Charlie Kirk was murdered today and the only thing I could think of was to go to his podcast or YouTube channel to get his take on the day’s events. That’s what I always do when current events leave my head swirling–go to Charlie. I know he will give me a logical, rational explanation of why I feel the way I do, and advise me how to react. But he’s not doing a broadcast today, and he’s never going to do one again. Turning Point, USA will go on, but there will never be another Charlie Kirk.
Those of us brave enough to jump out of our filter bubbles into the dark swamp of the internet have been feeling the pressure building: A steady stream of obnoxious, vitriolic media posts have been taking aim at President Trump and his supporters, and you just knew something had to give. Think of how unprecedented it’s been: An American president has continuously been referred to as a rapist, racist, psychopath, pathological liar, and a felon. And let’s not forget “a murderer and a thief.” And of course many on the left present it as an indisputable fact that Trump is a fascist on par with Hitler. I honestly don’t think there’s anything left to accuse him of unless it’s drowning puppies, and I’m sure that meme is out there too.
And what of his supporters? Surely only evil people support such an evil leader.
The necessary conclusion is that President Trump and his MAGA supporters present an existential threat to the country. Except that they don’t. And lately, this whole idea of “othering” 77 million people has gained a lot of traction.
Charlie Kirk said, “When people stop talking, really bad stuff starts. When marriages stop talking, divorce happens. When civilizations stop talking, civil war ensues. When you stop having a human connection with someone you disagree with, it becomes a lot easier to want to commit violence against that group.”
Stopping the “human connection” is called dehumanization, and there’s been way too much of it happening in this country.
I know a sweet old man who lives alone–a widow, a cancer survivor, a lifelong trucker, and a Vietnam veteran who lost his best friend “over there” and still can’t talk about it. Like many elderly people, he continues to watch cable TV and doesn’t understand that at some point the world broke and you can’t trust the news.
The last he knew RCA owned NBC and they were highly reputable institutions. He’ll tell you he’s been watching MSNBC since 1996 and has no reason to doubt them now–why would they lie? Over the years this sweet old man has read just about every anti-Trump book ever written. He vehemently hates Trump and those “crazy people who voted for him.” But I don’t hate the old man. I see him as lost, misguided, maybe even brainwashed–but I could never hate him. This man served our country; he was somebody’s son, husband, and a father to three children. He’s a child of God and he deserves my respect. I’m thankful I can still feel that “human connection,” but what about others who cannot; the ones that Charlie Kirk warned us about?
Charlie Kirk was somebody’s son, husband, and a father to two young children. He too was a child of God who, with his wife Erika, shared their faith both in their personal lives and through the organizations they founded. Sadly, someone, somewhere, has been convinced that he was an existential threat; that our country would be better if he were dead.
We already knew there was a storm brewing. The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) warned us that political violence was becoming “normalized” and that “A broader ‘assassination culture’ appears to be emerging within segments of the U.S. public on the extreme left.” I saw it firsthand at the “No Kings Day” rallies this past June as I reported that the left’s “peaceful protests belie a thirst for vengeance.” After embedding myself in one of those protests I wrote, “The people gathering for these rallies want vengeance so badly they can taste it. They don’t even really know what they want retribution for, but they’re waiting for someone to lead them to it.”
Beyond the political arena, we’ve seen the “very un-American” response to the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. We recoiled at the widespread support for the accused killer of Texas teen Austin Metcalf. Most recently, multiple people attempted to create GoFundMe campaigns for the alleged killer of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska. When murderers become hero’s, the future of our nation doesn’t seem too bright.
Yet Charlie Kirk saw the hope of American culture in her youth, that’s why he started Turning Point USA. Kirk wanted to inform young people and help them build networks of student activists who weren’t afraid to promote family values, free markets, limited government, and fiscal responsibility.
“At college campuses,” he said earlier this year, “they don’t just want to have more degeneracy, they are looking for something greater. They are in pursuit of something good and true and beautiful.”
“[They] suffered under the lies and deception of COVID-19–wearing a mask while you shower. The ninth booster shot. The hyper-policing of pronouns and every syllable you say. They want something greater, not something darker and rooted in a cynical worldview.”
He’s right, but how are we going to do that now, when the greatest conservative voice of his generation was shot down like a deer in hunting season?
Watching the gut-wrenching footage from Utah Valley University, I couldn’t help but recall the iconic scene in Braveheart where William Wallace shouts “Freedom!” as he faces his end with unwavering resolve. There was Charlie Kirk, sitting in his relaxed, approachable style, wearing a simple white cotton T-shirt with “Freedom” emblazoned across his chest—a shirt that would soon carry the bloodstains of a nation in crisis.
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