Dear Friends and Patriots,

Watching Charlie die wasn't something I ever wanted to do.

31! I remember when I was 31. That was a lean year for me. But I had hope! I thought everything from that point on would be on one trajectory – UP! I was right, about that, but then again, I was disengaged from anything that wasn't near me. I was self-involved, and life provided me with a series of excuses for not following my secret dreams. Charlie engaged his dream when he was 18. WHO DOES THAT? He had an idea that he refined until he got it right. I had an idea, too, but I never truly acted on it.

What does Charlie's death mean to me? It means someone who died at 31 knew how to live their life better and more fully than I've ever managed. At 74, I know nothing I can do will ever match what he did in just over 12 years. Charlie actually did make a difference. That's something I'll never be able to claim.

Few I've ever known of have lived a life so fully and with such achievements as Charlie Kirk. I note that most of the world understands the "27 Club," and they laud the members: Janis Joplin, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, and Amy Winehouse, but, what real impact did any of them have on society at large? They had incredible talent, but they wasted it. They had untapped potential, but lived hedonistic lives, almost guaranteeing their early demise. Yet, they live on in the minds of several generations as heroes. I’m struck by the low threshold of excellence that 27 Club hero worship reveals.

Charlie Kirk should live on in the minds of many future generations. The 27 Club is peopled by members who never attempted to do more than have a good time, abuse the talents God granted them, and to please themselves. Charlie tried to make a difference in the lives of countless young people, whom he understood to be miserably-led by bad parents, missing fathers, and an education system that promotes values that couldn't possibly sustain them.

There are millions of words being spilled this week about Charlie Kirk. Some of those millions do a little more than just capture the facts of his existence. Out of those millions there are a few thousand that speak to Charlie’s true achievements. I will offer my own reflection, just because I think I should. Events like the death of Charlie Kirk should never go unremarked just because someone is afraid to be accused of grandstanding or because they don’t want to be lost in a crowd. The crowd this time is huge, and nothing I write will be any more telling or important than any of the countless thousands who’ve already registered. But, to have a thought about Charlie and to not express it seems wrong, somehow. I don’t want anyone to think I don’t understand or that I don’t care. That might be an even greater wrong.

I watched as Charlie formed Turning Point, USA. It was a youth movement, and it was interesting from the very beginning. Charlie had an idea that young people needed an alternative offered them that was conservative, largely non-political, and based on values, principles, and ethics. He sensed that many young people felt there just wasn’t anything “out there” that offered them hope for the future. It could be that Charlie himself was a teenager who was unsettled by the extreme cynicism and negativity that surrounded him. I can’t say for certain. After all, I grew up in a different time.

Charlie evolved over time. In the beginning Turning Point seemed to be oriented toward an “America First,” national sovereignty, and American pride presentation. The focus seemed to be on having pride in being an American, and to counter the Howard Zinn-inspired curricula taught in most of our schools. Over the years Charlie evidently did continuous study, which was reflected in the debates he engaged in. In earlier days Charlie would set up a canopy and a table. The table would have a banner that read something like “Abortion Is Murder – Prove Me Wrong,” then he’d debate the point with anyone who’s happen by. He seemed to pick up on pulse-points and would show up at public events to probe the minds of whoever he encountered. He was always ready for any comer. His arguments were always based in his personal values, principles, and ethics, which he truly believed were reflective the essential core of the founding of our nation.

Charlie evolved into a philosopher and a scholar. He proved that no one needed college to do that; just the desire and discipline to pursue truth wherever it was found. Charlie’s own words in the past couple of years illustrate the truth that he was an actual Christian missionary, who was willing to witness to any who might hear. But, more than that, he would compare Christian truths to those from other religions. He could articulate Buddhist and Hindu beliefs as well as he did those of Engels and Marx. He could quote excerpts from The Holy Bible and the Qur’an, and he understood how The Talmud guided Jewish people’s lives just as he did The Hadith for Muslims. It was his growing mastery of religious beliefs and traditions that made him especially effective when he spoke to the ever-growing crowds. He became something of a social phenomenon. He debated atheists as well as adherents of any religion. He happily took on avowed communists and Marxists. He didn’t decline any challenge, unless it was posed in an inane way.

