Democracy only survives when we resolve our differences through respect, dialogue and compassion,’ said Gov. Green.”

And that’s all he said.

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U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda released this statement:

“No matter what side of the aisle we’re on, we are all human — speaking our truth, standing for what we believe in, connecting with others. When someone is taken by political violence, it tears at the fabric of our democracy and our shared humanity. My heart breaks for Charlie Kirk’s wife and young children. He did not deserve to die. Political violence has no place in a free society, and we are long past the point where thoughts and prayers are enough. We need action, common ground, and the courage to stop senseless tragedies before they happen again.”

And U.S. Rep. Ed Case had this to say:

“I am deeply saddened that this life of passion and contribution was cut short by an act of senseless violence in the exercise of his rights as a fellow citizen to free belief and speech. All Americans no matter our beliefs should plead for a return to civil discourse and a rejection of violence in any form to prevent and influence the debates and decisions we must have. That should be the lesson and legacy of this tragic loss.”

There were cities and towns around the country that refused to lower their flags. There were many on social media who reminded us of the incendiary things Kirk had said over the years, like how having some gun deaths is worth it in order to have the Second Amendment. Quotes from Kirk disparaging gay people, Jewish people, black people, trans people, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Act have been circulated widely in the past week.

But Hawai‘i’s governor mincingly said, “We may disagree on policies …”  without mentioning which “policies” those might be and the degree to which he may disagree.

There’s a famous episode of the classic TV series “Twilight Zone” called “It’s a Good Life,” which first aired in 1961 and has now become a staple on SYFY channel’s marathon every New Year’s Eve.

Six-year-old Anthony Fremont has a terrifying power to make anyone who disagrees with him disappear forever. Everyone in town is afraid of him, so no one ever speaks the truth to him or about him. No matter what horrible thing he is inflicting on those around him, they all smile and say, “That’s real good that you did that, Anthony. It’s real good.”

At the end of the episode, after Anthony has disappeared many of the townspeople to “the cornfield,” which is the story’s version of the netherworld, none of the people left dare speak up or voice concern about anything Anthony does, even as he carelessly sets into motion the ruin of the town. In the coda, Rod Serling appears in his tidy slim-fit suit to give the closing narration, which usually underscores the lesson of the preceding tale. Instead, Serling says this:

“No comment here. No comment at all. We only wanted to introduce you to one of our very special citizens, little Anthony Fremont, age 6, who lives in a village called Peaksville in a place that used to be Ohio. And if by some strange chance you should run across him, you had best think only good thoughts. Anything less than that is handled at your own risk, because if you do meet Anthony, you can be sure of one thing: you have entered The Twilight Zone.” 

We have entered The Twilight Zone.