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  • A
    AnsonFounder21

    I always admired Charlie for speaking out what he believed in, and never being hateful as the leftists would slander him about. To talk about concepts and explore them. The way he would hold the value of free speech above all else. So it was quite the shock when I saw people I thought friends celebrate his assassination as though "their team" won. A man whose only crime was speaking truths that they didn't like to hear and debate.

    Desecration is an apt description. They couldn't win against the man in a debate, because his sole purpose was to cite reality, promote American values based off the founding fathers and his Christian faith. And for speaking, for simply saying "I believe this is true, let's discuss this" they celebrated his murder.

    There is no co-existence possible with these heretics who deny what I once thought were common values, but now I see is far more fragile than that. They will not value the ideas that have given birth to Western civilisation, as they detest responsibility and accountability. So there can be no peace with the heretic and the traitor. Once upon a time I would've considered those words extreme. That we could all live in peace if we just discussed things. Now? We've seen what happens if you debate peacefully.

    Stand up for freedom of speech, and that the safety of civilians is more important than the right of criminals. That those who reject society should be exiled or removed from it.

    Rest in peace Charlie. We'll carry on your burden.

    5
    • Z
      ZakFounder48

      Why I left the Methodist Church when I was a teenager.

    • M
      mary S.Founder30

      @Zak There is some turmoil there. I breaks my heart.

    • M
      mary S.Founder30

      Wonderful response.

    • C
      ClayAuthor

      The friends part is what gets everybody, Anson. I get notes from readers about it all the time. People they thought they knew, glad about it.

      You said: "Once upon a time I would've considered those words extreme."

      That's the thing. When they killed Charlie, they moved a lot of quiet people to start looking at them very differently.

      They still don't understand. They will.

  • M
    Mary J.Founder10

    Clay... Powerful, and reaching our souls, not just our eyes and ears. This is why I joined your group. The unwrapping and exposing of what's really going on in our insane world today at deep levels. Easy to read, speaks to our hearts. And hopefully many, many others. It needs to be heard, far and wide. I just mis-typed that as "wise" and thought how that might not have been an accident! Your wisdom, the depth and care you take to write the very best you can dredge from within you, and the way you present it to be so profoundly logical and easy to absorb, is your gift. Thank you!

    2
    C
    ClayAuthor

    Mary, I'll keep that typo!

    The part that is "easy to absorb" is the part that I suffer for. There were many sleepless nights and angry writing sessions involved in getting this one right. It was all worth it just to read your comment.

  • M
    mary S.Founder30

    Your Quote to open this is so appropriate. I am reminded of the quote "No man is an island"; ( I know there is more but for this purpose it must be true) if we are to survive as a people who live in freedom. We truly are in a "battlefield" is ideas and Ideals. If Charlie was Giant sized he needed to be to match his calling. Your inclusion of the flock of birds as an example of how society turns into a sort of Mob Rule by being lazy, by not challenging the lies and propaganda that distorts the truth and poison the water we drink daily without questioning its purity is perfect. Charlie won others by first knowing as fully as possible what he was talking about. He won others by having a conversation that could connect the dots to the truth with out being a bully.
    Minds are hard to change once a conclusion is reached within. I am guilty of this and it isn't bad if my mind is still willing to listen to the thoughts of another without being offended or offending. When you ask the right questions and don't browbeat your listener, you might be able to plant a seed
    and that is a good thing.
    Jesus came to us and when the time was right He began teaching truth about His Father in heaven but He too faced a Flock; the religious leaders of the time who feared His message. Jesus was murdered. His followers who carried His message also were murdered ;2000 years and we still hear His message. Charlie is reaching more hearts that ever. What am I willing to give?
    This piece is awesome

    2
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Mary, you took the flock somewhere I didn't. He faced one too, and it worked the same way it works now.

      I gave you my coin for this one.

      God bless you.

  • W
    walkerlllpCharter8(edited)

    Clay, you have hit a chord. Sometimes tough to realize that the “flock” or the “machine” has so much power. Very “Matrix” like. Your words had me despondent and feeling a bit like David must have felt when squaring off with Goliath. I only hope truth wins as it should be.
    I did move from despondency to hope by your words. But I also know hope is not a strategy. This battle must be joined.

    1
    C
    ClayAuthor

    Thank you, Walker. Despondent first, then hope. That's the order I built it in, so I'm glad it hit you that way around.

    Hope is not a strategy. But without it… what's the point of even having one?

