On political violence

Up front: this is a post about the effects of the latest (as of the time of this writing) act of political violence in America. If you celebrated it, this isn’t for you. In fact, I’ve already ended a few decade or longer friendships over that, so feel free to reach out so we can rip that bandaid off.

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk was murdered in Orem, Utah. This isn’t a memorial to him or a praise of his work, others have done this better than I could and you won’t find clips or critiques of his opinions. Instead, I’m going to write about the effects and how we got here. The things I'm going to say, I've come to after careful consideration and have chosen my words deliberately–I'm not here to debate (and it's not up for discussion, I will not be participating in any struggle sessions), but to inform.

Charlie was by all accounts a genuinely kind person who debated people with dignity and respect regardless of whether they agreed with him or not, a loving husband and father. His death was violent, and unfortunately his wife and daughter had to bear witness. On its face, it would be another tragic death in an already heavy week.

Then, America witnessed a sizable chunk of its population celebrating with joy or even ecstasy, calling for more violence, disrupting vigils and celebrations. It was such a blatant display of evil that even people who normally don’t get in politics have started to become radicalized; it was such a shock to the standards for decorum and context. It is all the more revulsive because we know who those celebrating Kirk’s death chose made their martyr; to wit, a crackhead felon with a penchant for assaulting pregnant women and who overdosed on fentanyl. For this, they burned cities.

For Charlie Kirk, we turned up to church. I personally saw much larger crowds this Sunday, and I heard people tell me they were going to church for the first time ever, or perhaps in a long time. We held candlelight vigils while they tried to disrupt them.

It is hard to see a more stark contrast between good and evil.

There is a derangement, a disease in the public mind that is prone to labeling any difference of opinion “fascism,” of criticizing an individual as “racism” or “sexism” or whatever the current pet victim label du jour happens to be. There was nothing fascist in Charlie Kirk’s views, the most basic Christian views that have been held for centuries, the most milquetoast views you could hold while being considered not liberal. He was absolutely a centrist, but to a vocal portion of the far Left, he represents an existential threat. Many people are now being confronted with how radicalized the Left has become. I myself have come to realize that if they see someone like Charlie Kirk as their enemy, if that is their definition of evil, then they themselves are the evil. I have seen their own aspirations to authoritarianism and I cannot come to peace with that.

We've heard for years that "white supremacy" was the single greatest domestic terror threat, while ignoring how violent the Left has become.

For a long time, we allowed them to set the frame for discussion. This cannot stand any longer. Speaking for myself, I no longer react to cries of "fascist," "racist," "sexist," or any other label thrown at me. They are just magic words thrown out to shut down discussion and hijack the moral framework. They no longer have meaning coming from Wormtongue.

Instead, we must remove the poison and the rot. As a Christian, I must pray for the souls of the damned, but that does not mean they should not face consequences. Famously, there is a German executioner's sword from the 1600s that bears the inscription, "When I raise this sword, so I wish that this poor sinner will receive eternal life." As Adam Smith also said, "Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent." While I may not see a pathway to redemption for someone so lost to celebrate his death with such glee in their eyes, that call is ultimately not mine to make. All I can do is to take a stand to remove such evil from my country, to uproot and destroy it, and to ensure that it cannot find a home here again.

I've heard many uncomfortable with the Right now reporting people en masse to lose their jobs. I've also heard the Left trying to point out that the Right had spent a while campaigning against "cancel culture." It's true that in high-trust society, cancel culture is dangerous. In war, though (and we are clearly at war), it is a necessary weapon to wield. A friend of mine said, "Report as many people as you can, then say a prayer for their souls."

There are also cries for unity, but they are desperate pleas from the Left as they begin to suffer the consequences of their own degeneracy, derangement, and rot. There can be no unity with those who celebrate your death.

Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.

– PS XXVII.IV

This doesn't take the form of vengeance or retribution, it is rendering to them the harvest they have sowed and holding them to the same standards they held others by.

Consider that we are visiting on them their own justice; how many people lost their jobs and livelihoods for wrongthink, or even the perception of wrongthink? The failure to hold them accountable has led directly to our present state. You're going to have to buckle up and get your hands dirty. You're going to hear sob stories about "First Amendment violations"; so far as I can tell, no one is getting arrested over this (except maybe the military, whose First Amendment rights in uniform are subject to the Uniform Code of Military Justice). Your right to Free Speech does not guarantee freedom from social consequences, and good people are allowed (and must be) shocked at what they've said and done. We used to run the riff-raff out of town and we're going to have to return to this.

Our side is just starting to grasp what a war looks like, what it looks like when there are people who not only want you dead but will celebrate it; we don't understand what a war-footing looks like. This isn't gentlemen's rules anymore, it is no longer a high-trust society at large (you need only visit any major city to see this for yourself). Discourse was shot in Orem, Utah, and killed across a million videos celebrating. Some of you may live in a pocket of high-trust, but you need to understand this does not apply to the country as a whole. There is a right side and an evil side, and you must be able to distinguish them. You must understand that it is good when we strike a blow, and bad when they do; that it is good when the legal system is used for our benefit and bad when it is used against us–this is one of the most basic friend/enemy distinctions possible. It is impossible to win this war without understanding that.

The work ahead of us is monumental, it is a generational project, and we have no one to blame but ourselves for not having been bolder in our convictions. We must show grace to each other while still holding ourselves accountable. We also have to get off the bench and become active, to actively seize the power in this country ourselves. Doing it peacefully and legally now will prevent it from become much worse later on.

Lastly, try dressing up a bit. I've been dropping the t-shirt and hoodie at work for collared shirts. It's a simple way to raise the standards around you.