This was a difficult week for America. On Wednesday, Charlie Kirk was murdered while speaking to an audience at Utah Valley University. Then Thursday was the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 terror atacks on America. When I heard that Kirk had been murdered, I felt both sadness and anger - two emotions that have haunted me all too frequently. Sad because Kirk was a young man, a husband and a father of two little girls. Angry over the silencing of a prominent conservative voice.
I can't say that I listened to Kirk all that much over the years. From what I heard, I know I did not always agree with him. Reading more about him, I would not have said some of the things he said the way that he did. Kirk passed on college. At age 19 he became a co-founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), which has become the most influential political organization reaching out to young people. He loved going to college campuses, knowing he would be challenged by leftwing students. He would engage them with his "Prove me wrong" debates.
And that was his approach. A non-violent free exchange of ideas. Exactly what our Founders intended with the First Amendment, forming the underlying basis of our democracy. The Independent, a left leaning paper out of the UK, described Kirk this way. He was a Christian. Yes, he was a religious Christian. He was anti-abortion. Many people are. I am not opposed to all abortions. He opposed mask mandates. Some say that most masks were ineffectual. He was a believer in the Second Amendment, while acknowledging that some would die from guns. People die from many things that are legal. And he said that Democrats "stand for everything G-d hates." (A response to that would take up several posts.)
The Independent continued, saying that Kirk called the Russian-Ukrainian war a "border dispute." Readers know that I strongly disagree with that. Russia, led by Putin, invaded Ukraine; because Putin wants to regain the old Soviet Union. While he opposed the US bombing Iran, which I favored, he was a strong supporter of Israel. Knowing that he was a religious Christian, I was quite surprised when I first heard him say at the conclusion of his Friday show: Shabbat Shalom. The Jewish Sabbath starts on Friday at sundown. It turns out that Kirk was friends with a Rabbi Pesach Wolicki. Rabbi Wolicki would help Kirk with advice on how to defend Israel. Kirk was concerned that many members of Gen Z did not support Israel.
Said the Rabbi: "Charlie stood alone to a great extent in that whole Gen Z conservative world as far as being pro-Israel...there were prominent people...actively working to (get him to) drop his support for Israel on a daily basis. And he resisted." The Independent ssaid Kirk opposed "gender affirming care." When I hear about doctors doing any such thing to minors I am greatly disturbed by it. The paper said he was against the LGBTQ Agenda. What specifically? They said he opposed same sex marriage. There are various Biblical references that suggest gay marriage would not be acceptable. And the paper said he supported Leviticus 20:13, describing it as "G-d's perfect law when it comes to sexual matters."
After claiming that Kirk advocated for stoning gays to death, Stephen King apologized, saying "what he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages." David Rubin, an openly gay conserative commentator, said he was a good friend of Kirk's. Ric Grenell, the highest ranking openly gay member of the first Trump Administration, also called Kirk a good friend. He said Kirk had asked him to join the Board of TPUSA. And, there is a Tik Tok video by a group called Gay Bear Patriot with one pesumably gay person after the next saying "I am Charlie Kirk."
According to The Guardian, another leftwing paper out of the UK, Kirk said: "America has freedom of religion, of course, but we should be frank: large dedicated Islamic areas are a threat to America." And: "...Islam is not compatible with Western civilization." Is anyone seriously going to argue that Muslim run countries have the kind of freedoms that we associate with Western countries? Free elections? Often not. Freedom of speech? Often not, especially with regards to criticizing the government or Islam. Women's rights, gay rights? You get the picture. The misnamed "honor" killings? Sadly too often.
As for large Islamic areas being a threat to America, if they adopt Islamic values, if they adopt local sharia law, then, yes, clearly a threat. I will once again fully acknowledge that there are Muslim Americans who desire nothing other than to live the American dream. To raise a family, have a home, get an education, start a business or make a good living. But, when I look at the elected Muslim office holders, such as Rashida Tlaib (see the prior post) and Ilhan Omar, I am very concerned. When I see Zohran Mamdani possibly becoming the next Mayor of America's largest city, I am very concerned.
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