Pray for Charlie Kirk, His Family, and America

Commentary

The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, the horrific killings at Evergreen High School in Evergreen, Colorado, the murder of Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte, North Carolina, and the homicides at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota should lead every American to think about what is happening to our country.

We should pray for all of the victims and their families in this time of tragedy.

We should also pray for America as we endure this staggering shift toward evil violence.

In a sense, Kirk’s killing was the final straw in forcing me to think about the totality of this descent into violence and hate. Evil is rampant in our nation and world. It is nondiscriminatory and knows no bounds.

When Callista called me to say that Kirk had just been shot, it was hard to believe. I was in a meeting with the Senate Budget Committee staff. Everything seemed quiet and normal. Then, the fabric of the day immediately unraveled. An assassin had used a rifle to kill a leading young conservative in the United States. There was a real future in which Kirk would one day become a leader in Congress—or even the White House. That future ended with horrifying certainty on Sept. 10.

Kirk’s importance was clear in President Donald J. Trump’s announcement of his death: “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk, is dead. No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie. He was loved and admired by ALL, especially me, and now, he is no longer with us. Melania and my Sympathies go out to his beautiful wife Erika, and family. Charlie, we love you!”

Later, the President taped a tribute to Kirk and ordered the American flag be flown at half-staff until Sunday evening in his honor.

The outpouring of emotion and affection came from the entire White House family—and across the political spectrum. The First Lady made a poignant tribute. Wednesday evening, Callista and I spoke with two Democratic senators who were horrified by his killing. They were deeply saddened that a young man with a beautiful family was taken from us by violence. They were worried about America’s steady slide toward violence in a way that could leave no one, and no place, safe.

This range of support was a tribute to Kirk’s amazing appeal and good humor.

His assassination hit especially hard because it had been preceded hours before by killings at a high school in Evergreen, Colorado which left three students dead (including the shooter).

These recent atrocities should inspire three major efforts.

First, the spirit of Kirk’s outreach to the younger generation—and his willingness to debate ideas everywhere with anyone—must be sustained and expanded. Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization co-founded by Kirk, and its mission should be dedicated to his spirit. And all of us should work to ensure that it becomes even larger and more effective in reaching younger Americans.

Second, Democrats and Republicans must engage in common dialogue. We should emulate Kirk’s passion for reaching out to people with different viewpoints to talk about ideas. Whenever possible, Democrats and Republicans should launch debates and dialogues built around real issues and values disagreements. President Trump should consider launching a Charlie Kirk dialogue program encouraging every school, college, and university in America to create a space for the kind of direct, vigorous dialogue which Charlie valued and personified. It would be a living monument to his passionate commitment to an America that talked with itself rather than fought with itself.

Third, as I wrote in the New York Sun this week, laws must be updated to ensure that evil is confronted and destroyed. Justice delayed is justice denied. The absurdity of the trial of the would-be assassin who tried to kill President Trump is a case in point. The assassination attempt in Palm Beach was Sept. 24, 2024, and the shooter is just now beginning to be tried.

We must make it clear that anyone seeking to kill an American will face rapid and decisive justice. At a minimum, they should never again be on the streets.

We need to do more than mourn these horrible crimes and the people we’ve lost to them.

We must learn how to disagree peacefully, protect the innocent, and punish evil in effort to preserve our nation and freedom.

From Gingrich360

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.