Je Suis Charlie
I have held off commenting on the Charlie Kirk assassination because my thoughts on the matter will probably tick off a lot of my friends, but Charlie was unafraid to speak his mind in love, so to remain silent would be a smear to his legacy.
Back around, oh, 2013, Ace of Ace of Spades blog (and others) started to talk about why conservatives always lost. Their supposition was that we were trying to advance our goals using our tactics, rather than those who oppose such ideas. We’d nominate people like Romney and McCain, and they’d have their lunches handed to them. His suggestion (one that I was against) is that we find people who could win elections in the manner that others do, which is what we now have.
I’m still not sure this is a good idea, because to me, it’s not a victory if the process of winning forces you to become your opponent. Conservatism had two prominent “happy warriors:” Andrew Breitbart (who invented the term) and Charlie Kirk. Both died way before their time, except Charlie was struck down doing the very things that everyone from Ezra Klein to Dennis Prager say we’re supposed to do in a civil society.
Charlie was our olive branch, and the whole darn tree got torn up and tossed into the fire. What happens next? I don’t know. Not calling someone with opposing political views a fascist or a commie is a good start, as that sort of change starts from within. Expecting someone else to change in order to alter the current mood is a fool’s errand. We need to be the change we are looking for, to quote a recent President.
As for me, I will fight for what I believe in one person at a time, starting with me, then working on making those around me a little less fragile and help them understand, as Charlie did, that the real battle isn’t for seats in the House and the Senate, it’s for the soul of mankind.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” – Ephesians 6:12