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Saying what must be Said About the Charlie Kirk Situation

Saying what must be Said About the Charlie Kirk Situation

Last updated on: September 20, 2025 at 7:30 pm by Eric Scot English

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Saying what must be Said About the Charlie Kirk Situation 2025-09-20T19:30:09-04:00 Eric Scot English

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It has been a little over a week since the Charlie Kirk murder. I wanted to write something immediately; however, as has been my custom, I took time and space to gather my thoughts and simmer down in order to process. During this time, the country went mad, and now things that need saying must be said. I recognize that some will not read this article in its entirety and just call it propaganda, but this article is not for those people. This is for those rational people who are sick of the games being played. This is for those who take what’s happening in our country seriously.

Properly Framing the Charlie Kirk situation

The Charlie Kirk murder has put people on edge. But why? No doubt the murder of anyone is terrible. And nobody, in their right mind, would ever say that this was deserved. But what is so different about this murder than the thousands that happen around the country every year? Was it simply because he was well known? Was it because this was politically motivated?

No.

The reason why people are so outraged is that this was more than just the murder of another person. This was an attack against a symbol. Kirk represented the new MAGA generation. He breathed life into the MAGA movement. He got young people excited about being involved in the political process. He represented a new generation of MAGA supporters. Kirk was the assurance that the MAGA philosophy, which is largely in the hands of older conservative Americans, would be personified for a new generation.

But all of that hope was snuffed out in an instant at the hands of an extremist. But not just any extremist; an extremist from their side of the aisle. This means there is no political enemy that people can direct their anger toward. In fact, Donald Trump was very quick to get on Truth Social and claimed that this was from the far left in order to rev up his base for more violence.

This demonstrates how important it was for conservatives to have someone to blame. I have no doubt that if this happened to the left, reactions would be similar. It is just what we have become.

Trump’s actions thus far should absolutely outrage his supporters. He blatantly lied to his constituents by trying to leverage this terrible tragedy for political gain. What’s worse is that he tramples all over the Constitution by characterizing the murder as a political assassination meant to quell free speech. Then turns around and threatens media organizations for facilitating dissenting opinions. You can’t advocate for freedom while trampling upon the freedom of others.

This is clearly a reflection of blatant disregard for the very freedoms that are essential for a free society. This should raise significant questions in one’s mind about his (and anyone who agrees with what he did) commitment to the constitutional values he professes to uphold.

When I heard the news of the shooting, I was not surprised. Something like this was bound to happen. If not Kirk, then someone else. Why? Because violence begets violence. It’s really that simple. After tolerance and justification were shown for those who participated in the January 6th, 2021, riot, the writing was on the wall. When you have a group of intolerant people why should you expect them to become tolerant among themselves?

Trump has been given ample opportunity to distance himself from far-right extremists and yet refuses to do so. Extremists are angry people. It should not be surprising that when you give these people a weapon and opportunity, they will take advantage – even against those perceived to be their own. And I dare say that this sort of thing will happen again if the far right continues to defend extremists in their camp.

Saying the thing that should be said

It’s time to grow up! Politics is not a game. It’s not about arguments or sides. It has to be about what is best for the citizens of this country.

For how long will we allow extremists to run this country? When will the political chicanery come to an end? Where in the hell is the voice of rational moderates? When will they begin to stand up for what is right instead of what is popular? When will we take seriously the values of our country instead of just using them as fodder for political deceit?

How long will we allow a small group of powerful men to continue to use Americans as pawns for their own pleasure?

As one who whole-heatedly opposed Kirk, I am angered by his murder. It is a violation of one of the most important values of this country, free speech. At the end of the day most of us go home to families. We tuck our kids in at night and tell them stories. We go to ball games and recitals. We are all people who believe in the values of this country, even if we differ on how those values should be applied. The Charlie Kirk murder is a tragedy that could have been avoided.

For years, we have allowed those in power to play their games. It has to end. Unfortunately, Charlie Kirk will not be remembered for his carefully crafted beliefs that he shared with thousands, but as a martyr for those in power. A martyr for an ideology instead of a truth. And this should infuriate people. Conservatives should be angry, but it has to be at the right people. Otherwise, nothing changes.

We don’t need another super Republican or Democrat. The system is broken. It needs reform. We need a system that actually puts forth the will of the people. We need more than two worldviews as representation. We need the old way to go. But NOTHING will change if nothing changes.

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About Eric English

Eric is a rogue philosopher, theologian, author, and podcaster. He is a father of three, husband of one, and a poet unto himself. Eric’s main areas of thinking are in philosophy (specifically, Soren Kierkegaard), theology (Narrative Perspectivism), and culture. Eric also hosts the podcast UNenlightenment. You can read more about the author here.

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