Charlie Kirk Assassinated at Event in Utah

Charlie Kirk—political commentator, activist, mobilizer, talk show host, influencer, Christian—was assassinated on Wednesday at a Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. He was there for the first stop in “The American Comeback Tour” he was doing through the organization he founded—Turning Point USA (American Comeback). Chris Queen for PJ Media: Kirk was 31. He leaves behind a wife and two children. At age 19, Kirk started Turning Point USA, a movement to engage young conservatives and bring more young people to the conservative cause. His organization grew into an unstoppable force for unadulterated truth, and he enjoyed every minute of it. Kirk also took over for Dennis Prager on his radio show this spring. His youthful voice was a breath of fresh air among an often noisy conservative movement. I wrote back in March that “President Trump credited Kirk with helping swing young voters to the GOP. He called Kirk ‘the youth whisperer of the American right’ because the way he brought college students together to vote red was astonishing” (PJ Media). From Salem Media, parent company of Charlie Kirk’s daily program: Charlie’s partnership with Salem Media was defined by his uncompromising defense of biblical values, liberty, and truth. Through his nationally syndicated show and podcast, he reached millions who relied on his voice to cut through lies, honor truth, and give courage to those fighting for faith and freedom. Salem Media extends its most heartfelt condolences to the Kirk family, Charlie’s friends, and the millions of Americans and people across the world who are grieving this senseless loss (Salem).

Conservative Leaders Pay Tribute to Charlie Kirk

Beginning with President Trump: No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us (Truth). Hugh Hewitt: Every murder is grievous. But I have never had a friend and colleague murdered before. For Charlie to have been assassinated for his beliefs and for attempting to persuade college kids of their truth is sickening beyond words. Charlie Kirk has been doing his work since 2012, in classrooms large and small. In the beginning they were small. He worked hard at learning more every day, was unfailingly kind and generous to colleagues and would not tolerate hate in his organization. So deeply grieving for his family, friends and the United States (Hewitt). Chris Stigall: Charlie Kirk was a man of bold faith.   He stood on God’s Word. Charlie is victorious today.  He’s home with his Father in Heaven.  He lived and literally died on that truth.  We can’t grow weary or hateful or fearful. As believers, we pray, we trust, and we continue to live boldly as lights for Jesus – as I’m confident Charlie would encourage us tonight (Stigall). Ben Shapiro: I met Charlie Kirk when he was 18 years old, a young man so eager and determined that I immediately turned to a friend and said, “That kid is going to be the head of the RNC one day.” Charlie became even bigger and more important than that. It was a privilege to watch this principled man stand up for his beliefs and create the single most important conservative political organization in America. But more importantly, Charlie was a good man, a man who believed in right and wrong, who stood by his Biblical values. All of us will miss him, and I can’t imagine the pain of his beautiful young family, and we must all pray for them. And we must pick up the baton where Charlie left it, fighting for the things he believed in so passionately (Shapiro). Ed Morrissey pulls together many more: (Hot Air).

Charlie’s Unique Gift: Persuasion

So many political pundits, activists and influencers—from the left and the right—engage their opponents in a sort of search and destroy mission. Charlie was different. Charlie aimed to persuade. He gave those with whom he disagreed a “bridge” to come over to his side … or at least they knew that if they did, they’d be welcomed warmly. This virtue was captured well by Katie Pavlich: He was unafraid to speak the truth and engage in rigorous debate against those who not only disagreed with him, but declared him as an enemy. He dedicated his work to using speech, not violence, to engage in civil discourse about the most important issues of our time. He believed politics were good, because it was a substitute for violence. He courageously fought with words, not weapons. “If you disagree with me, move to the front of the line,” Kirk would say during campus visits (Townhall). Charlie explained: “When people stop talking, that’s when you get violence” (X). William Wolfe: This gets even worse when you consider that Charlie Kirk—more than anyone else in America on the right or the left—built his platform making a good faith effort to model civil poltical discourse and debate in the public square. His entire project was built on reaching across the divide and using speech, not violence, to address and resolve the issues! (Wolfe).

Reprehensible Reaction From Elite Media in Wake of Kirk Assassination

David Strom. In the wake of the Charlie Kirk shooting, at the moment he was still being rushed to the hospital, MSNBC started attacking Charlie Kirk, and even suggested that he was shot by one of his supporters. Matthew Dowd: “I always go back to hateful thoughts, lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions” …. we don’t know any of the specific details of this yet. We don’t know if this was a supporter shooting their gun off in celebration or – so, we have no idea. (Hot Air). TMZ staff cheered (X). Newsbusters: ABC News broke in and seemingly suggested he had it coming for his “controversial” views and for going to a campus that didn’t want him there. “ABC news has confirmed conservative activists and podcaster Charlie Kirk has been shot during an event at Utah Valley University,” announced correspondent Kyra Phillips. “The founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative student organization, is known for his outspoken views on politics, culture, religion, often taking his messages to colleges and universities, sparking sometimes pretty heated debates on campus” (Newsbusters). Gov. Pritzker pretty clearly blamed Trump: (HotAir).

