Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was professionally assassinated while speaking to students at Utah Valley. 200 yards away. One shot. Top of a building through Charlie’s neck. No one is in custody as of the time I am writing this. I agree with my friend Andy Swan. I hope they find the person and string him up in public.
When I first heard about it, I thought of my good friends who knew Charlie. I didn’t know him, but I know quite a few people who played an integral part in the startup of what he became. He was from Arlington Heights, IL.
I felt sad for Charlie’s family. I felt sad for my friends who knew him. I felt sad for the people he touched and the people who decided to follow him.
My fear is that this is the beginning. They tried to assassinate Trump twice. They are okay with assassination. Kirk himself tweeted that 49% of people polled in one poll were okay with seeing Elon Musk assassinated. I do not fear reprisals. I fear that there is a central plan to pick off different Republicans in order to make them fearful and stop speaking out.
There was an amazing amount of celebration from people on the left. The social network Bluesky was jubilant. On MSNBC and CNN, they had to hold back smiles. Matthew Dowd said that he brought it on himself. Illinois governor JB Pritzker said it was Trump’s fault and the fault of January 6th. Democrats in the House wouldn’t even be silent and pray. They have no empathy. No compassion except false compassion. For them, it’s all about power and enforcing their will on you.
Amazingly tone-deaf and lacking self-awareness in those people. I started to become angry. I wrote a letter to the President of the University of Chicago. Matthew Dowd is part of the Institute of Politics there. Dowd said that Kirk brought it on himself with “hate speech” and did not talk about one thing Kirk ever said that was hateful. Dowd is part of the Uniparty. He only cares about money and power for himself.
Dear President Alivistos,
Today Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah at a university event. We don’t know who assassinated him. We do know what people are saying.
Matthew Dowd (https://politics.uchicago.edu/fellows/former-fellows/matthew-dowd) said this (https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1965857941564633162):
"I always go back to hateful thoughts, which lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions."
“You can't stop with these sorts of awful thoughts you have and then say these awful words and not expect awful actions to take place.”
Mr Dowd is a representative of the University of Chicago. He should be fired immediately. Any other professor who took to social media to condone, applaud, or find license for Kirk’s assassination
should also be fired or, at the very least, reprimanded publicly and censured. The social network Bluesky is full of people applauding the assassination.
It does not matter what side of the political spectrum one resides; there is no excuse to assassinate someone exercising their free speech rights. In addition, Kirk was for the exchange of ideas done in a non-violent way.
Even though he didn’t attend the University of Chicago, he exemplified the values I thought the university stood for.
I am not sure in this highly politicized environment, those values are paid more than lip service today.
I am an alum of Chicago Booth. I started Hyde Park Angels, which brought a lot of good things to the University. I am ashamed today watching representatives of UChicago license political assassinations and say they brought the shooting on themselves. It’s disgusting. It’s un-American and it is against the founding ideas and documents of our country.
Sincerely
Jeffrey R. Carter
Class of 2007 XP-76
The left in the US is violent and always has been. It is their way. It is their culture. John Wilkes Booth shot Lincoln. McKinley was shot. In the last decade, Republicans have been shot, beaten, and threatened with assassination. Unions have used violence to get their way. The George Floyd riots are another example. Senate Leader Chuck Schumer threatened two sitting Supreme Court Justices. When people showed up at their homes, he didn’t do a thing. Van Jones called Kirk a racist last night on CNN. The violence and calls for violence are on the left for the most part.
Yes, a few Republicans have done stupid stuff. But it’s not close to equivalent.
A DOGE employee was brutally beaten in DC. Big Balls was trying to help someone who was being mugged. Democrats defended the attackers. A Ukrainian refugee was brutally murdered on public transportation in Charlotte, and the Democrats defended the murderer. In Pacific Palisades, Democrats are twisting the law and regulations to take the property away from the prior owners before it burned. They want to social engineer.
Here is the progression of how it all happens. As an out-of-the-closet Republican in far-left Chicago, I know. I experienced it.
First, they laugh at you. “You're crazy.” They try to pass it off when you throw data at them. The other day, a person tried to tell me that it was Republicans who discriminated against Blacks after the Civil War, all the way through Jim Crow. It was Democrats.
