Not every battle needs a microphone



My martial arts training kicked in as I noticed someone walking up behind me at a busy intersection in Aurora, Colorado, not exactly America’s safest city, and I was not in the best part of town. I shifted slightly to see her and kept her in view while we waited for the light to change.

She was young, Gen Z perhaps, heavily tattooed, with the kind of piercings that make me wince and wonder how she ever gets through TSA with that much metal. Jewelry swayed from her nose and ears as she stood beside me at the crosswalk. It was a long wait for the light, and let’s be honest, when someone looks that rough, it’s easy to tense up — especially these days. With headlines full of random violence and senseless attacks, wariness can feel like common sense.

In an age of combat and argument, the most radical engagement may be quiet compassion.

Overhead, a bald eagle circled the hospital towers where my wife had been staying for nearly five months. I lifted my phone for a picture. She noticed and said quietly, “That’s cool.”

Quoting John Denver, I replied, “I know he’d be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly. This morning, I don’t think we’re poor, are we?”

She smiled, sadly, almost as if it were forced. “I needed that ... given what I’m carrying.”

The light changed, and we stepped into the crosswalk together. I asked the only question that mattered: “What are you carrying?”

She told me about her ex, abusive, threatening, promising to show up at her house. Fear shadowed every word. I asked if she’d filed an order of protection. She said she was in the process, but her voice carried little confidence. Then I asked if she had a firearm. In an instant, fear gave way to shame. She dropped her eyes and admitted she couldn’t own one because of a past conviction.

On the other side of the intersection, I offered her specific guidance that she could implement right away, practical steps to increase her safety and protect herself. But as I spoke, it became clear that the deeper issue wasn’t just logistics. I didn’t get the sense she believed she mattered.

So I looked at her and said, “Do you understand that your safety matters? That you are worth protecting?”

Her eyes said she didn’t believe it. So I told her again, this time as a fact, not a question: “You are worth protecting.” Tears welled up.

Then I asked if I could pray with her. She nodded tearfully, and right there, on the sidewalk of a busy Aurora street, we bowed our heads.

I can’t count how many people prayed for my wife and me that morning or throughout our long journey. But I can count the number praying for that young woman on a street corner in Aurora. And it wasn’t just me. We have a Savior who “always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25).

That’s all it took. Not a debate. Not an argument. Just seeing her, giving her steps to take, praying for her, and offering her what she could not yet tell herself.

It was an unusual encounter, but crossings like this will only become more frequent, because a generation is struggling with anxiety, depression, and despair at levels we’ve never seen before. According to the Springtide Research Institute (2022), 55% of Gen Z report being moderately to extremely anxious, and 47% say they are moderately or extremely depressed.

RELATED: Reckless hate cannot win: Christ has already broken it

Photo by artplus via Getty Images

Some of them may look odd to us. They may dye their hair in garish tones, pierce their bodies, or cover themselves in ink. But Henry David Thoreau’s line remains true: “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Some of us just wear our wounds differently. Blood is still red. Wounds still hurt. And scars still speak louder than arguments.

In the wake of the Charlie Kirk assassination, many people — young people especially — are rushing to the debate stage, eager for verbal combat. Strong voices still have a space in the public square. But not every meaningful moment requires a microphone or a mastery of apologetics.

That morning in Aurora, I wasn’t looking to change anyone’s politics. I was simply a caregiver, walking to the hospital to sit with my wife after decades of surgeries. Yet a brief exchange at a crosswalk became a chance to remind someone that her life mattered. She never knew what I carried. She didn’t need to. She benefited because I stopped to care. What began as caution in a rough neighborhood turned into an encounter that spoke directly to another human being’s heartache.

A generation is struggling. Those of us of a certain age may not know their world very well. But our scars can speak. It costs little and requires no training to be kind to a wounded soul.

We only need to be ready at a moment’s notice “to comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God” (2 Corinthians 1:4). In an age of combat and argument, that may be the most radical engagement of all.

The family that showed America what moral clarity looks like



Charlie Kirk’s alleged murderer came from somewhere. We all do.

Since the “In the beginning” times, our species has wrestled with the fundamental logic — and perceived unfairness — of holding parents responsible for the sins of their children. Or the other way around. In the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, the prophet makes this explicit:

The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. (Ezekiel 18:20)

Yet, we mortals struggle with this idea. It’s a matter of self-preservation. The unifying idea is that we must bear some responsibility for the behavior of our own kids. Our kids are reflections of us because we put our stamp on them. Functional societies have a justifiable fear of the ripple effects of other people’s bad parenting.

