This needed to be said, and you are the man to say it. I was not a follower of TPUSA but did know who Charlie Kirk was and how he used his talents and gifts to educate young men on college campuses. I was not familiar with the organization, how it was run, or Erika. I only heard Charlie speak a couple times at C-PAC.
I did not know until after his death that he had begun keeping the Sabbath, the Biblically commanded Sabbath. I gained much respect for him when I learned that. He was a man who had principles and was willing to stand by them.
I have watched the events of the last three months unfold from a distance, not holding any particular opinion, and listening to different views. I have come to my own beliefs. This current AMFEST is a disgrace. EK is a disgrace and an embarrassment. I do not trust her one iota. She has sold out for money and fame. She is being used by dark forces, as is TPUSA.
That being said, I totally agree with your four goals, four fundamental political aims. I hope that the base CK created in his generation will be on board for those and vote accordingly.
You said:
"I am my own man, and I have my own opinions and arguments". I respect that. Thank you Seth.
> EK is a disgrace and an embarrassment. I do not trust her one iota. She has sold out for money and fame. She is being used by dark forces, as is TPUSA.
This is exactly the kind of pointless divisionary rhetoric which is driving the wedges deeper into the coalition Charlie worked so hard to hold together. It's fine to believe this, that's your right. But what purpose does it serve to spread it, unless it can be backed up with something concrete? What good do depressing vagaries promote? What call to action, in service of the movement and the message, does this criticism raise, or is it purely a vapid display of anxiety, devoid of further meaning?
Charlie's work was founded on promoting the best in people and leaving the rest to lie, rather than promoting the worst. I suggest we learn from that example, because if we do not hang together, we will surely hang separately.
Captain for me it's been totally unwatchable. However, your political positions as stated form the four legs of a very sturdy America First stool. If the conservatives can't agree on that we have a problem...
Exactly! It’s like conservatives have a disdain for collaboration and coalition building. If we spent as much time, energy and money collaborating as we do tearing each other down, there’s hardly a political race we couldn’t win.
Right?! is that our fierce independence and an obsession with “right” and “true”. I am fascinated by the inability to see the big picture. That what we are preserving is constitutional freedom.
They go hand in hand. The egos have their own “my way or the highway” when in reality there are only a handful of things that will determine if our country survives.
I really applaud what you've written, probably because I agree with most of it. What has split the movement is whether to trust law enforcement to carry out an investigation of Kirk's assassination. I don't trust our justice system anymore, and I'm skeptical of people who do.
Thank you for bringing that up. IMO, at this point we are being totally gaslit. The real investigations are being done by independent folks who want the truth. I personally avoided any speculation for weeks, and accepted the "official narrative". Only the last week have I allowed myself to hear others discuss the events and reach disturbing conclusions.
There's a lot of discussion going on in X. I haven't followed it very closely, as I've decided to concentrate on the Butler, PA assassination attempt.
I could more or less keep up with the acoustics analysis of the Butler attempt, but without putting the time in to know the names of all the videos and understand the layout of the area intimately, a lot of what they are saying goes over my head.
I do understand Chris Martenson's (Peak Prosperity) excellent and accessible analysis. If the bullet was coming at a 9% downward angle, it would have made an exit wound in the Mr. Kirk's neck. He even did 55 tests with pork roasts and different types of 30.06 bullets.
On the other hand, why wouldn't Tyler Robinson's attorneys be using some of the problems with the physical evidence as a defense?
There may be very good reason for mistrusting law enforcement in this regard, but why would disagreement over that "split the movement"? Is there something about that that changes our goals?
"We need to get back to goal-setting, coalition building, and promoting full transparency with regard to the pillars listed above. Without it, events like AmFest are nothing more than “Six Flags Over Conservatism”
Wonderful summary of what "America First" should be. President Trump is the first high level politician in many decades to dare to say that countries should be able to restrict immigration to people who are likely to benefit that country, and that third worlders and Muslims generally don't benefit the countries they move to.
I saw an article recently that said over half the kindergartners in Austria DON'T SPEAK GERMAN, so it's probably too late for that country.
Kudos for pointing out all the different forms of corruption.
That is wonky….i have relatives in Vienna. A cousin of mine married a woman from China and relocated to Vienna. Married or not, she was given five years to learn German or she would be deported. The family was frantically working with her to achieve this requirement. So, perhaps those children are new to Austria? But I don’t think Austrian government has much tolerance for non German speakers.
Absolutely spot on!! The backstabbing and posturing that has been going on these past three months would have horrified and infuriated Charlie Kirk, who spent more than a decade trying to get people to talk TO each other instead of yelling AT each other! But Charlie, like Rush Limbaugh and Andrew Breitbart before him, was both intellectually gifted and infinitely curious, but also had a side of true humility as well!
Shapiro started out strong decades ago but has turned into an arrogant "little" man with a massive ego and an obsession with all things Israel (just like Mark Levin, who has now become a caricature of his former self and simply can't stop yelling at everyone)!