“No way. Oh, that’s above my pay grade.” That’s the next thing they say. They don’t want to confront the facts. They have no argument against them, but they want to live in their bubble and just believe whatever they have been told.
They will tell a few political jokes that make fun of conservatives to see if you laugh. You laugh because you have a sense of humor. Conservatives have a great sense of humor. Leftists do not. It’s a mean sense of humor.
Then, they might try to debate. “You're a rational Republican, not one of those crazies.”. When they lose, they escalate.
The next level of escalation is to call you names. Maybe it’s behind your back. Maybe it’s to your face. “You are a racist, Nazi, fascist,” fill in the blank. They try to destroy your reputation. They don’t invite you to things. You are deliberately excluded. Shunned. You become a non-person.
When you become a non-person, they can do anything to you. Any despot knows that. Any terrorist group knows that.
Then, they don’t do business with you. No email. No phone calls. No passing or including in deals. The best thing for them is if you go away.
This happens in friendships, too. You have experienced it, I am sure. I have. In the biography on US Grant written by Ron Chernow, Grant’s father-in-law was pro-slavery, and Grant got along with him. Not famously, but they got along. Left-wingers cannot do that. They can’t get beyond it.
Shaun McGuire said on X that we are at war.
I responded to Shaun. Shaun, I lived in Chicago most of my life as an out of the closet Republican. I have been saying it for 15 yrs now. It is sad. The uniparty and left only care about power; and their idea for the future can only be achieved at the tip of the spear they hold, with people like you and I on the opposite end of it
I indeed have felt that way. It would not surprise me if a Civil War started, but I don’t want one. We are at war. It’s a Cold War, but it’s getting warmer. I also know that leftist policies only work at the tip of a spear. No one was trying to get into East Germany.
How did I know?
I kept trying to raise a venture fund in Chicago. I was at the finish line. A guy was going to fund it, help me raise the rest, and take a piece of the carry. When he found out I was a Republican, he said he couldn’t do business with Republicans. That was in 2015.
When Obama ran for and was in office, the level of overt and active discrimination in Chicago ramped up against any Republican who was out of the closet and vulnerable. In schools, too. Grade schools, Middle schools, High schools, and colleges. When Trump was elected in 2016, it got worse. A lot worse. People became crazy. Covid ramped it up. I left in 2020. I can only imagine what it’s like now.
Chicago was ground zero for the communist movement in America. Bill Ayers is celebrated in Chicago. He advocates for violence. He advocates for the rounding up of people who need to be re-educated.
In Chicago, they’d rather partner with a communist than any Republican. They don’t realize that they have already lost when they do that.
First, I was gutted when I heard about the shooting. Now I am angry.
There are lots of things the government can do. Hearings on NGOs follow the money blah blah blah. But we have no control over that stuff and are just bystanders.
You can no longer be a bystander. You have to choose a side. We are a divided country. No longer can you say, “politics doesn’t interest me,” because you are going to be made to care.
Saying you are “socially liberal and fiscally conservative” doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s a cop out. It is being meek and cowardly. You cannot define that position.
If you are a conservative, you can no longer lie down and take it. You have to be vocal. Vocal on Reddit, that cesspool of liberal moderation. Vocal in your community. Speak at your city council and school board. Not violent-vocal.
It has to be done locally. You probably can’t make a splash on the national scene. But you can make a splash locally. I have friends who have done that. They are making a difference. Little local ripples make a wave.
Take them on. Fight the good fight. Be happy about it. It’s what I loved about Milton Friedman. Watch videos of him when he speaks to people who confront him. He smiles. He feels empathy for that person.
For what it’s worth, I admire that Trump fights, but he sometimes goes too far and is too exaggerated in his choice of words. I think in some cases, the words or memes are satirical, and most people would “get it”. However, the time has passed for that. Make good, solid arguments with good, solid actionable solutions. You will get more agreement.
The other thing you have to be prepared for is the left coming for you. A friend of mine led and still leads a movement locally, and the left came for her. Because she had integrity and wasn’t a phony, they couldn’t get her. It emboldened her. She knew she was over the target.