What this family confronted deserves to be noticed, praised, and modeled.

Healthy families are civilization’s frontline schoolhouse of needed humans — producers of good men, women, and citizens. Bad parents can easily replicate themselves and often do. It is a rare and beautiful testament to the enduring nature of the good to see exceptions to the rule.

The inverse happens, too. I have met many good parents of bad kids — a bad seed that grows up to be a bad adult. Or a good kid who leaves the home for school, falls in with the wrong crowd, and rejects root and branch the ways of his family.

Modern parents know that at some point, we must let our offspring venture into a hard and secular world outside the home threshold, a world that undermines good parenting at every turn. A school system that inverts the established, time-tested ways for purposes of political indoctrination. A culture that has lost any sense of moral and natural limits. An algorithmic media that is set on setting people into warring tribes with desensitized, brutish ways.

Good soil, infected fruit

Charlie Kirk’s alleged assassin was born and raised in Southwestern Utah — Mormon territory. He was the son of a mother and father who raised their kids in the Mormon way, which produces exemplary fruits that are missionaries to the world. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — its formal name — instills family loyalty, stewardship, tolerance, sobriety, hard work, and sharing. Members tithe. They contribute. They are impressive people.

Even Matt Stone and Trey Parker, with their “Dumb, Dumb, Dumb” view of the Mormon religion (which is a cutout for all organized religion), recognized that Mormons have strong families and raise very good kids. The whole “Book of Mormon” craze began with a 2003 “South Park” episode featuring an impressive Mormon high school kid. His ending soliloquy put it best:

Look, maybe us Mormons do believe in crazy stories that make absolutely no sense, and maybe Joseph Smith did make it all up. But I have a great life and a great family, and I have the Book of Mormon to thank for that.

The truth is, I don’t care if Joseph Smith made it all up, because what the church teaches now is loving your family, being nice, and helping people.

I don’t know about you, but I admire the old-school way the accused killer’s father brought his son — his own flesh and blood — to face justice.

Would you have done the same?

The family saw the fruit of their loins on video surveillance in a national all-points bulletin. The family reached out to their own. Father and grandfather. They talked him into coming home. Once he was home, they convinced him to turn himself in for the crime — and to stanch the dishonor that he had done to his family’s name.

Would Luigi Mangione’s wealthy and well-connected Maryland family have done the same if they recognized his distinctive eyebrows? “Come home, son,” followed by, “You must turn yourself in to the authorities and be held accountable.” There’s no evidence they did anything of the kind. If they had, would Luigi have complied? I doubt it.

Fathers and mothers of America: Do you think you and yours could do similarly? To ask that question is not to answer it easily.

This Utah family has a quiet dignity to it. Their creed was not an assassin’s creed. Their kid is certainly a lost young man. He took a path outside of his family’s way, but his family retained a line of communication and influence over their prodigal son. They lost their son to dark, demonic forces, but appealed to the light remaining in him and brought him home and to justice.

What this family confronted deserves to be noticed, praised, and modeled. Our country was given clarity in real time. We very rarely get that. This young man did not come in lawyered up and with his phone locked and encrypted.

RELATED: Here's what we know about Tyler Robinson, the man accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk

Photo by Office of the Governor of Utah via Getty Images

A reeling nation did not have to suffer the indignity of mushroom management, where “We the People” are kept in the legalese dark and fed legalese doggerel.

Every family that has successfully raised a good kid to adulthood knows how hard it is in our present educational, cultural, and social media bathhouses.

A family in need of prayer

A family can hold a line, and a kid can transgress it. Once upon a time, the family had educational and cultural support systems that checked transgression and bolstered parents and kids. Kids heard a shared common and civilized creed in and outside the house. That cord has been cut for a while, and our families and nation are suffering at scale because of it.

This family summoned their prodigal son home. While we rightfully think of their son as a moral monster, they still had a familial claim and power over him. And with it, they brought him home and then to justice.

This family gave another grieving family and a nation the closure it needed. We owe them our thanks and compassion for displaying moral courage when it counted. The sins of their son are not theirs. They ought to be seen by the nation as neighbors in good standing. They need and deserve our parental prayers.

