When Words Become Targets

The brutal killing of Charlie Kirk in Utah on September 10th has left me deeply shaken, disgusted, and angry—not just at the actions of the shooter, but at what this act represents about the state of our world. We are watching society crumble when expressing your beliefs, debating ideas, and engaging in dialogue can lead someone to believe they have the right to take another person’s life. That is not democracy. That is not freedom. That is chaos and cruelty, dressed up as conviction.

Charlie Kirk was not just a public figure or a political firebrand. He was a husband, a father, a son—a man with a young family who will now be forced to navigate life without him. His wife Erika is left widowed far too soon. His children will grow up without their father’s guidance, laughter, and love. His parents are mourning the unthinkable: burying their child. Behind the headlines and the political commentary lies the heart of the matter, a family shattered, a life stolen, and a wound that no words will ever fully heal.

What chills me most about this act is not only that Kirk was killed, but why. He was targeted because of his willingness to speak, to debate, and to stand up for his views. You may have agreed with him or you may have strongly disagreed, but the principle is larger than politics: in a free society, no one should fear for their life simply because they are willing to speak their mind. The public square should be a place where ideas rise and fall on their own merits, not a battlefield where bullets silence voices.

Violence against speech is the very definition of tyranny. It is an assault not just on one man, but on the freedom of expression itself. If political murder becomes normalized, it will not stop here. Today it is Charlie Kirk. Tomorrow it could be someone whose beliefs are entirely different, or someone who simply dared to question authority. Once we accept violence as a tool to end debate, we lose the ability to coexist.

We must also face the ugly truth: this is not happening in a vacuum. Our culture has become one of echo chambers and outrage, where opponents are dehumanized and disagreement is painted as evil. That toxic climate is fertile ground for individuals to justify unspeakable acts. When people stop seeing one another as human beings-fathers, mothers, sons, daughters—it becomes easier for them to rationalize pulling the trigger.

And yet, if we care at all about democracy and about our shared humanity, we must resist this descent. We must unequivocally condemn this act and any act of political violence. We must protect those who dare to step onto a stage and speak, no matter how controversial their message. And above all, we must remember that the lives at stake are not abstractions-they are families, children, loved ones who are left behind.

Charlie Kirk’s family will forever carry the grief of this senseless act. The rest of us must carry the responsibility of ensuring his death does not mark a new chapter in which violence replaces dialogue. We must stand firm in the belief that speech is fought with speech, not with bullets.

Because when a man can be murdered for his words, the cost is not only his life, it is the erosion of freedom for us all.

I have more to say on other happening in the news, such as the killing of Iryna Azrutsk in Charlotte, and the failing justice system which seems to be a problem here at home not just in the