  • R
    RitaFounder25Hunter

    This made me angry. This brought tears to my eyes. This is unadulterated truth. I felt the agony in this composition and I felt its raw power. Thank you for the blood in these words.

    1
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Rita, this comment hit me hard enough that today's email was built around it. The subject line is yours, word for word. I couldn't improve on it, so I didn't try.

      God bless you.

  • D
    dmdtam46

    Two things one a friend of mine from college posted your Charlie piece. I was reading it on her post and thought this seems familiar. At thr end I saw it was yours and I told her I followed you too.
    2nd Hasan Piker said he likes Candace and I thought of the company she keeps gets stranger.

    0
    C
    ClayAuthor

    That's really cool to hear! Thanks for sharing that.

  • G
    gene L.Charter31

    Hello Clay, this was such an engaging, gutwrenching article. So I guess eye opening. Your writing really makes people think about what's going on. I'm so glad I found your site. I found you with the losertarrian article. Charlie Kirk was amazing, you are right that he was a threat to the powers that be. When things like his killing happen You can't help but ask yourself why and what if. Anyway Clay please keep up the good work. And God bless you.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Gene, thank you so much for these comments. I am honored to have you as a reader.

      Keep asking why and what if. That's the whole point of this place.

      God bless you too.

  • G
    gene L.Charter31

    Wow, I don't know what else to say Clay I'm not a real articulate person, but this piece is so thought-provoking and gut wrenching and I believe like someone else said the truth. I read the whole thing and all the comments. All I can say is keep up the good work. And I just started to listen to Charlie pretty much after his death, and the way he was with those students was amazing. Again thank you for a very amazing article. Looking forward to the others

    0
  • J
    JonathanFounder1Hunter

    I pray that one day the left will understand what they did & be horrified. I also pray that we don't lose our humanity & the love of Jesus in helping them to understand it.

    2020 pushed me to believe in God. The only explanation for the rapidly coalescing madness of 2020 as far as I was concerned was evil. If evil existed, then its opposite had to exist as well. God said to me "If you look to Me, I have something better for you" He did! 53 years of being a do it yourself atheist & libertarian smashed in a single day. Best day of my life!

    The murder of Charlie Kirk activated me though. I went from being an avid ex-atheist Christian to an activated, willing to die for my faith soldier of Christ. I mean that in so many ways that I can't even tell you right now. The murder of Charlie hardened me in some very critical ways but it softened me to Jesus & the Good News of the salvation that is only available from Jesus. As far as I'm concerned the only way to honor Charlie properly is to become good at what Charlie was masterful about. To use it every day to defend & promote what Charlie was building.

    Clay is exactly right. We change the flock by stealing young minds this leftist death cult needs to propagate. That's what Charlie saw & accomplished. That is the critical battlefield. Old guys like me don't matter in this fight, so my role is just support, praise, encourage, fund. It's the reason I like @Clay so much. He's promising to teach people to fight, I can see he knows how.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Jonathan, I didn't know this about you.

      Our backgrounds aren't so dissimilar. I'm a bit younger than you, but we walked a similar path to where we are now. I, too, was an atheist and libertarian for way too long, and that all started to break over the last 10 years.

      But it was when Charlie was killed that it all came to a head. I realized the nature of this thing. It is a war, it is spiritual, and it is very real.

      I take issue with one word you used here, in particular, Jonathan. The word "just".

      That piece took a month. I could only afford to spend a full month of my time on it because of men like you.

      Without you, I can't do this.

  • M
    MrsPCharter16

    I will now forever see schotastic terrorism as a flock of murmurating starling. Why starling? Because they're an invasive species, introduced from Europe. They don't belong here.

    RIP Charlie. You've lit a fire no bullet can extinguish.

    0
    C
    ClayAuthor

    That starling detail is perfect. Thank you, MrsP.

  • E
    Eddie E.Charter26

    For the last few days I would murmur to myself, “Cease telling us about this Charlie Kirk piece and just release it, like other topics covered in the past.” I’ve confessed to you already that I suffer from writer’s reticence. So, as Carl Jung would say, “I’m critical of what I find in myself.”
    It’s so easy to criticize but that’s my humanity. As so many times before, I stand humble and corrected. You are to be congratulated on the Charlie Kirk piece. Your Kierkegaard quote is both earnest and precise. Hopefully, Charlie’s martyred message will transcend the ugly hate brought on by the left.
    I embrace your description of those lemmings being “told” and misinformed, purposely more often than not. Charlie represented to me what a truly educated person should be, Sowell like. Which is why I was drawn to your site to begin with. I do admire one who knows what they’re talking about.
    For reasons I would prefer not to disclose, I choose to surround myself with spiritually grounded people, for which Charlie’s faith has been on valiant display. He was martyred alright. I’ve been told by some of those spiritually grounded people that violence is based on fear….fear of not being able to defend one’s position, fear of being wrong, fear of something incomprehensible.
    I fear(euphemistically) that I am running out of room here but your piece certainly stimulated my rusted writing yearning. May God bless and kudos, Eddie E.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      You were right to be impatient, Eddie.

