Charlie Kirk & Leftist Slander

 

The text below is mostly the same as the video, but slightly different:

First, as a father, thinking of Charlie Kirk’s two children brings tears to my eyes. It's hard to imagine my children having to grow up without a father, and I hate for anyone to have to go through that, especially someone who was trying to work toward something he believed would benefit all people.

I remember back at the university, before Turning Point USA or YouTube existed, most of my professors were openly leftist, and I was often on my own disagreeing with them. I didn't know anything. I didn't make my points well. I was no Charlie. I was just a little right of center, but I knew some of what they were saying was just wrong, or it didn’t make practical sense. So, sometimes I felt obliged to speak up.

Even back then, 20+ years ago, they’d use ridiculous and slanderous rhetoric of “hate” to talk about just ordinary conservatives. And they’d actively tell people to leave their churches. They weren’t often cruel to me as an individual, but they didn’t shy away from insulting my beliefs. Often without even having an idea what they were.

I’m so glad for the work Charlie did, building TPUSA, and giving Conservatism more of a voice on campuses across America, and sharing his arguments on YouTube. People like me are no longer alone. But that made him a major target of their slander.

And that’s part of what’s so upsetting about this. They killed Charlie and cheered his death, not because of anything he actually did, but because of the slander against him, the slander that half of the people in America are Nazis. That means they’d kill me, and they’d kill you if you didn’t jump on the next thing they decide you need to support.

This leftist attitude is the same as the one in so many murderous leftist regimes through history: The French Revolution, the Bolsheviks… revolutions in Mexico and China.

They are the authoritarians. American Conservatism is rooted in Freedom, and civil dialogue. It has its limits, especially where the freedom of one person infringes on the freedom of another, and there’s room to debate what those limits should be, but freedom is still a core value for us. That is why, even when 90% of the population agrees on an issue, the 10% still have some voice, and sometimes they sway the rest.

Charlie Kirk was the embodiment of the American process: peaceful dialog and persuasion, even in hostile environments. He recognized God’s love for each of us, and wanted everyone to love each other. To kill him is to say that there should only be one voice in America, and that America should be like all the other oppressive regimes throughout history. To kill him is to say we should be ruled by hate and not by love.

That’s why I think this is the worst assassination since Martin Luther King Jr.. Killing a voice for peace, presenting a vision of unity.

In this time of sadness and anger, I’m going to read an excerpt from the gospel of Luke, chapter 6:

Jesus said to his disciples:

"To you who hear I say, love your enemies,

do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you,

pray for those who mistreat you.

[….]

For if you love those who love you,

what credit is that to you?

Even sinners love those who love them.

[…]

But rather, love your enemies and do good to them

[…]

Be merciful, just as also your Father is merciful.”