Nothing happened.
That's what happened.
Nothing happening isn't "newsworthy," but it is good to notice.
It was a quiet, friendly event.
There was a brief welcome by two local Republican Party spokespersons. Colleen Roberts, a Republican County county commissioner also welcomed us. This part went quickly.
The bulk of the event was a celebration of a religious martyr and advocate for traditional Christian families. People sang "God Bless America," "Amazing Grace," and a couple of more religious songs that I didn't recognize, but the audience seemed to know, including all the verses. There were prayers, one of which, by a pastor named Tim Cook, was a speech/prayer, but that was the only real speechifying. He wore a big black cowboy hat but removed it while praying. A three-year-old wandered onto the stage while his mother spoke. A large dog was quiet during the talking, but barked loudly while people were clapping. People around me chuckled at that.
It was a lovely afternoon. Sunny. Dry. Temperatures in the 70s.
Notice what did not happen.
No one roused the crowd with anger.
Speakers referred to the sorry state of the world, but no one denounced the murderer or the presumed political faction he represented.
There were no signs blaming Democrats, liberals, godless communists, Biden, Obama, trans people, the media, or Tyler Robinson. In fact, there were no signs at all except one saying Kirk's voice would live on and the one with a Bible verse from Matthew, both pictured above.
There was not one mention of Donald Trump.
No MAGA hats. No MAGA merchandise.
No opponent of Charlie Kirk spoke up, carried signs, or was otherwise apparent.
No fights broke out. No one called for revenge or retaliation. There was no tone of Fox News outrage.
There was no hint of Stephen Miller's pronouncement on Thursday that "There is an ideology . . . which hates everything that is good, righteous and beautiful and celebrates everything that is warped, twisted and depraved, . . . an ideology that leads, always, inevitably and willfully, to violence.” There was none of that talk.
Americans asserted the freedom of speech, the free exercise of religion, and the freedom to assemble peaceably. All quiet. Americans were being Americans. Something did happen.
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That’s so encouraging
ReplyDeleteMany readers of this blog were in college or after in 1972, which I think of as a time of a kind of ‘secular enlightenment’. Six years earlier, the cover of Time had asked if God was dead.
Many readers will also remember 1972 as the ‘Munich Massacre’ where 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian terrorists in a botched hostage rescue attempt.
What many may not know is that before that tragic event, a little start-up Christian evangelistic group called “Youth With A Mission” (YWAM) had mobilized over 1,000 young people-mostly university students- to “spread the Gospel” at the Olympics. The general reception was very poor and the lack of interest was dispiriting to those idealistic young people. But during and immediately after the hostage situation, the response flipped. Interest in spiritual things surged and there were many reported ‘conversions’ - especially among Arabs and Jews who found a common bond in Christianity in the midst of tragedy. That was a seminal moment for YWAM which has grown into a global network of over 20,000 in 190 countries, including medical ships that serve remote islands in PNG.
My point is that tragedy like this can sometimes shock people into taking their eyes off temporal things and look for hope in something more important and in our common humanity. We saw this in 9/11.
Unfortunately, as we know, some charlatans use it as a lever to vilify and divide because that’s their M.O. to gain power and influence.
The sign said he was a faithful servant and I’m wondering what is conservative values. Is it really Christian? My Christian values don’t mirror the conservative slant of racial negativity, lack of acceptance of being different and domination of women. Prison inmates do mirror those conservative values.
ReplyDeleteCertainly no reason for an "oops" from them....
ReplyDeleteRound up leftist organizations? They plotted this? And the Butler attempt? And all the other ones that Trump listed? The primary problem is disaffected White loners with a Christian background, wallowing in conspiratorial memes. LD, you may think you are safe and can distinguish yourself from the left in your life and publications here, so if Trump casts a wide web you won't be caught. I expect so. But the funny thing about purges is that they go farther than people think. Stalin purges. Hitler purges. Castro purges. Cultural revolution purges. You write like an elitist and you are on record being skeptical of the Big Guy. You aren't really on the team. Perfectly straight arrow people in the FBI and DoJ and in universities discovered that Laura Loomer and her successors have no patience with you. Trump isn't surgical about this. He isn't going after the shooter and maybe his confidantes. He is going after left scum, traitors. You won't be first, but you have cast your lot.
DeleteNo, I certainly am not on Trump's team. I've stated that here repeatedly. That's small potatoes, and beside the point.
DeleteThe point is what is the shooter's team. Governor Cox says Robinson was "deeply indoctrinated with leftist ideology".
Kirk's view on trans folks, including--especially--Robinson's own partner, appears a prime motivation, per the authorities.
"Trump's team" was the erroneous claim here and elsewhere not so long ago. The truth was outright denied, now obfuscated.
The conceit from many on the left that words and views deemed offensive warrant proactive violence? It's dangerous.
Clarification: Trump's team for ROBINSON was the erroneous claim here and elsewhere...
DeleteI'm glad you had a peaceful day.
ReplyDeleteI watched these 2 TikTok videos of a very thoughtful young man who does internet research. He explained the memes found on the bullet casings. He says that the casings don't indicate whether Tyler was right or left, rather they indicate his nihilism.
He says this was a shitpost assassination. Throwing something out there to get people riled up, just for the fun of watching them try to decipher the meaning.
I hope you find these useful. https://www.tiktok.com/@aidanetcetera/video/7549640789652032790?_r=1&_t=ZP-8zhje7tn0Eo
https://www.tiktok.com/@aidanetcetera/video/7550331697045294358?_r=1&_t=ZP-8zhje7tn0Eo
Yes, an extraordinarily astute and articulate guy. Masters from Columbia Uniersity. Internet meme expert, which is a category that didn't exist when I was in grad school.
DeleteOne person whose niece had been gunned down in a school shooting remarked that now his family feels my pain.
ReplyDelete