      I wasn't drawing it out on purpose. I was stuck. I have a certain standard of quality for my cornerstone pieces, and if I can't meet it... I'd rather throw the thing out than release it.

      That thing you call writer's reticence... I've got my own version of it. One of my favorite authors, Steven Pressfield, calls it resistance.

      So when you were muttering at me to just release the thing... you weren't talking at me. You were facing your own Resistance.

      Which brings me to the line in your comment I really wanted to ask you about.

      "My rusted writing yearning."

      What would you write, Eddie?

  • R
    Robert W.Founder34

    I think you have done a great service with this article. You are not railing or shouting, but have explained your thoughts and shown your work. I was struck in your article and many of the other discussions of Mr. Kirk's life and death have to include some discussion of God. Mr. Kirk declared God and His Glory in both words and, more importantly, in his life. As a fellow believer, I believe Mr. Kirk would say that he was only doing what God wanted him to do and he was only able because God made him able. God may not raise up another Charlie Kirk, but He will, without a doubt, raise up who He wants to do as He wills. Moses, when faced with the presence of God in the burning bush, said (my paraphrase), "you've got the wrong guy." Charlie Kirk went as God led. Will we?

    0
    C
    ClayAuthor

    Thank you, Robert. I promise you there was a lot of railing and shouting in the process of getting here, but I managed to edit all that out and keep the good stuff.

  • B
    BrandonFounder17

    Another excellent piece, Clay. You hit the nail on the head, as always!

    0
    C
    ClayAuthor

    Thanks, man!

  • M
    MichaelFounder3

    Very well written and spot on. Everything you talked about is true. I had really just began to follow Charlie a few months before his assassination. It hit me hard. I loved the fact that he was at times firm, but I never saw him be “mean” or even mean spirited. I still miss him, which I never really imagined myself doing for this long for someone I have never met. The part about Candace Owens was too kind to her. She and a few more “conservatives” are doing a great deal of damage to what Charlie was fighting for in my opinion. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid that the division they’re creating will hand the left a victory in November. Keep up the good work!

    0
    C
    ClayAuthor

    Thank you, Michael. I'm shocked at just how much I've mourned Charlie as well. I had no idea how important he was until he was taken from us.

    On Candace Owens, I hear you. I thought about bringing out the knives and really digging into her, and some of the other characters in that space... but I didn't want the piece to become about them.

    Perhaps I'll write more about them in the future.

  • K
    Kent W.Founder7

    "And that's how the flock operates. They're not all killers. They don't need to be. The signal goes out, and the ones who'll do it find their way to the target eventually."

    That's perspicacious Clay.

    I'm glad I got to see him on the campus of Oregon State University near my home in October of 2024. It was hot outside, but there was Charlie under his tent fielding questions.

    Hindsight is 20/20, but I remember being pissed off that September 10th, wondering why his security detail didn't factor in snipers (ala Crooks in Butler, PA) and that damn campus in Utah apparently wasn't surveilled with drones. I don't want to hear about bureaucratic hurdles from his security team. The kill shot was too easy.

    Thanks for writing this. I'll be sharing it.

    Kent W

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      You got to see the man work his magic with your own eyes. That's more than most of us got.

      And I'm with you on the security. Butler should have settled the argument about whether that gap is real. This is something that right-wingers have to take seriously.

      The harsh truth is... human beings just aren't that hard to kill. Soft flesh. Slip up for a second, and a determined predator can make his move.

      Thanks for passing it on.

  • S
    Sean ThomasFounder24

    …by a class of people who consider themselves to be the rightful managers of America…There it is right there. Power, control. …And we’re the fascists. Jesus said it best when he said “Forgive them, for they know not what they do”.

    0
    • P
      PaulFounder45

      I think it's basically blasphemous (certainly, presumptuous) for us to call on God to "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." We are not Jesus; so, we simply don't possess that authority. (Also, those who crucified him were carrying out - unbeknownst to themselves - an essential role in God's plan of redemption for mankind.) The best we can offer is, "Reveal to them what they do, so that they may repent and receive forgiveness." That, too, is a powerful and loving request, but one that does not attempt to short-cut God's offer of mercy.

