No bluegrass or other music-related talk today. I am just saddened by news from the last week.
On Wednesday, September 10th, conservative podcaster/speaker Charlie Kirk was assassinated while holding one of his outdoor rallies at a college in Utah. I won’t get into any of the details here, as there is so much of the coverage on news websites. In short, Kirk passed away a few hours after being shot, and two days later, the suspect was captured through turn-in by his father. Evidence is almost overwhelmingly showing that the suspect is guilty, but I am sure that the judicial process will go for months.
Charlie Kirk was an amazing person. He never went to college, but was more well-read than a large majority of college students, even professors. He formed Turning Point USA while in his teens, which became one of the biggest conservative organizations to ever see life. His right-wing stand on the Constitution, freedom of speech, gun rights, and right-to-life topics made him a hero to many, but also a villain to others.
The media, especially left-leaning news programs and podcasts, had no problem calling him a fascist, misogynist, Islamiphobe, and transphobe. This was far from the truth. At his rallies, he usually set aside a large amount of time debating anyone that disagreed with him, even telling them to come to the front of the line. His choice to do this was innovative, as no other speaker, left- or right-leaning, had ever done this before. YouTube videos show these confrontations, and each time, Kirk’s intelligence as well as patience always prevailed.
As his reputation grew, Kirk’s influence with right-wing politicians, including President Trump, became immense. Political analysts agree that Kirks’ influence over getting young voters to consider the Republican ticket is one of the big factors in getting Trump elected. However, the rhetoric of the far-left progressives have gone too far. Yes, last year, Trump was nearly assassinated at an election rally in Pennsylvania. The media toned down the “Hitler” comparisons out of respect, but that was only for a few months. As soon as he was in office, the dangerous name-calling returned. In fact, the rhetoric only increased to include his staff, administration, and celebrities that supported Trump such as Kirk.
There are a lot of insane people out there that are walking the streets, and when you have mainstream media calling anyone that is not fully on the left a fascist, these crazy people will take matters in their own hands. The result is the death of Charlie Kirk. Of course, the left will blame gun laws instead of its rhetoric influence. The media did not pull the trigger, but basically gave the killer his proverbial bullets.
If there is any positive reaction to this tragic event, it is seeing not only other conservative activists such as Ben Shapiro, Benny Johnson, and Dave Rubin stand up and show the courage to continue the fight. Moreover, more liberal leaners are washing their hands of the left and reconsidering what the stand is of the progressive Democratic party as well as leftist activist groups. Kirk’s widow, only three days after the tragedy, has spoken in public that she will continue to fight for what he believed was the Constitutional and moral right of America and its citizens.
I am not married, and have no children, but if I were to ever have had a son, I would have wanted him to be just like Charlie Kirk. Yesterday I came across a YouTube video of a young lady asking AI (something that I am not a fan of at all, but I digress) the question, “What would Charlie say?” It is a moving piece, and brought me to tears.
Chew on it and comment.
Luegra 