Opinion: ‘Charlie (Kirk) was doing what desperately needed to be done’

Heidi St. John remembers Charlie Kirk’s legacy and urges conservatives to engage civically, with an Oct. 14 event planned in Vancouver to continue his mission.

Firmly Planted Action, Club America, and TPUSA Faith will hold an event in Vancouver on Charlie Kirk’s birthday, Tuesday, Oct. 14

Heidi St. John
for Clark County Today

America is in crisis — at a cultural crossroads where sadly, the rules of a civil society have been burned to the ground. It was never so clear as when thousands cheered the politically motivated, hate-driven assassination of my friend, Charlie Kirk.

Charlie was doing what desperately needed to be done. Seeing that our young people are increasingly being educated to despise freedom, he courageously walked into those Marxist breeding grounds known as college campuses and dared to engage in civil debate. Standing on biblical and constitutional truths, he challenged students to shun the politics of victimhood, identity, and destruction, and instead embrace traditional American values – God, family, country. At a time when conservatives had abandoned learning institutions, he dared to believe that he could convince students there was a better way. And convince them he did. For the first time in 30 years, more young men are registering as Republicans than as Democrats.

As much as Charlie accomplished in life, no one could have imagined the ripples his death would create – a record-breaking memorial with an altar call and a livestream viewed by over 100 million people, churches seeing record attendance, and revivals breaking out at vigils held across the world. His Turning Point USA organization has received requests for 120,000 new chapters at high school and college campuses across the country — many of them are right here in Washington state!

Charlie clearly inspired a movement, but the baton has been passed. It’s our fight now. It’s up to us to meet the moment and move his vision of a greater America forward. It will take all of us – no watching from the sidelines. Progressives never pause their relentless efforts to tear down and remake the country in the images of people like Karl Marx, Barack Obama and outspoken socialist Zohran Mandami.

If we are going to turn things around, we have to match and surpass their energy and persistence.

It will take boldness and courage to save the country, but we have truth and the Constitution on our side. We need to take back every sphere of influence, including politics. For far too long, Christians have avoided politics, believing that we don’t belong there — but we do. Politics determines policy — and policy shapes our culture. For years, we’ve watched as leftists and political progressives have destroyed our culture — to the point where we are actually debating what a woman is! This needs to stop.

Plato, in The Republic, warned that when good, wise, or virtuous people withdraw from civic responsibility, less competent or less virtuous people fill the vacuum — resulting in poor governance. This truth is on full display here in Washington state.

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” — Plato, often paraphrased from The Republic

So run for a local office, attend school board meetings, follow legislation and testify and/or contact your legislators, mentor a youth, contribute and volunteer for candidates who share your values, rally your friends and neighbors, volunteer at the election office, and vote, vote, vote!

In short: it’s time to SHOW UP. Elections are won by the people who show up – and if conservatives would participate, we would win. Our beautiful country is worth it.

Firmly Planted Action, Club America, and TPUSA Faith will hold an event on Charlie Kirk’s birthday, Tuesday, Oct. 14. Join us to learn how you can get involved! Let’s work together to restore the America we grew up with … and the one we want to pass on to our children and grandchildren.

Firmly Planted Action, Club America, and TPUSA Faith will hold an event in Vancouver on Charlie Kirk’s birthday, Tuesday, Oct. 14

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