      That's not a criticism of your intent. It's meant to be a clearer way of expressing what I perceive to be your desire.

    • S
      Sean ThomasFounder24

      @Paul my intention here is not to call on God to forgive them, but to illustrate the absolute unwillingness to even attempt to understand the position that Charlie took and the message that he was carrying to the young people he spoke to. I am also not comparing Charlie to Jesus by any stretch of the imagination, only the absolute rejection of Charlie’s message to the point of silencing him permanently and the potential, long term repercussions of that. Hence, they know not what they do.

    • P
      PaulFounder45

      @SeanThomas Ah - I get that. Thanks for clarifying.

  • C
    ClaireFounder9(edited)

    Beautifully constructed piece Clay.

    What struck me was a silent suggestion pointing to your reasoning behind this site; creating an environment where we can identify strategies to fight against flock narratives.

    “The flock is your real Government, and it doesn't have a President or a Congress. It has a vibe.
    And sometimes, when that vibe feels threatened… it turns murderous.
    Charlie threatened the vibe, so the vibe killed him.“

    I had to look up flock murmuring. Based on the positions and movements of their nearest neighbors, each bird follows a few basic behavioral rules: don’t collide, match speed, and stay close (🤔). Often used as a protection strategy against predators.

    The powers that be saw Charlie as a predator threatening their flock.
    Sometimes they will intentionally sacrifice one of their own for the sake of the whole, and then they make this one a martyr, (Floyd, MLK, etc), but they can’t abide the predator. The predator must be demonized. So Charlie had to be eliminated and his reputation destroyed.

    My only disagreement comes from your statement about Stephen King. He knew exactly what he was doing. The reason I say this that I have studied his rhetoric and behavior for a long time because my kid idolizes him and I’m pretty particular about knowing who and what is an influence in my kid’s life. And it is an act of spiritual warfare.

    Thank you for another thought provoking essay.

    May God continue to bless and protect you always.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Claire, this is an amazing comment.

      "The powers that be saw Charlie as a predator threatening their flock."

      That's exactly right! And notice how the flock always portrays itself as a helpless victim. They are the oppressed. The ones rising up against the powerful. That's the story they believe.

      On King, you may well be right. I can't prove what he knew, so all I did was write down what he did, and I gave him the benefit of the doubt. That's the grace element of my doctrine.

      But you are perceptive, and I wouldn't bet against your judgement on him.

    • C
      ClayAuthor(edited)

      Also, you totally made me laugh with "stay close (🤔)".

      Perceptive. Like I said.

    • C
      ClaireFounder9

      @Clay ❣️

    • C
      ClaireFounder9(edited)

      @Clay I can’t wait to share this piece with everyone. I’m praying that it reaches the eyes that need to see it, the minds that need to be opened by it, and a whole bunch of “Charlies” will be inspired to build upon his legacy. It’s time for new conversations to begin.

  • T
    TrishFounder37

    I know both too much and too little about the main chords of this symphony to critique it without exposing too much for everyone.

    I will say Bravo, though, because if there is to be a single coherent story about Charlie Kirk that fully encapsulates his life, his work, his beliefs, his death, the handling of his murdered body, and yes, his messy martyrdom, this is it.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      I'm intrigued about those main chords, Trish. That's a hell of a hook!

      Thank you for that very high praise. I am proud of this one. My hope now is to get it into as many minds as we can.

  • S
    SusanFounder11(edited)

    THIS is the reason I support you. Giving credence, clear and convincing break down of the real hierarchy in place within this country and its government. This heirarchy isn't new, only new to modern man. Long forgotten. Yes, to some it is and has been clearly spiritual in it's essence, thank you for bringing it forward from what many thought or accused others as fallacy, or conspiratorial thinking. You ARE growing ☺️ and I'm pleased to watch it take hold. Absolutely on point about martyrdom. It has begun, with your help and others who see truth plainly we should begin to see the scales tip in favor of Truth and Godliness. Discernment.
    On aside: do you consider it a possibility the nebulous they are already in progress of creating their new martyr? In the name of Anthony Fauci?

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Susan. This really means a lot. I'm honored to have earned your support.

      On the aside: They can canonize anybody they like, and they do it constantly. It doesn't always work, but they always take the shot.