The thing of it is, the ideas the left promotes are so out in left field that no one truly thinks they are good. Their ideas are more about power and controlling people rather than making gains for civilization. That’s why tampons in boys’ bathrooms are advocated by the left. It’s why illegal aliens get preferences over citizens. Power.
The left wants violence. They want anarchy. They want the pain and you to feel the pain. They want things so bad that the only solution is the centralized, militarized one they bring. So, you can’t be violent.
But you don’t have to lie down and take it. You have to show up, especially at the polls. The new Democratic Party has transitioned from the party of Jim Crow to the party of Socialism. Socialism is far more dangerous than Jim Crow. You can figure out a way to rise above Jim Crow. Especially in the age of the internet. You cannot rise in Socialism.
If you are a moderate Democrat, there are two things you can do. First, vehemently call out your party. Expose the naked emperor. Republicans have done this at least three times in my life. Getting rid of the John Birchers (see William F. Buckley). Changing the focus from the religious right to just being right. Lately, it’s been cleansing the party of apparatchiks who are RINOs. Secondly, if you can’t change the party, you can leave the Democratic Party and join with people like me. Marc Pincus and Bill Ackman left. You can too.
Donald Trump Jr said this:
“This isn’t my strong suit and I don’t even know how to begin to put into words the loss I am feeling right now over the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Charlie wasn’t just a friend — he was like a little brother to me - and to millions of people around the world - he was a true inspiration.
He was one of the most courageous, principled men I’ve ever known, and he lived every day with purpose. His faith in God was unshakable, his love for Erika was inspiring, and the way he adored and cared for his two beautiful kids showed the kind of man he truly was.
Charlie dedicated his life to something bigger than himself. He fought tirelessly for this country, for the values that make America great, and for the next generation. The impact he had on young people — reaching them in masses, giving them courage to stand up, to think for themselves, and to fight for freedom — is immeasurable. There is no question that Charlie’s work and his voice helped my father win the presidency. He changed the direction of this nation.
Charlie was never a threat to anyone. He was civil, he was kind, he listened and responded with respect. The only “threat” he ever posed was that he was incredibly effective. He was a powerful messenger of truth, and people heard that truth. That’s what made him a target.
This loss is absolutely devastating — not only for Erika and the kids, but for our country. We’ve lost a leader, a fighter, and a man whose character and conviction were rare. Too rare. To think that his life was cut short by a brutal, heinous, evil act is beyond comprehension. It is horrible and it is heartbreaking.
Moments like this remind us just how fragile life is. We can’t wait to tell people how much they mean to us — we can’t admire them in silence. Charlie knew he was loved, but I want to say it again: he was a brother to me, and I will carry that with me forever.
I know Charlie’s legacy doesn’t end here. He poured into millions of young people who will carry forward the torch he lit. He built something that will outlast him, because it was grounded in faith, in truth, and in courage. And as his friend, I will never forget him. I’ll honor him by loving boldly, speaking truth without fear, and continuing his spirit of courage. His fight lives on in all of us who loved him.
This is an unimaginable loss. For me, for his family, for everyone who loved him, and for America. Rest in peace, brother. You will be missed more than words can ever say — but your legacy will never be forgotten and we will keep fighting the good fight.”
They want you silent. Don’t let them.
I am writing to Provost Baicker at Chicago about the comments made by Prof. Dowd. I am faculty at Chicago. I don't anticipate any substantive response other than a pointer to the Kalven Report and the Chicago Principles, but let's see.
These atrocities show us the Hell-world that the Democrats and the left have in store for us if they get the chance. Kirk was committed to dialogue, and his enemies laughed, jeered, and mocked him when he was murdered in front of his wife and children. They celebrate a “dialogue” consisting of bullets heading in one direction. For better or worse, people on the right in America tend to be middle-class, comparatively comfortable, and benign. Contrary to all the propaganda, they are not storm troopers looking forward to engaging in violent action. But the slaughter of Iryna and Charlie within a week may cause something to crack. It won’t come from me because I am too old and risk averse. Many others are not hampered by these considerations.