Under present grooming circumstances, there but for the grace of God go all of us.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published by RealClearPolitics and made available via RealClearWire.

Was This the LARGEST Altar Call in History?
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Was This the LARGEST Altar Call in History?

Charlie Kirk’s Death Exposes The Weakness Of The American Church

Shouldn’t the first prominent American to be martyred for his Christian faith on American soil have been a pastor? Or a theologian?

Why Charlie Kirk's murder feels personal — even if you never met him



I’ve heard it over and over again from people across the country: “I can’t believe how much Charlie Kirk’s death has impacted me. I’ve never been this shaken by the death of someone I didn’t personally know.”

Grief and righteous anger over his brutal assassination have resonated with millions, creating a palpable sense of shock and loss unlike anything we’ve experienced in our lifetimes. Charlie Kirk wasn’t just another influencer, and his death wasn’t just another senseless crime.

Charlie stood for truth, and the father of lies hates truth-tellers. Jesus made it clear that spiritual neutrality isn’t possible.

There’s a deeper and more spiritual reason why we’ve been shaken by this tragedy.

1. You're more connected to Charlie than you might think

Many of us felt a deep, personal connection to Charlie. We listened to his voice or watched his videos for hours on end, and over time, you really do develop a personal connection whether you’ve met in real life or not.

Especially because Charlie was so likable, it’s easy to think of him as your brother, son, or close friend. That’s not weird or unearned. It's natural.

But there’s also a supernatural reason you feel this loss. We feel connected to Charlie as a reflection of our spiritual unity. The apostle Paul wrote, “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. ... But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12–13).

The same Holy Spirit who dwelt in Charlie is in all who’ve received Jesus as Lord. For Christians, Charlie is our brother in Christ, and when he was wounded, we all felt the pain. Further, his murder grieves the Holy Spirit in us. Our collective grief is a sign of our shared faith and unbreakable bond as Christians. When one part suffers, we all suffer.

2. We're in a spiritual war

Charlie’s assassination wasn’t just a political act. It was a demonic attack.

The same evil spirit that killed the prophets, crucified Christ, and martyred Stephen has now manifested itself in our day against Charlie Kirk. And it’s jarring to realize you’re smack dab in the middle of a spiritual war.

RELATED: Spiritual warfare 101: What every Christian needs to know

kevron2001/iStock/Getty Images Plus

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our true enemy is spiritual, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” Charlie stood for truth, and the father of lies hates truth-tellers. Jesus made it clear that spiritual neutrality isn’t possible. He said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Matthew 12:30).

For the children of God, we will overcome the enemy, not with bullets, but with our Bibles and the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. We mourn with his family

While we all feel the loss, our hearts break for his family — his brave wife, Erika, and his young children who will grow up knowing their father was great without the blessing of enjoying him personally. The sadness we feel for them is biblical compassion.

Romans 12:15 commands us to “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Our grief for the Kirk family is a righteous and compassionate response to a pain that grieves the heart of God. We must continue to pray for them, knowing that the Lord loves Charlie’s family even more than Charlie, and He will take care of them as only He can.

This tragedy also serves as a poignant reminder to cherish our own families and not take a single moment for granted.

4. Murder desecrates image-bearers of God

The video of Charlie’s death, widely shared online, made us witnesses to murder. This marks the human soul in a traumatic way. It’s hard enough to see an animal slaughtered, but destroying a human being — made in the image of God — with such gruesome malice is the ultimate act of desecration.

Murder is a sin against man and God, and it’s why we should support capital punishment.

Genesis 9:6 states, “If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image.” The death penalty assigns the highest punishment to those who commit the highest crime, affirming the sacred value of life.

Charlie’s death reminds us that while our earthly bodies are fragile and easily destroyed, our hope is in Jesus Christ. One day, at the sound of the trumpet, our perishable bodies will be raised imperishable, and death will be swallowed up in victory (1 Corinthians 15:52–57).

5. It could have been you

This was not a political assassination. Charlie wasn’t a politician running for office; he was a truth-teller combating lies.

Everything he believed and stood for was based on his faith in Jesus Christ. His entire worldview was shaped by the Bible. Make no mistake, Charlie Kirk is a Christian martyr — perhaps the most significant in American history; he was slain on American soil, by an American, fighting to liberate Americans from the bondage of deception.

