“When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” – George R. R. Martin, A Clash of Kings
Last Wednesday was a Turning Point for the USA.
It’s safe to say the entire country, even the world, stopped. Even our office here at The Messenger came to a grinding halt. We knew what we were watching in real time and we, like many others, felt the pits in our stomachs expand.
We were still going to print the moment it happened. We contemplated an editorial, but instead included as many details as we could get from our primary sources.
But the week between the last issue and this issue of The Messenger, we’ve had time to think. We’ve had time to let this fully marinate, witness the reactions and responses, and let the dust settle a little.
September 10, 2025, will be forever remembered as one of the most historic days in the history of our republic – the assassination of Charlie Kirk.
The charismatic speaker and political influencer was not only one of the most prominent conservative voices, but across the entire political floor in general. Perhaps no one – on the right, left, or center – had the reach that he did.
That’s why this is so heavy.
This wasn’t a rogue gunman committing a mass shooting because of a policy disagreement. This was a coordinated, concerted assassination of the single-most influential political speaker of our time.
At just eighteen years of age, Kirk founded Turning Point USA in his garage. Aimed at galvanizing the younger populations with constitutional values, the nonprofit became an empire that spans nearly 1,200 college and high school campuses in the United States as well as overseas.
The influence of Kirk and his organization cannot be understated. Many credit him with helping fundamentally restructure the GOP into a populist, big tent party, as well as helping elect President Donald Trump (R-FL) twice.
At just thirty-one years of age, Kirk was assassinated by a single bullet, fired from a hunting rifle, in the middle of a debate on gun violence. The venue was held outdoors on the campus of Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, and attended by a couple thousand spectators. Kirk’s presence on campus was reportedly widely accepted by the college and its community, with the event having sold out nearly instantly.
Kirk is survived by his wife and two young children, one of whom was born just last year.
We regret to inform our readers that we have learned that his family was present there that day, making this all the more horrifying. His children will now grow up with only memories, photographs, and anecdotes of their loving father.
The lack of humanity from some, however, is almost just as terrifying.
Firstly, how can anyone justify his family having witnessed this? This alone is enough to destroy someone’s life, but the fact that they watched Kirk speak his last words that day is bone-chillingly cruel.
MSNBC analyst Matthew Dowd was promptly fired after attempting to rationalize Kirk’s assassination. He stated that Kirk was “one of the most divisive” figures that was “constantly pushing hate speech.” He also said, “hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions.” He also posited, while details were still being collected, that the gunfire might have been a Trump supporter “firing his gun into the air in celebration”, as if all conservatives are cartoon cowboys.
Good riddance, loser.
Charlie promoted open dialogue and eternal search for the truth. He wasn’t part of the problem; he was part of the solution. To those who say he was a bigot, what kind of bigot hands the microphone to someone who disagrees with him the most?
Take notice of how the conservative right isn’t burning down cities, rioting in the streets, or looting stores. They’re holding candlelight vigils and paying tribute to him online. Some on the right have used the opportunity to demonize the entire left. This is misplaced, as it misses the fact that many, many people are horrified for the right reasons.
However, many on the left are playing off and even celebrating his death.
The two are not the same.
The Turning Point for the USA comes now. You can either identify with the side that is snidely jubilant, or you can side with the rest of the country who at the very least understand the totality of this moment. You didn’t have to love or even remotely agree with Charlie Kirk, but the common person understands what this means for the future of our civil discourse, our individual liberties, and our nation as a whole.
We’re not blowing this out of proportion either. Head to Twitter, Reddit, Instagram, and TikTok and see just how much evil is in our world. There are thousands of legitimate posts that show the pleased reactions to this news. It’s not just those who disagreed with him; it’s those who intend to be snide, condescending, or take some sort of moral high ground by twisting Kirk’s words to seemingly justify or at least rationalize his assassination.
Kirk has also been widely considered not just an influencer, but a diplomat. Some conservatives didn’t agree with everything he said, but at least they recognized him as someone who promoted cordial, open-floor debate and shook hands with opponents. If people can justify violence against someone like that, they can justify violence against anyone.
This is not what happens in this country. We would be just as shocked – and frankly, broken – if this happened to anyone on the political spectrum. From the worst to the best, the most conservative to the most liberal, this is not what happens in our country.
What exactly is that Turning Point? It’s difficult to prognosticate. We hope it’s for the better, but we didn’t think it could go this far.
All that we know for sure is that this is a different country now. And to make matters even worse, the very moment of Kirk’s death was instantaneously broadcasted to the entire world within a matter of minutes – the first tragedy of this magnitude and with gigantic ramifications spread in the modern age of the Internet and social media.
Instead of asking what exactly that Turning Point is, we ask, what else will it take?
What else will it take for people to turn down the temperature? What else will it take to make us realize this isn’t worth it? It wasn’t an election. It wasn’t riots and demonstrations. It wasn’t a worldwide pandemic. It wasn’t a “summer of love” in which some of our cities burned to the ground. It wasn’t a Capitol riot. It wasn’t two assassination attempts of a president, one of them being damn-near fatal. It wasn’t a stunning political comeback.
Is it this?
If it’s not, we don’t want to know what is.
But for the vast majority of people – right, left, and in between – this is enough. This is adequate grounds for a ceasefire.
Whether you were inspired by Charlie Kirk or whether you couldn’t stand him, we need to let his legacy live on by engaging in civil, respectful debate. It doesn’t mean being right about everything and it doesn’t mean everyone needs to suddenly abandon their ideals and hitch their wagons to the Charlie Kirk caravan. It just means that we need to learn how to talk to each other again.
But more importantly, we need to be bold – bolder than ever before.
We need to not hide our ideas and values. We need to not fear speaking up in fear of derision. It’s inevitable, but the alternative is far worse. We need to participate in the marketplace of ideas persuasively and forthrightly.
Finally, Charlie’s death isn’t just proof of a fever pitch, but proof that religious martyrs are still made.
Perhaps no one on the political spectrum witnessed as boldly as he did for Christ. While not all conservatives are Christian, it can’t be taken from him that his faith was what guided him and that he very regularly preached ideals that our country sorely needs.
The Turning Point for the USA is clearly now and that single shot last week was heard around the world.
So, which side are you on? The side of empathy and the bigger picture, even if you think someone was completely disagreeable, or the side of breeding chaos and discord for the sake of fiat political currency?
Your move, USA.
The world is watching your Turning Point.
