OPINION:
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday. As he spoke to a large gathering of students at Utah Valley University, a coward with a rifle fired a single shot that silenced his political speech forever. The despicable act follows a well-funded effort by far-left ideologues to work one another into a frenzy to demonize anyone on the right.
Mr. Kirk commented on the trend earlier this year. “Assassination culture is spreading on the left. Forty-eight percent of liberals say it would be at least somewhat justified to murder Elon Musk. Fifty-five percent said the same about Donald Trump,” he wrote. “This is the natural outgrowth of left-wing protest culture tolerating violence and mayhem for years on end. The cowardice of local prosecutors and school officials have turned the left into a ticking time bomb.”
A week ago, Mr. Kirk asked, “What is going on in Utah?” He shared local headlines announcing that his upcoming appearance “sparks controversy” and that “the protests have already started.”
However, Mr. Kirk’s views weren’t extreme. “God, family, country. In that order,” was his Labor Day message. He was an energetic father of two who built an organization reaching out on college campuses to defend free speech. He spoke one-on-one with all comers on the battlefield of ideas with grace and thoughtfulness.
“If you actually watch Charlie’s events — as opposed to the fake summaries — they are one of the few places with open and honest dialogue between left and right. He would answer any question and talk to everyone,” Vice President J.D. Vance wrote on X.
Left-wing killers lack the depth required for such a conversation, so they lash out. Liberal hero Luigi Mangione allegedly shot a health care company CEO in the back. A supporter of Sen. Bernard Sanders opened fire on a group of Republican congressmen playing baseball and nearly claimed the life of Rep. Steve Scalise, now the House majority leader.
Most ominously, a Democratic donor shot Donald Trump in the head in Butler, Pennsylvania, a year ago, and a Ukraine-boosting fanatic allegedly came close to taking a second shot at the president on a Florida golf course.
These foot soldiers of modern-day Bolshevism absorbed the lies spun by elected Democrats and the media outlets that serve their interests. President Biden set the tone with his malicious oration, branding “MAGA Republicans” as a clear and present danger to the republic.
“They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fanned the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country,” he thundered against a blood-red backdrop.
Wednesday’s crime wasn’t “political violence.” It was Democratic violence born of the deliberate deceits the party and its allies propagate to ensure their political opponents are seen as existential threats. This includes the Russia collusion hoax, the Charlottesville “fine people” hoax and many others.
Even after Butler, Democrats refused to tame their rhetoric. Until they do, liberal triggermen will continue to carry the vile rhetoric to its logical conclusion.
Mr. Kirk embraced persuasion with words, and the barbarians hated him for it. In this dark hour, he would reject returning fire with fire. Instead, he would urge his followers to “fight, fight, fight” by redoubling efforts to prevail at the ballot box.
As Mr. Kirk said after Butler, “Be thankful to God, and then be mad as hell at the left who created this culture. Peacefully, we will defeat them.”
Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.
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