There will never be another Charlie, but we can honor his legacy by picking up the torch and taking even more ground.

As fellow believers, we stand for the same truths he was murdered for.

This forces us to confront a sober reality: Following Jesus courageously may come at a high cost. Occasionally, we must all look in the mirror and ask, “Am I willing to die for this?” The answer must be, "Yes."

Jesus said in Matthew 16:25, “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." We must not allow fear to silence us. We must become even more committed to our righteous cause.

Be encouraged: The martyrdom of Stephen gave rise to the ministry of the apostle Paul, and Charlie’s martyrdom will give rise to thousands of bold voices who will not shrink back from death.

6. We lament over lost potential

Charlie was a uniquely gifted leader who was helping to change the political and cultural landscape of our nation. Many believed he might one day become president. His sudden death leaves us mourning over the lost potential of what he could have accomplished with so many more years of life ahead.

But we can trust in God’s sovereignty. As Psalm 33:11 reminds us, “The Lord’s plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken." We are shocked by Charlie’s death, but God is not; and this tragedy won’t thwart God’s plan. The Kingdom of God doesn't advance through the gifting of a single “superman,” but through ordinary men and women empowered by the Spirit of God.

Charlie’s death requires all of us to step up and fill the void. There will never be another Charlie, but we can honor his legacy by picking up the torch and taking even more ground.

7. We can feel helpless

In the face of such a tragedy, we feel helpless. We prayed for a miracle, but God did not heal Charlie or raise him from the dead.

It's OK to be disappointed with the outcome, but we must never be disappointed in God. He is always good, even when our circumstances are not. Even when we feel helpless, we are not hopeless. We can make a difference by standing for truth, sharing the gospel, raising our families, and doing our civic duty. We will do our parts and trust God to do His.

8. The wicked are celebrating

The evil, celebratory comments from Charlie’s critics reveal the wickedness in their hearts. These are people so blinded by sin that they call good "evil" and evil "good." They are too hard-hearted to hear reason, and only God can change their hearts.

Our lives on earth are short, but eternity is forever.

Remember what Jesus commanded in Luke 6:27–28, "Love your enemies! Do good to those who hate you. Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you." The fact that hell is throwing a party over Charlie’s death is a testament to the difference he was making. The demons also cheered when Jesus was crucified, but their celebration was temporary, while our victory is for eternity.

Let's live our lives so courageously that hell throws a party when we die, too.

9. Earthly justice is incomplete

The news that Charlie’s alleged murderer was caught provides a measure of satisfaction, but it won’t bring him back. Even the swiftest and most severe earthly justice will not provide perfect retribution for this crime. This is why we hold onto the hope of God's final, complete justice.

The Bible promises that one day Jesus will return to judge the righteous and the unrighteous. For those who have placed their faith in Him, our sins are forgiven, and we will receive eternal reward. For those who reject Christ, there will be eternal punishment.

We can thank God for a justice system that holds murderers accountable, but we find our ultimate peace in knowing that God will settle all accounts perfectly on the final day.

10. Life is short, but eternity is forever

Charlie was only 31 years old — young, healthy, and strong. His life was cut short, a stark reminder that our days are numbered.

As Psalm 39:4–5 says, “Remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered — how fleeting my life is.” This tragedy should be a call to action for all of us. Don’t waste your life on things that don’t matter. Don't be a spectator.

Our lives on earth are short, but eternity is forever. While we mourn, we do not grieve like those who have no hope. We have the blessed assurance that for Charlie, and all believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Charlie's assassination was meant to silence him, but the enemy has made a grave miscalculation. His martyrdom has awakened a sleeping giant. Let our grief be a catalyst for strengthening resolve. We will weep, we will heal, we will fight, and we know that we will win. We’ve read the back of the good book, and it says that in the end, we win.

We will not be silenced, and the truth Charlie died for will not be buried. It will only get bolder, louder, and stronger!

Turn to God now: Don't let tragedy harden your heart



If you find yourself hardening your heart and turning from God over all of the horrifying news and events you're seeing, I beg you to turn back to Him.

All of this only makes sense if there's justice in the end. That justice can only come from Him.

Saving faith is not just a moment of belief, a moment of repentance. It is a lifetime of faithful choices to live like Jesus.

This world and all of us are dust in waiting. We are here to seek God, believe in Him, repent of our sins, and give our tiny, fleeting, sin-infused lives to Him.

