I don’t have the answer to that question, and it was at a time when the medium to voice one’s opinion was limited to a letter to the editor so maybe that shielded Americans from possibly learning the vile nature of their neighbors. I do know when Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and Congressman Steve Scalise were shot, and Minnesota State Senator Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered that my social media feeds were generally filled with thoughts and prayers, shock and finger pointing. Not once did I read that any of the victims had it coming.
I was a huge fan of Charlie Kirk. I didn’t know of him until I joined Instagram and one of his videos came across my feed. Charlie was a brilliant man, a provocateur, and a champion of debate. His catch lines were “Prove me wrong” and “those who disagree come to the front of the line”. He was a voice of reason for hundreds of thousands of college students feeling disenfranchised by progressive indoctrination across most American Colleges and Universities. In a Country deeply polarized by “echo chamber” politics, Charlie was the conduit championing debate.
Listening to Charlie speak was probably on par with how many Americans felt about listening to Barack Obama during his first Presidential campaign. Obviously, Charlie’s murder brings out many feelings from sadness for his wife and two young daughters to anger and disappointment. The lowering of flags to half staff across the Country and supported by our Governor Maura Healey gave me some solace.
It’s human to want to assign blame with these shootings. Some will blame the availability of guns, others will blame mental health, and others will blame radicalization by the left or right. In this case, the shooter was in a relationship with a trans male (who was vocal in leftist ideology, a furry and enamored with violent video games) but the shooter himself was raised in an America First supportive family.
What is not human is blaming the victim. It is vile. However, it seems to be a major problem with too large a percent of the progressive element in this Country, and it needs to end now. On 10/7/23, Hamas orchestrated a 9/11 style attack on Israel murdering 1,195 people including 738 civilians and 38 children. These civilians were not collateral damage… they were targets. Literally, that same day on college campuses “Free Palestine” rallies were held blaming Israel. On July 13, 2024, President Donald J. Trump was shot at a campaign event in Butler, PA. A poll by Rasmussen said 28% of Democrats said the Country would be better off if he was killed. Another poll shows 11% of Democrats support violence to eliminate a political opponent. (6% of Republicans said the same).
On 12/4/24, United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a father of two, was shot in the back and killed by a spoiled brat who then became a poster boy for the left’s fight against private healthcare. He was fawned over by media personalities for his looks, and some even debated his actions as justifiable.
On 9/10/25, Charlie Kirk was killed. Author Stephen King tweeted “He advocated stoning gays to death, just sayin”. King profusely apologized after learning the Twitter post he read was false and that Kirk never said that. The New York Times had to correct a story in which they falsely attributed an antisemitic comment to Charlie Kirk. Kirk is beloved in Israel, and they are naming a local square after him. Both events indicate people wanting to believe something and running with it without fact checking. People need to do better.
There was a website charliesmurderers.com that was collecting screen shots of the vilest social media posts in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder. There were over 70,000 when the site was asked to be taken down for fear it may provoke retaliation. Thousands of posters received calls from human resources telling them their services are no longer needed. How disturbing to see so many Teachers, Firefighters, Military personnel, and Doctor’s post such vile comments?
Was Belmont immune? No. Imagine sharing a meme showing Charlie when the bullet struck him next to a quote in which Charlie said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our God-given rights”. Charlie’s life was about communication and debate. 11%-28% of Democrats and 6% of Pubs have given up that path and that number will grow after Kirk’s murder. When you stifle debate, bad things happen, and the trend is not our friend. The major parties are at war over law-and-order issues like illegal immigration, cashless bail, and lenient sentencing. A 14-time convicted violent schizophrenic man in Charlotte NC just stabbed to death a random woman on a bus. He was out on personal recognizance prior to the murder, and his own brother and mother were shocked he wasn’t incarcerated. It’s no surprise gun ownership is soaring among women and minorities when as a society we release these types of people back onto the streets to re-offend. Good policing doesn’t matter when the courts fail to incarcerate the bad in society. You would think we could agree on that, but the reality is we can’t.
This Thursday night, the 18th from 7-10pm a candlelight vigil in remembrance of Charlie Kirk will be held at the State House/Boston Common.
Rest in Peace, Charlie.