Flags were at half staff until last Sunday at 6:00 p.m. This was in response to the assassination of conservative commentator, and late CEO of Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk. He was shot in the neck on Wednesday, Sept. 10, while on his “The American Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University.
Kirk was a true patriot. He was willing to express his opinions in a civil manner, regularly traveling across the nation, engaging in political dialogue with the youth of our country’s populace. He stood for the preservation of free speech, firmly asserting we as a society have a constitutional right to a free marketplace of ideas where people can civilly disagree no matter how hard it was to talk about. Consequently, he was killed for it. The suspect in custody, identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, positioned himself on the roof roughly 200 meters away from the event and took the shot almost directly after the event commenced. Kirk was pronounced dead later that day at 31.
A husband, a father of two, a community leader and a champion of liberty inspiring millions along the way died. Kirk, hailing from the state of Chicago, Illinois, alongside his business partner, Bill Montgomery, founded Turning Point USA in 2012 with the ambition of inspiring America’s youth instilling conservative values across a multitude of high school, college and university campuses.
I am writing today to say he succeeded and his death will not be in vain. He stood for liberty and freedom and now we must unite and continue to do the same, promoting our constitutional rights he so dearly cherished.
While no one will be able to fill his shoes, there are people ready and willing to pick up the torch and fight the good fight. People ready to defend the first and second amendments which have been under severe scrutiny, those ready to defend the right to life, others who defend biology, those ready to defend our borders and people who know right from wrong and are willing to vocalize it. No more complacency, now is the time to pursue the truth and fight like hell while we do. This malicious attack designed to instill fear in our country and silence the masses will not succeed, it never will. This attack has and will spark a silent majority that stands up for liberty and says enough.
Don’t just take my word for it though, take it from other young Americans who are standing up to voice their opinions. While interviewing students at The University of Maine, I got a chance to speak with Brayden Luedke, Secretary of TPUSA at UMaine, and asked what his initial reaction was to the assassination.
“I was in disbelief. At first I didn’t think it was real but then I started to get messages from family and friends. I finally saw the video and it was quite disturbing,” said Luedke.
“I even had the pleasure of meeting him at a Turning Point USA event in Tampa Bay Florida last July, so upon hearing he had died I was really in shock,” said Luedke.
However, politics aside, Kirk was a man of faith and Christ was a defining trait of his. He was a devout Christian who stood up for his biblical values in a world that has been becoming much harder to morally navigate through. While on his college campus tours he would often engage in theological dialogue too, providing insight into his faith.
Three months prior to his tragic passing, in a late June interview on “The Iced Coffee Hour,” host Jack Shelby asked Kirk, “If you could be associated with one thing, how would you want to be remembered?”
“I want to be remembered for my courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing; the most important thing is my faith,” said Kirk.
Critics would argue that his political opinions were curated through his faith which would definitely violate the notions of separation of church and state. However, all of his stances were defendable from a non-religious standpoint too. Kirk knew how to create validity in his arguments that could refute his opposition while still staying true to his beliefs. He had principles and stood on them. Even if you did not support the man or his ideas, I think we could all learn a thing or two from him.
