OPINION:
Thousands of us gathered Tuesday night in Waukesha, Wisconsin, as part of a vigil for Charlie Kirk. It was my honor to speak at this gathering. Because so many of us are still grieving, I began with a prayer:
“Dear God,
You inspired your servant David, who said: ‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’
So many here tonight, across the country and around the world are overcome with grief over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Whether they heard him on campus, on a podcast or broadcast or on social media, so many were touched by Charlie’s words and actions. We are hurting.
We pray that the Lord be close to the brokenhearted.
We are so impressed by the courage and clarity of Erika Kirk. Yet, we can only imagine the trauma of being there at the time of his assassination. We lift up Erika in prayer, their children, his parents, and all those who were close to Charlie.
We pray that the Lord be close to the brokenhearted.
So many young people have lost a leader who gave them a voice, who let them know they could speak out for their values. So many of them are now scared, uncertain and confused. They are afraid to be back on their campuses.
We pray that the Lord be close to the brokenhearted.
Lord, give us courage to never back down from proclaiming the truth. And help us do so with love and compassion for our neighbors.
Let St. Paul be an example to us as we speak. As Saul, he persecuted your followers until you blinded him from the wicked ways of the world and opened his eyes to your truth. He inspires us with these words: ‘Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.’
Oh Lord, we humbly pray that you bless our nation yet again. Help us to overcome evil with good.
In your Holy Name we pray, Amen.”
It was an honor to speak to Charlie’s parents last month when they were at Wrigley Field with Charlie and Erika to see the Cubs play the Brewers. I told them how proud they should be of their son. His father reminded me that Charlie started his organization on June 5, 2012 — the night of the recall election in my state — because they believed it was a turning point in America.
If what happened in Wisconsin was a turning point for Charlie, it ended up being an even bigger one for America. It was nothing short of amazing to watch him grow. He had an incredible influence on students and, increasingly, on all of culture.
Charlie Kirk was one of a kind. No one person will replace him. It will take all of us who gather together at vigils and millions more like us across the nation. We each have a role to play. Some will lead, while others will speak. A portion will organize and plan, while many will pray. Each bears a part of the responsibility to continue his legacy.
In the future, we have to be safe but strong. We have to improve security for events on campus and in public. Conservatives nationwide held vigils and prayer sessions instead of protests and riots. Thank you to those in law enforcement who are keeping us safe.
We demand that the leaders of colleges and universities across the country act to keep every student, speaker and staff member on campus safe. We demand that they not use this tragedy as an excuse to block conservatives from being on campus. We can be both safe and strong.
Now, more than ever before, we must work together. Turning Point, College Republicans, Young America’s Foundation, Leadership Institute, Young Americans for Liberty, Young Republicans, county parties, tea party — we must all unite our efforts.
Each of these groups has a slightly different approach and objective, but we all share a common love for America and for freedom, and we are all under attack from radicals on the left.
On the night I last saw Charlie, he had two Cubs jerseys. One had the number 17 on the back, and the other had 76.
Like many of us, Charlie was looking forward to the 250th anniversary of our Declaration of Independence next year. He knew we must do more than hold parades and shoot fireworks. We must commemorate the freedoms our Founders fought for and decide what we are willing to do to fight for them today.
From our Founders on, many great American patriots have fought and died for our freedoms. Charlie was assassinated for his views and for defending the right to speak out about those views. May we live a life going forward that is worthy of him and so many other great patriots throughout history.
Let this be a turning point as we overcome evil with good.
• Scott Walker is a columnist for The Washington Times. He was the 45th governor of Wisconsin and launched a bid for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination. He lives in Milwaukee and is the proud owner of a 2003 Harley-Davidson Road King. He can be reached at swalker@washingtontimes.com.
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