I didn’t know Charlie Kirk, but like so many of you, I felt like I did.
I’ve watched countless reels from Charlie doing his college campus events all over the country. I found it fascinating to watch the back-and-forth. Charlie under a tent, a few times with guests beside him, but almost always by himself. Taking on all comers. He invited anyone and everyone to the microphone to make their point. Students, professors, passersby. Didn’t matter to him. All were welcome.
It also didn’t matter what topic they chose. Let’s debate it all. Abortion? Fire away. Trans? That’s going to be a controversial one. Border security? Easy. Thank God we have a border now. Faith? Now you are in Charlie’s wheelhouse. He seemed to genuinely love when the person at the microphone was curious, and he did what he could to point him or her in the right direction.
Sadly, I can’t say I saw a lot of hearts and minds changed in all those reels, although the Turning Point USA movement Charlie founded as a teenager has clearly been very successful at changing the hearts and minds of young people all over the country. What I did see more often than not, however, were people who agreed to disagree agreeably. Where Charlie and his opponent in the debate seemed satisfied with their arguments, no harm no foul, and it was next person up. I even saw a couple of times where the opponent gave Charlie pause, indicative of his desire to learn and consider points of view other than his own.
You what I didn’t see? Not even one time?
I never saw Charlie pull out a gun and shoot and kill the person at the microphone because they had political viewpoints that were different than his. I’m guessing of course, because like I said, I didn’t know Charlie, but I’ll bet it never even crossed his mind.
However, that’s exactly what happened to Charlie on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at a university event in Utah. A sniper, on a rooftop about 200 yards away, shot and killed Charlie because he didn’t agree with his political viewpoints and wanted to put an end to his ability to spread them.
Permanently.
I’m disgusted when I see video from the event. That familiar picture of Charlie under the tent answering questions when a shot rings out, hits him in the neck and kills him. Just like that, one of the brightest minds in the conservative political movement snuffed out. A husband, a father. A good man. A really good man. Killed for what he believes. For the words he uses.
I want you to think about that for a minute and let that sink in.
I’m equally disgusted by those who have celebrated Charlie’s political assassination. If there is any part of you that felt joy when you heard the news of Charlie’s death, you’d better take a good, hard look at yourself because, buddy, you’ve got the kind of problems only the blood of Jesus can solve.
Here is what the sniper and those celebrating don’t understand. Murdering Charlie isn’t going to silence Charlie. It isn’t going to bring an end to the conservative movement among young people he started. By making him a martyr, which is absolutely what they did, they have amplified Charlie’s voice, not silenced it.
Now there are millions of people, young and old alike, who are going to pick up that mantle in Charlie’s honor. Who are going to push that conservative, faith-filled, make-our-country-better agenda forward. Who are not going to let him down.
Me included.
Rest in peace good and faithful servant. Rest in peace.
We’ve got it from here.
Patrick Graham is the proprietor of The Sand Mountain Leader and other newspapers in Alabama and Georgia. His email address is [email protected].