The "god" of this age wants you to turn away from eternity in heaven and toward eternal death because of temporary anger, fear, and frustration.

But don't let your heart be hardened. Give your anger, your hatred, your pain, anxiety, sadness, doubts, regrets, your fleeting hope — give it to Jesus. Step in faith and draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you.

If you feel even the smallest desire to have God in your life, pray to Him now. Tell Him you want to give your life to Him. Repent of your sins to Him. He will forgive you. It is infinitely worth it. You are worth it. Jesus loves you.

To be clear, I'm not asking you to make a momentary commitment.

Saving faith is not just a moment of belief, a moment of repentance. It is a lifetime of faithful choices to live like Jesus and of repentance when you fail to do so.

It is a lifetime of prayer, studying the Bible, prayer, worshipping Him with others in communion together, prayer, sharing the gospel with others, and prayer. It is a lifetime of seeking to be obedient to Him and repenting to Him when you aren't.

RELATED: Faith and doubt: The journey of a struggling Christian

sedmak/iStock/Getty Images Plus

You will never do it perfectly. You will often fall short. Sometimes you may even wonder if any of this is real. But keep doing it.

In your moments of weakest faith, turn to Him in faith. Ask Him to help your unbelief (Mark 9:24). In your moments of sin and failure, turn to Him in repentance. Ask Him to forgive you your sins, and He will. In your moments of hopelessness, sadness, anger, and fear, turn to Him in prayer. Thank Him for His grace and mercy toward you, and ask Him to help you to be more like Him.

When you are joyful, or even when you're not, turn to Him in praise and worship. Thank Him for creating you, for forgiving you, for loving you, for offering you eternal paradise in heaven with Him.

Whatever you feel, wherever you are, turn to Him — for life. I promise you, it's worth it.

A version of this essay originally appeared on Spike Cohen's X account.

​​'I don't want your salvation! I want you to f**king die!' Student prayer vigil for Charlie Kirk hit with 'pure evil'



In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk's assassination, the New York University College Republicans organized a prayer vigil at Washington Square Park on Sunday night.

"All we wanted was some time to mourn the death of a man who meant so much to so many people," chapter President Ryan Leonard said.

'You're in a very, very dark place, but we'll pray for your salvation.'

Leonard, a senior, told Blaze News that while he'd been part of the College Republicans ever since his start at NYU, he'd been president only since the beginning of the fall semester — and the candlelight vigil would be his first time in charge of a major club event.

It would prove a baptism by fire for the philosophy major.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk hater goes nuclear on supporter of slain activist — then pays price after allegedly unleashing physical attacks

Image source: NYU College Republicans; @nyurepublicans on X; used by permission

Leonard told Blaze News that anywhere from 50 to 100 individuals attended the vigil, and it was looking pretty good — highlighted by an impressive display of Kirk-related images under the park's legendary Arch.

RELATED: Punk college student blatantly mocks Charlie Kirk assassination during campus vigil for slain TPUSA founder. Big mistake.

Image source: NYU College Republicans; @nyurepublicans on X; used by permission

Unfortunately, about 20 to 30 protesters showed up, too, Leonard told Blaze News.

While vigil attendees sang the national anthem and attempted to pray, protesters openly mocked Kirk and praised his murder; they even sang a song reflective of an engraving on the assassin's bullet casings. Indeed, it was a continuation of a chilling, unnerving theme that's been played out at other college campuses following Kirk's cold-blooded killing — including at Texas Tech University and Texas State University.

But one protester was particularly aggressive, Leonard told Blaze News, noting that he was "one of the most vulgar and disruptive protesters there."

This guy came with an acoustic guitar and sang some songs with "inappropriate" lyrics, Leonard said, adding that the College Republicans fought back by not giving him attention, even when he was "calling us white supremacists and racists."

Well, that only fueled the protester's fire.

The dark-hearted individual ended up getting a "foot away from our members," Leonard told Blaze News, but still the vigil-goers "did not engage him."

Leonard told Blaze News that at first "I was just very angry when he was disrupting, and then I saw the wrath in his heart, and I became sad for him and the state he was in."

In a brief video the College Republicans recorded, Leonard can be heard telling the protester that "you're in a very, very dark place, but we'll pray for your salvation."