Nation Marks 24th Anniversary of 9/11

The horrific events of 9/11 remain the deadliest foreign attack on our nation’s soil: Some 2,750 people were killed in New York, 184 at the Pentagon, and 40 in Pennsylvania (where one of the hijacked planes crashed into the ground after the passengers attempted to retake the plane); all 19 terrorists died (Britannica). While the occupants of the Twin Towers fled, our first responders entered the buildings. Those who survived have borne the scars and many have paid the ultimate price years after the horrors. ABC: On Tuesday, the New York City Fire Department will remember 39 members who died in the past year of illnesses related to their work during the rescue and recovery efforts at what was then known as The Pile. Their names will be added to the FDNY World Trade Center Memorial Wall during a Tuesday afternoon ceremony at the department’s Brooklyn headquarters (ABC).

Nearly a Quarter Century After 9/11, Islamist Threat Remains

And Qatar is a key harborer of Islamists, including Hamas. Jim Hanson of Middle East Forum: One of the biggest exporters of this ideology in all its forms is Qatar. With Iran in decline, Qatar may be the largest state sponsor of terrorism and equally the largest funder of non-violent Islamist groups. In a painful bit of irony, they are also one of our most-valued allies for counter-terrorism. This is a double game they play very successfully based on a fundamental failure in our response to the 9/11 attacks…. The Qataris fund dozens of terrorist groups, including massive support for Hamas, the al Qaeda offshoot al-Nusrah in Syria, and funding for many Muslim Brotherhood groups. Because of our misguided war on terror we have constantly been looking for one high value target after another to liquidate and validate this strategy. The most reliable provider of actionable intel has been Qatar. But why? They haven’t given us terrorist tips because they disagree with violent jihad. They have been serving up the bad guys who are causing trouble for their chosen terror groups. They act as a jihadist mafia family and have coopted us to act as their enforcers, whacking any terrorists who have the temerity to operate on their turf (MEF)

Hamas Leaders Thought They Were “Safe” in Qatar; Israel Has Changed the Equation

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: The strike on Tuesday reflects a doubling down on Netanyahu’s oft-stated contention that military pressure is the only way to get Hamas to surrender and give up the hostages. By striking Hamas in Qatar, Netanyahu is sending a clear message that diplomacy needs to take a back seat. “The ultimate goal is to get Hamas to agree to our conditions and what Israel is doing now is a comprehensive pressure campaign,” said Jonathan Conricus, a former Israeli military spokesman and senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a think tank based in Washington, D.C (Wall Street Journal).  Times of Israel: Netanyahu earlier warned Qatar to either expel Hamas officials or “bring them to justice. Because if you don’t, we will” (Times of Israel). JNS: Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz vowed on Wednesday to continue targeting Hamas leaders worldwide, stressing that no terrorist involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre will evade justice. “Israel’s security policy is clear,” Katz stated, adding that the “long arm” of the Israel Defense Forces would continue to target its enemies. “There is no place they can hide,” Katz declared (JNS).

Algeria Doing Bidding of Hamas Before United Nations

The northern African nations has called for a special meeting of the U.N. Security Council today. JNS:  Algeria represents the Arab states at the council. “The Algerian ambassador chooses to cooperate with Hamas and provide them with legitimacy from within the Security Council,” stated Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. “Israel will continue to act decisively against the leaders of terror wherever they are hiding and is committed to returning the hostages and maintaining security for our citizens…. Israel’s action was not intended to target the State of Qatar…. The goal was, and will remain, clear: to strike Hamas terrorists and those responsible for the massacres of Oct. 7” (JNS).

Putin’s Drone Incursion Into Poland a Dangerous Escalation

Economist: It is the most serious incursion into NATO territory since the foundation of the alliance in 1949. Nineteen Russian drones breached Poland’s airspace between 11.30pm on September 9th and 6.30am the next morning. Polish fighter jets, along with Dutch F-35s deployed to Poland earlier this month, shot down some of them. Others crashed. One fell 300km deep into Polish territory. Within hours Poland’s government invoked NATO’s Article 4, triggering immediate consultation with allies. The Polish army denounced it as an “act of aggression”. Donald Tusk, the country’s prime minister, noted that it was the first time Russian drones had been shot down over NATO territory. Poland, he said, was at its “closest to open conflict since the second world war”  … More may be to come. Starting on September 12th, Russia will hold its Zapad (“west”) military exercises in Belarus, just across the border from Poland. On paper, 13,000 soldiers will be involved. The real number is expected to be considerably higher, as it was during the last Zapad exercise in autumn 2021, which amassed some 200,000 troops. Russia attacked Ukraine five months later. (Economist).

The Political Violence Must End

The Utah Governor Spencer Cox was early to give voice to the sentiment, but—we must hope—there will be many from the left and the right who give full-throated, unequivocal denunciations against the violence …. denunciations that do not have a comma and a “but” followed by justifications. Governor Cox (R): Our nation is broken. We’ve had political assassinations recently in Minnesota. We had an attempted assassination on the governor of Pennsylvania and we had an attempted assassination on a presidential candidate and former president of the United States and now current president of the United States. Nothing I say can save us as a country. Nothing I can say right now can fix what is broken. Nothing I can say can bring back Charlie Kirk. Our hearts are broken. We mourn with his wife, his children, his family, his friends. We mourn as a nation. If anyone in the sound of my voice, celebrated it even a little bit at the news of this shooting, I would beg you to look in the mirror and to see if you can find a better angel in there somewhere. I don’t care what his politics are. I care that he was an American (You Tube)