Charlie was a Christian conservative and a nationalist. He had no problem in supporting his political beliefs with quotations from The Holy Bible. He called everything as he saw it, but, even so, he never attacked anyone who appeared to be serious. I did hear him accuse people of being liars on several occasions, but only after he’d exposed their lies. I did hear him accuse people of being immoral, but only after those people admitted to their immorality and declared their intent to repeat it. I did hear him accuse people of embracing evil, but often that came after a speaker proudly announced they were a follower of Satan. But, the vast majority of the time, Charlie didn’t come at his debate adversaries. He would listen to them, and even help them make their point if they weren’t very articulate. Once he and the other speaker had agreed on the point of the question, Charlie would patiently explain his position from his own viewpoint. Most who listened would thank him for his time and walk away. Some walked away changed. Others walked away confused. Still others walked away thinking they’d scored points. Each carried away something, according to their intent.

After watching Charlie debate young people on college campuses these last couple of years, and especially after seeing the effects that were obvious in the most recent elections, I had to think about what Charlie was actually doing. If you are of the opinion that he was just proselytizing for the Republican right, I think you’re sadly mistaken and a bit short-sighted. I gathered something entirely different from watching and listening. What I saw was a guy who took on the role of philosophic mentor to those seeking a philosophic mentor. On most college campuses there’s no one remotely like Charlie. He was the voice of reason and morality. On most campuses it’s just true that tenured religious conservative voices are rare. To find one willing to speak above a whisper is rarer still. So, along comes this young guy who shouts his beliefs, and challenges anyone to “Prove Me Wrong.” To a young person who is disenchanted with the progressive and Marxist ideologies permeating most colleges and the level of thought control exercised on campuses run according to the various “woke” theories and rituals, a guy like Charlie Kirk must have seemed like a Godsend. Indeed, that may be exactly what he was – someone sent by God to speak the truth in halls determined to propagate deviant ideologies, propaganda, and distortions.

Charlie’s more recent appearances always seemed to include a student who wanted to talk about crime as a product of racism and poverty. Charlie must have grown tired of that line of thinking. But, if he was, he never showed it. He was always patient in his explanations regarding the negative outcomes of the Great Society programs, welfare, and the destruction of the black family unit. He would then cite crime statistics, which are “just the numbers,” but numbers that inform anyone of who commits the majority of crime in this country. Instead of placing blame on anyone’s race, Charlie unfailingly pointed out his belief that the reason young black males are as violent-prone as statistics indicate they are is a direct result of not having strong father figures in their homes. Charlie knew the numbers, and never failed to cite them. We should all know the numbers. But Charlie didn’t think “black” had anything to do with it. In his mind the main takeaways from the statistics were “fatherless” and “leaderless.” He would often follow that up with other statistics that indicated how few young people attend church or acknowledge the existence of God. To Charlie it was always simple – strong marriages, commitments to faith, and commitments to truth in homes creates stronger, happier children who did not grow up to commit crimes.

What was it that Charlie was doing that made Turning Point, USA a success at creating a positive youth movement? For many, he was a spokesman for their beliefs, in a social structure that didn’t validate them. For others, Charlie was the strong male voice of morality that was otherwise absent from their lives. He was a father figure to millions. They listened to him. They understood that he spoke directly to their anxieties, fears, and misgivings – giving them hope and encouragement.

Charlie Kirk was called a racist, a bigot, and a hater by many detractors. When someone came straight at him with such an accusation, he would invariably challenge them to cite any instance where he uttered anything that could be categorized as racist, bigoted, or hateful. A few would stammer back a few more accusations, some would indicate their feelings were offended by Charlie, and some would come out with something someone may have said – but not Charlie. No one ever came up with a single accurate quote that illustrated animus toward another human. Charlie was all about building up – not tearing down.

People like Charlie Kirk are very rare. There does seem to be an understanding of that truth. Today I read words that encourage us all to take up Charlie’s burden and carry it forward. The notion is that Charlie is gone, but in his wake will come many aspiring Charlies. I do hope that’s true. The world cannot have enough truth and morality. Meanwhile, we must proceed with extreme caution. Many who would pretend to be the “Next Charlie Kirk” will cause others to stray from Charlie’s core messages. They will be among the “false prophets” Jesus cautioned of. Charlie never set himself up as a symbol of any kind. He was a witness and a messenger. He witnessed the unerring truths of The Holy Bible, and his message was simple – follow the teachings of Jesus and anyone can have a good life; one with a promise of life everlasting.

Now, we have to wait and watch to see how history will unfold. Many, including me, are certain that the assassination of Charlie Kirk marks a change in history’s trajectory. We’ve seen the deaths of remarkable people do such things, but only rarely. I’ve stated for years that America is at war with itself. I believe Charlie’s death will affect the progress and outcome of that war. How? That remains to be seen. One thing I constantly admonish people whenever such questions arise is all I’ll say for now… WAIT FOR IT!

In Liberty,

Steve