A Peaceful Young Man Killed

I have not been paying attention to politics that closely until relatively recently. However, it is not until recently that things got as bad as they are. All while I was growing up, things got heated. People have always threatened one another, and there will always be terrorist attacks. That is nothing new, but this is.

On Wednesday, September 10, conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was killed by an assassin. The killer was caught about 30 hours later – after his family turned him in. There are some things that no one can tolerate and no one should agree with.

We all remember where we were when President Trump was in Butler, Pennsylvania, and barely missed death by another assassin’s bullet. Charlie Kirk, however, did not survive. It was touch-and-go for a while, but now his wife is a widow, and his children will never be tucked in by their father again.

There are rumors that these people are part of a larger circle who will likewise go out and kill someone else, but I cannot confirm that. All I know for sure is that I choose not to use the killer’s name. This is not because he should remain anonymous, but because this gives him the attention that he does not deserve.

If you find someone with whom you agree on everything, stop looking in a mirror. The real world is full of people with whom you will disagree. I have dealt with them throughout my adult life. I have met some who are so radical that it is difficult to break bread with, and others that I need to separate from entirely.

I, for the life of me, cannot imagine hating someone so much that I would cheer for their death. However, this is exactly what we are actually seeing. Some people have been cheering the killer. One video actually had a person calling for a moment of silence before playing a joyful instrumental on his trumpet. I have words for people like that, but none of them are fit for print.

These people are being tracked down independently and then fired by their respective employers. I support the right of an employer to do as he so chooses and the freedom to make these decisions. To be clear, they are not fired for disagreeing with Charlie Kirk, but for wanting to see him dead.

Charlie Kirk was called a Nazi, but Nazis do not call for open debate or discussion. Charlie Kirk was called a fascist, but fascists do not call for limited government. Charlie Kirk was called a racist, but racists do not call for people to be treated equally based on their merits. Charlie Kirk was called a misogynist, but misogynists do not call for women to be treated equally. None of the charges hurled against him are true, but if your enemies throw enough of these labels out, eventually someone will latch onto them.

An innocent man was killed, but as with most martyrs … The strength and number of his supporters are strong. The mission of peaceful dialogue will continue, and we will honor Charlie Kirk’s legacy.