A semi-regular attempt to address some of life’s minutiae that might otherwise be overlooked…..

As time passes it has been much easier for me to remain above the fray and not engage in sociopolitical discourse. After my man Rush Limbaugh died more than four years ago it became almost effortless to step back from that world because no one has quite filled the singular void he left, plus I’ve really mellowed out in this era of life. I have quietly remained informed and do follow certain voices online, many of whom are quite informative & entertaining, even if they don’t measure up to America’s Truth Detector, the Maha Rushie. One of those pundits has been Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was only 18 years old. I am certainly not the target demographic for that group, which focuses on bringing conservative principles to high schools & college campuses. Having said that, while watching Kirk’s videos thru the years I always found him to be well spoken, thoughtful, fair, extremely intelligent, and deeply rooted in faith & love for family. I didn’t see his views as contentious or meanspirited at all, just unflinchingly honest. Of course we all know that there are folks out there who consider any opinions (and even indisputable facts) that don’t align with their twisted ideology to be “hate”. In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s murder in Utah there have been malevolent voices victim blaming while using words like “controversial” & “divisive”. That assessment is, to be kind, inaccurate. I am trying to keep it classy, but in all honesty the old passion that used to make me so damn angry & frustrated and raise the ol’ blood pressure has been stirred by recent events. I hope Kirk’s killer is apprehended and dealt with harshly, and my most fervent wish is that this tragedy is a wake up call in all the right ways. We are headed down a dangerous path at breakneck speed, and sadly, despite Charlie Kirk’s preference for civil & compassionate discourse, there may be very little room for such courtesy anymore.

Speaking of compassion & courtesy, or, more specifically, lack thereof…

I’m not a TikTok guy. What I mean by that is I’ve never made a video and likely never will, although I do view what others produce, which is intermittently amusing. I appreciate creative expression, even if I don’t always find the content funny, beneficial, or the least bit entertaining. I am an advocate for free speech, but as others enjoy pointing out when it suits their purpose, while freedom of speech is absolutely a right, it is appropriate in certain circumstances that there be consequences for that speech. In the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s murder there have actually been demons who made the conscious decision to post videos celebrating his death, opining that he deserved to die because he was a terrible person (for stating opinions & verifiable facts that these folks disagree with). I am sure there were similar sentiments expressed on Twitter, but I can almost overlook that because it’s way too easy to send an obnoxious tweet in the heat of the moment. Conversely, to make a deliberate decision to record a video then post it requires some level of effort & forethought. I realize I am being a little naive & idealistic, but I think those who post vile & malicious tirades should be subject to very real repercussions, including loss of employment. People are fired every day for far less repulsive actions. Such individuals are obviously unhinged and certainly not very smart. It is disturbing to ponder the idea that they not only feel justified in spewing vitriol, but that they believe they are being cool or funny in doing so.

Before the assassination of Charlie Kirk our nation had been trying to wrap our minds around  the senseless murder of 23 year old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian immigrant living in Charlotte, NC. She was brutally stabbed on a train in an unprovoked attack by a mentally ill man with over a dozen previous arrests. The situation clearly illustrates several key issues. Obviously, we have a mental health crisis, which some of us point out every time there is any kind of well publicized violence, but unfortunately the issue is generally swept under the rug by leftists who would rather seize another opportunity to yap about gun control. Secondly, the fact that this piece of garbage had so many priors and was clearly deranged yet wasn’t incarcerated speaks to a broken judicial system that makes the phrase “soft on crime” the understatement of the millennium. Also…and this will surely upset some folks, but I don’t give a damn…the fact that this heinous crime became a story a few weeks after the fact and the mainstream media still tries to downplay it demonstrates an obvious double standard. Had the victim been a black person and the assailant caucasian there would’ve been wall to wall news coverage from the jump, likely followed by nationwide “protests” with much looting & destruction of property. However, not only was the victim white and the perpetrator black, but the murder weapon was a knife, not a gun. There is no narrative to push, so the story has been minimized. Some idiot on MSNBC actually tried to say that race had nothing to do with the crime, conveniently ignoring the fact that the evil piece of shit can clearly be heard on video immediately afterward saying “I got that white girl”. I cannot stress more profusely that we do not DESPISE the media enough. What you see on television long ago stopped being news and became propaganda. They aren’t even hiding it anymore.