      A fake one takes a story, and stories come apart. Smollett, UVA. A real one takes a body, and nobody schedules that.

      They don't make those, they wait for them.

  • G
    Granny JennyCharter29

    Yes. This. The only plane you didn't land for me, though...Candace. "Politics"? I'd like more there. Is there a framework for what she thinks she's doing, as opposed to what she's actually doing? Or does that involve too much speculation? Other than that, I resonate with every word.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Jenny, that's the one plane I left circling on purpose. You caught it.

      Too much speculation is the answer. I don't know what's going through Candace's mind, and I wasn't willing to guess at it in a piece like this. Motive is the one thing nobody can prove... and the second I speculate on hers, I've handed her defenders something to argue about.

      So all I did was watch what she does. And what she does looks like the cover-up of a crime.

      It's very possible, even likely, that she believes she's pursuing justice, digging to get to the bottom of what really happened. Doesn't matter to me. The actions speak loud enough.

      Glad you pushed on it. This is the first real pushback I've received, and It's always welcome. I hope I gave you a satisfying answer.

    • G
      Granny JennyCharter29

      @Clay that makes sense. Obviously, she's not helping Charlie's cause...like you, I doubt she sees it. Which doesn't make it less maddening to watch. I feel like you could have placed her more squarely in a bubble alongside the "losertarian" one, floating alongside the murmuring without affecting it in the least. But perhaps that's too kind, because she may be peeling off folks from Charlie's flock.

    • C
      ClayAuthor(edited)

      @GrannyJenny Yes, you know what Jenny. You just put your finger on something.

      I had a whole losertarian section in this piece that I cut out. I was going to make the Candace section bigger and include some other characters, including some of the losertarians, but I really didn't want it to become about them.

      But one quibble with your last line. Charlie didn't have a flock. That's the entire difference. A flock has no leader. Charlie built a machine with names and offices and a payroll, and that's what made him killable.

      So Candace isn't peeling birds off a murmuration. She's talking people out of organization, and running the defense for the actual killer in the court of public opinion… which is worse.

    • G
      Granny JennyCharter29

      @Clay thanks for the correction. Btw, loved your comment under @walkerlllp but can't see how to leave a response there.

    • C
      ClayAuthor(edited)

      @GrannyJenny Good morning, Jenny. It should work the same way it does here. Can you tell me what kind of issue you're having? Is it not showing the 'reply' button under the posts?

      Thanks!

    • G
      Granny JennyCharter29

      @Clay yes, there's a reply button. No reaction button though, which is what I'm after. Sorry to not be clear. It's turning into a rough weekend for us. Appreciate you all.

  • P
    PatrickFounder50

    Not bad, sir. For me, the welcome mat for the rule of Charlie's martyrdom includes you.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Patrick. That's the kind of thing that keeps a man at his desk.

  • R
    RonFounder8

    Excellent work Clay.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Ron!

  • Z
    ZakFounder48

    @Clay, very poignant and clear. I believe that every word is the truth. I was at my computer when I heard that Charlie Kirk was shot. Why?! Now we know.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      I, too, was at my computer when I heard about it. It all happened very fast. I'll never forget it.

  • P
    PaulFounder45

    Fantastic piece, Clay! The likening of the masses to the murmuring of birds is wonderfully illustrative. It's how they *know* things that are unknowable (because they aren't true), and how they maintain plausible deniability. (It's funny, by the way, how apologies and retractions never seem to have the same reach as initial slanders and lies.)

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Paul!

      The lie moves through the flock… the correction flies alone. The lie is exciting. The correction is like homework. Boring.

  • V
    VirginiaFounder20

    Thank you for putting this in to words that hit home. We know Who wins in the end but we are called to show His Light and His Truth as long as we live. The battle is His and we are His soldiers.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Virginia. I'm really happy that the piece resonated with you.

      Stay close, soldier.

  • K
    KimFounder40

    I have a sob in the pit of my stomach because I recognize what you write is truth. Your writing is powerful, Clay.

    0
    • C
      ClayAuthor

      Thank you, Kim!

      That sob is the right response, Kim. I felt it the entire time I was writing it. I'm glad it came through.

The comments are for patrons.

Reading is free for everyone. The room behind the work is where patrons talk, and where I talk back.

Clay, founder of Stop Being Prey

About the writer

Clay

Clay is the author of Stop Being Prey. Software engineer by trade. Writer by necessity. Twenty years inside libertarianism, out for good. Hosts the largest Thomas Sowell page on Facebook. Now writing the right's missing strategic playbook.

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