With that, the demented busker launched into an apparently improvised song aimed right back at Leonard. As he strummed angry chords, he loudly sang, "I don't want your salvation! I want you to f**king die! We're not gonna give you a second chance, even when you beg for it, on your knees, begging and pleading!"

Here's the clip, which is used with permission from @nyurepublicans on X. Content warning: Language:

— (@)

Leonard told Blaze News that while vigil-goers only returned his hatred with peace, the protester just "got madder and more enraged" and "he started being threatening."

Worse yet, as the protester continued his verbal assaults, Leonard told Blaze News that "more people gathered around him" and a kind of mob was forming. Soon the vigil-goers started getting literally "pushed around," Leonard explained.

Finally, New York police officers "escorted us away," he noted.

Washington Square Park is completely open, so anyone off the street can enter it. Given that kind of access, Blaze News asked Leonard if he was concerned for his safety and that of his fellow club members, given the way Kirk was assassinated out in the open at Utah Valley University just days ago. Leonard told Blaze News that possibility was "definitely going through my mind."

But as the club's president said in a previous statement, he and his fellow College Republicans won't be bullied: "To interrupt a solemn vigil full of grieving young people who were trying to honor the life of an inspiration and mentor they looked up to is pure evil, and we will not let them intimidate us into silence. We will go even harder to honor the life and legacy of Charlie Kirk."

In fact, Leonard added to Blaze News that Sunday night's ordeal has resulted in a "boost in our club that I've never seen before. People are encouraging us, and they appreciate us standing up for them."

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The ‘normie conquest’: Millions just joined the right overnight



My liberal friends are completely oblivious about how radicalizing the last week has been for tens of millions of normal Americans. Zero clue. So I am telling you, my liberal friends and leftists everywhere. This is what has happened.

I’m not talking about people who are “online.” I mean regular, everyday Americans. “Normies.” People who scroll through Facebook posts and Instagram reels from the Dutch Bros drive-thru line. Political moderates who have water cooler chats about Mahomes touchdowns and Bon Jovi concerts, not Twitter threads or Rachel Maddow monologues.

These normal, middle-of-the-road, nonpolitical citizens just become politically active. They realized that politics cares about them, even if they don’t particularly care about politics.

Millions of them. Tens of millions. They’re logging on, they’re engaging, and they’re furious. And I’ll be candid: They blame you guys. They blame the left. Regardless of whether you believe it to be justified, they think you’re the bad guys here. And they are reacting accordingly.

I can already hear some of you racing toward the comments to start screeching in moral indignation, so I’m going to be blunt: Shut up and listen to what I’m telling you. Your movement will lose any semblance of relevance if you don’t develop some small measure of self-awareness, and — absent someone force-feeding you bitter medicine — you guys collectively lack the humility to do this on your own.

Here are the facts.

1) Tens of millions of Americans started the week seeing a 23-year-old blonde woman — a young woman in whom virtually every parent watching pictured their own daughter — stabbed in the neck by a career criminal. These people then found out the murderer had been released from jail 14 times over.

2) Two days later, tens of millions of Americans saw on video Charlie Kirk get murdered speaking to college students. Millions of these people knew who Charlie was; millions of them didn’t. Upon seeing the video, however, these normal Americans from across the land and across the political spectrum agreed that he was the victim of a terrible, fundamentally unjustifiable crime, and their hearts broke in sympathy for his family.

Good people who had never even heard the name Charlie Kirk before wept.

3) Immediately after seeing the footage of a peaceful young man getting shot in the neck, these same people logged on to Facebook and Instagram (remember, we are talking about regular Americans, not perpetually online Twitter or Bluesky users) and saw some of their local nurses, teachers, college administrators, and retail workers celebrating this horrific crime. Not just defending it but cheering it.

These are all facts. You may not like the implications of these facts, and we can certainly debate the underlying causes thereof, but, indisputably, they are factual statements nevertheless.

RELATED: Charlie Kirk’s assassination ignites global fire: Patriots hold memorials from the UK to South Korea

Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images

Here’s what it means for Democrats reading this: These normal, middle-of-the-road, nonpolitical citizens just become politically active. They realized that politics cares about them, even if they don’t particularly care about politics.

After watching Iryna Zarutska and Charlie Kirk both bleed out from the neck, they think their lives and the physical safety of their families — the bedrock of human society, the foundation of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — depend on political activation, whether they desire it or not. These people are now sprinting — not jogging, not walking, but racing — to the right.

