It’s been a while since I last wrote. There’s a lot to discuss, and with the killing of Charlie Kirk the imperative to write crashes down. (It is shameful that the killing of Minnesota state House speaker Melissa Hortman did not inspire the same bipartisan condemnation. Where were the Republicans then?)

I would begin my thoughts by decrying his murder. Democracy is incompatible with a culture of political assassination, and we move further into shaky ground. Those who would further stratify the country in order to oppress the non-politically connected populace have much to celebrate. They will surely exploit his death to advance their own advantage at the expense of the many.

We are at an important inflection in the direction of American politics. On the one hand, the huge turnout at Charlie Kirk’s memorial demonstrates a huge outpouring of sadness, loss, and anger from those whom he inspired and boosted politically. On the other hand, there are those who recognize the shallowness of his claim to cherish open discourse and love for all. It is up to us whether we choose the path of authoritarian (perhaps theocratic) kleptocracy or to re-imagine this American experiment to more fully realize a multi-cultural, egalitarian democracy.

The public remarks of unification and forgiveness by Governor Cox and Erika Kirk offer a stark contrast with those of the President who took his time at Kirk’s funeral to declare his hatred and ill will for those who do not agree with him. Which path will we choose to take?

It will be interesting to see if the new CEO of Turning Point USA will lead the organization to act in accordance with her declarations of forgiveness and love for all or turn it deeper into a hard-line religious cult of hatred of non-Christians.