America has lost a warrior

On September 10, a widely attended debate on a college campus in Utah suddenly turned into a horrific tragedy when an evil lunatic armed with a rifle murdered Charlie Kirk, the most influential conservative leader of his generation. Like millions of other Americans and so many around the world, I am absolutely heartbroken that this young man was brutally assassinated. He was a good friend, a loving husband, and a dedicated father to his two young children. I cannot imagine the pain his family is going through. Please join me in praying for him and his family.

Charlie Kirk devoted his life to raising the next generation of Americans to love our country. He was a true believer in the teaching and practices of Christ and spoke and lived his faith. He opened up conversations few dared to begin, showing how we can confidently make America even greater through thought and word. America has lost a warrior.

What happened on September 10 should not occur anywhere in the world, let alone in the United States. We live in a country built on the principle of free speech, which is a cornerstone of democracy. We cannot let America become a nation where assassinations and violence are used to influence the outcome of elections or make people afraid to voice their beliefs. Every American - regardless of their political beliefs - should be alarmed that an innocent man was murdered while engaging in a thoughtful debate about the issues facing our nation.

Like so many Americans, I was disgusted that shortly after the news broke that he was shot, the liberal media immediately blamed Charlie Kirk for his own murder. We saw an analyst on MSNBC describe Charlie Kirk as a divisive figure, and that "Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions." And on social media, demented individuals were celebrating the murder of this young father. It makes me sick.

It's time for America to have a serious conversation about the unacceptable rise in political violence and the dangerous rhetoric that's fueling it.

Last year, there were two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump. A young Jewish couple was murdered in cold blood by a radical Hamas sympathizer at an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. back in May. And in 2022, a radical pro-abortion activist traveled to the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh with plans to kill him. These are just a few examples of how serious and common political violence has become over the last few years.

The Left paints conservatives as fascists and nazis, even going as far as comparing President Trump to Hitler - the most evil person in history who murdered millions of innocent people. This type of language is wrong and irresponsible. I had hoped that leaders on the Left would have toned down the rhetoric after the first assassination attempt against President Trump. They didn't. I don't know what it will take, but the violent rhetoric has to stop before another evil lunatic decides to take the life of an innocent person because of their political beliefs.

Americans are rightly worried about the future of our great nation. But we cannot let fear or political violence silence us. As Charlie Kirk once said, "If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas - not run away from them or try and silence them." While Charlie Kirk is no longer with us in the flesh, his fight for a stronger America will continue for years to come.