Because they blame you guys for everything that just happened.

When they see footage of Decarlos Brown stabbing a Ukrainian refugee to death, they don’t see just one demon-possessed man. They picture every university administrator, HR bureaucrat, and DEI apparatchik that ever lectured them about systemic racism, the “carceral state,” or the need to release violent crime suspects without bail in the name of social justice.

They then think back to conversations they’ve had with their cop friends — their buddy from high school who quit the force after getting tired of being called a racist, their friend at the local YMCA who vents about having to release career criminals because Soros-funded prosecutors aren’t willing to file charges — and they realize everything the left has told them over the last five years has been utter BS.

All BS. Not even smart BS, but stale, mid-grade, low-IQ BS. Ordinary Americans see right through it, and they don’t like how it smells.

And they blame you. Because even if you count yourself as a moderate Democrat, your party supported the district attorneys, city council members, and mayors that let fictitious concerns about mental health and racial justice supersede very real concerns for their families' safety.

When these Americans see blood erupt from the side of Charlie Kirk’s neck, they don’t see just a martyred political activist. They think of every extreme leftist they’ve ever met who calls anyone to the right of Hillary Clinton a fascist and constantly jokes — “jokes” — about punching Nazis and “bashing the fash.”

They realize that there really do exist people who wish to see them dead for their moderately conservative political beliefs, their Christian faith, and even the color of their skin.

They ask themselves if the violence visited upon Charlie might one day show up on their own doorstep.

And they blame you. Because even if you’re just a center-of-the-road liberal, you lacked the courage to police your own ranks. You let modern-day Maoist red guards run loose across every facet of society, and what started with social media struggle sessions has now turned to .30-06 bullet holes.

When these Americans log on to social media and see their neighbors justifying, celebrating, glorifying murder, they realize that some who walk among them are soulless ghouls at best, literally demon-possessed at worst.

These people — whether they faithfully attend church every Sunday or only attend with relatives once a year, on Christmas Eve — start talking about things like spiritual warfare. They implicitly understand that no normal human casually celebrates the mortal demise of a peaceful person.

And they blame you. Because even if you condemned Charlie Kirk’s murder, they probably haven’t seen you condemn those in your own movement who cheered it on. They view you as complicit in allowing heartless fellow travelers to celebrate death, and it repulses them.

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Photo by Jeremy Hogan/Getty Images

For all of these situations, what has your response been? Nothing but BS.

In response to Iryna Zarutska bleeding out on the floor of a train, you post nonsensical statistics about reductions in reported crime. In reality, anyone who’s been to a major urban center in the last decade knows that actual crime has skyrocketed, and victims do not waste their time reporting it to cops who don’t have the manpower to respond and prosecutors who seek to downgrade as many felonies as possible to misdemeanors.

In response to a 31-year-old man taking a bullet to the neck in front of his family, you post nothing but nonsensical whataboutism. “What about January 6?” Honest answer: After you let Liz Cheney spend two years operating a star chamber in the House, combined with countless other failed attempts at “lawfare” against Trump, no one cares any more.

“What about Paul Pelosi?” That’s not comparable to Charlie Kirk getting shot, and we all know it. Also: Paul who?

“What about regulations on assault rifles?” That’s not going to get you very far when one of these killers used a knife and the other one used a common hunting rifle.

In response to teachers, health care workers, and thousands of other liberals cheering on Charlie’s murder, it’s nothing but more BS and misdirection.

“It’s not THAT many people celebrating!” Yes, it is. Everyone has seen it on their Facebook and Instagram feeds.

“I thought you guys didn’t support cancel culture.” We don’t cancel people over their opinions; we’re more than happy to see people lose their jobs — especially their taxpayer-funded jobs — for actively cheering on murder, though. If you can’t see the difference, that’s your own shortcoming.

All BS. Not even smart BS, but stale, mid-grade, low-IQ BS. Ordinary Americans see right through it, and they don’t like how it smells. You probably don’t like hearing this. But you need to hear it. Because I’m right, and as you reflect on this, you know I’m right.

The ranks of my political movement gained millions of righteously angry new members last week. We have a mandate to ensure that these crimes never happen again, and that’s exactly what we are now going to do. If you want to keep a seat at the table as we do so, you’d better clean house and start policing your own.

Editor’s note: A version of this article appeared as a post on X (formerly Twitter).

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