The free speech Charlie Kirk died for
Gentle reader:
Many of you email regularly and ask "who are you," or "why do you write?" In the sadness of Charlie Kirk's passing, we address these questions. Maybe not how some of you would prefer, but we do nonetheless.
In Proverbs 27:17, we are taught that "as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." We are called to sharpen one another. Just as those that we refer to as "Action Figures" worked in their own way to hold Oklahoma Republican Party leaders to account before they took control, we do this as well. There are others that do this too, and we celebrate them. If we are to be a principled party, and not just a mob, we must remain consistent to truths and open to debate, and criticism, and always willing to humble ourselves when we are wrong, or another path is the wiser of choices.
We also believe in free speech, both anonymous and named speech. Our founding fathers wrote the federalist papers and the anti-federalist papers under pen names. Names like "publius," "brutus," and "federal farmer" filled the dialogue for two reasons: 1) for risk of their IDEAS being disregarded because of the authors, and 2) to protect the writers from physical restraint and attack.
Charlie Kirk fervently believed in a principled conservatism, founded in a Christian faith, and lived the First Amendment every single time that he stepped onto a college campus. And he welcomed people that disagreed with his views to directly challenge him in debate and dialogue. If you haven't stepped onto a college campus for a while, it's worse than what it was when you were there, presuming you didn't go to Liberty or Bob Jones. Outward expressions of speech contrary to liberal orthodoxy sadly turned fatal yesterday. But what made Charlie so dangerous to the left was not that he was saying what he said, it was that he was effective with his debate. And the left silenced it.
There are many of you that want to silence us. We have received threatening emails from some of you. Some of you deny that you read us until we really make you mad. But if iron sharpens iron, silencing dissent is not what Charlie Kirk died for. He died for dissent and discussion.
If we admitted to you who we are, most of you wouldn't believe us, insisting it's the person that you in your minds already think that we are. We continue to get guesses all of the time. The current lineup of Chickasaw Warriors is the third generation team. Like the founding fathers, we want our thoughts to be considered for what they are, and not dismissed for who we are. But based on the threats we receive, we don't want someone to show up on our doorstep because of something written two years ago. And unfortunately, from the rhetoric some of you write to us, we think you might.
Iron can only sharpen iron if there is friction. Politics is about refining under the heat of debate and dissent. Shutting dissent down is the opposite of friction, and that is why we will continue to write, even if some tell us that we only have a "few remaining supporters."
As we conclude, we ask that you join us in this prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we come to you today to ask for your blessings upon your servant, Charlie Kirk. Charlie exemplified Your grant of our freedoms each and every day. He went into the lion's den time and again. Unfortunately for us here on earth, in Your design, You chose to call him home. We here on earth cannot understand your plan, so we grieve despite knowing that he is with You in paradise. Help us to provide love to Charlie's family, and we ask that you comfort them. We ask that you bolster us and our fervent exercise and support for the freedom of speech and the right to peaceably dissent that Charlie died for. May You bless this United States, and all of us. In Your name, Amen.
May the family of Charlie Kirk, and all impacted by his passing, find peace.
CW/CM/SC/WB