Tucker Carlson, who always seemed like a nice, earnest young man, who knew he wasn't the brightest kid in the class, is now in the midst of a full blown mid life crisis and can't stop pontificating on complex subjects that he clearly doesn't always understand!
Candace Owens flamed out early but, buoyed by her husband's billions, is now delving into truly crazy ideas, some of which have enough truth in them to make them worth discussing, but not in the haphazard, conspiratorial ramblings of a troubled young woman who needs to just calm down!
And trying to hold it all together is Erika Kirk, who loved her husband, but simply does not possess either his innate ability to grasp complex subjects nor his lighthearted approachability to large groups of diverse people. She comes across as a beauty queen who is used to "performing" and "winning" and the more time she spends in the public arena, the less people feel sympathy for her. She may have the brains to "run" TPUSA but she does not have the personality to be the public face of it and if the inner circle is unable to explain that to her soon, I fear the whole thing will collapse.
Totally disagree. Kirk was being bullied by Jewish donors. That's just a fact. Kirk's organization was in trouble financially. Kirk had called for an audit -- where was the money going? Because of the assassination and the flood of sympathy money, the organization has temporarily dodged that bullet, but the long-term outlook for TPUSA is not good. To name Erika Kirk as successor feels very off to me. I would bet you money there was no official succession document or official statement from Kirk naming Erika as successor. If there is, TPUSA's board has never shared it. They have simply claimed that was Charlie's plan. I guess we shall see how "crazy" Candace Owens is. I'm troubled that the TPUSA staff isn't more aggressive in looking for helpful information. For example, if my husband had been assassinated and I had his phone, I would be scouring every data byte of that phone for clues and info. No one, not even Erika, had carefully examined the messaging platforms on his phone. And you are calling Candace "crazy?"
I do not disagree that Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson may be raising legitimate questions. My frustration is that the way they are going about it is divisive and unhelpful. Let Shapiro and Levin rant - it shows their character and lack of coherent arguments, IMHO! But, if everyone involved starts acting like they are in a Junior High food fight, then no one takes anything they are saying seriously and that was exactly the opposite of how Charlie Kirk behaved!
Genuine question - have you listened to Candace herself or are you simply taking what others are saying about what Candace says?
My opinion is division is sowed by those wanting to limit topics of discussion, the questions which can be asked and/or who a commentator may interview. Freedom of speech is not negotiable.
Yes, I have listened to her personally, both on this subject and on several other subjects over the past couple of years. She is long on possibilities and short on actual facts, in my opinion, and she often jumps from one theory to another, without clearly explaining why she has changed her thesis and is now going in a different direction.
I agree with you that those who do not want certain conversations to happen are very good at changing the subject to one of "tone" rather than substance, which is a great way to keep honest dialogue from happening. Freedom of speech is of paramount importance but I wish more people would do it in the manner of Charlie Kirk, rather than in the manner of some of the people who are rushing to fill the vacuum left by his death!
Have you listened to Ben Shapiro say many times that he does not want Candace or Tucker de-platformed? He did the correct thing the other day. He showed up and exercised his free speech to deliver a correct rebuke of their insanity. Tucker and Candace are not victims. They are both running highly lucrative businesses. Let's stop acting as if they are being victimized.
Interesting response. So is not Ben Shapiro running a "highly lucrative" business? Has Ben Shapiro not attacked Candace for saying Christ is King? Not to mention who fired who?
I see which "side" objects to words by the other "side," and who is called anti-semitic for holding a contary political opinion about Isreal. I personally consider the arguments of both sides to be legitimate political opinions.
If Kirk did not like his Jewish donors demands, he could tell them to walk. It's not bullying if you can cut ties at any time. I don't blame Jewish donors for wanting TPUSA to cut ties with Tucker Carlson. I don't blame Kirk for saying no. It is what it is. It doesn't make 'the jews' evil.
Actually, a lot of people are saying that or insinuating it. They are the ones who look hysterical. If you look at the comments section of his videos, you will see that Tucker's audience is full of them. You could see that, if you wanted to. Kirk called out the white nationalist scum for what they are while Tucker attracts them like flies on shit.
You may be right on that front, but what I meant was, no one in this comment exchange, me specifically, said anything about Jews being evil. It was not part of the conversation. But too many people are quick to throw that accusation around.
And my point is that those Jewish donors were not bullying Kirk. They did not owe TPUSA that money. Charlie was learning that you can't please everyone. Remember, he was only 31 years old.
Even though it is no excuse, if we did not have systemic election fraud, republican presidential candidates would not feel as though they need to cater to the fringe. That is what Vance is doing, and I agree that it IS cowardly. I also think it's politically foolish in the long run. Vance is looking and sounding very hollow these days. He is also young. It's a shame because I don't want Rubio either. Maybe someone else will emerge.
This needed to be said, and you are the man to say it. I was not a follower of TPUSA but did know who Charlie Kirk was and how he used his talents and gifts to educate young men on college campuses. I was not familiar with the organization, how it was run, or Erika. I only heard Charlie speak a couple times at C-PAC.
I did not know until after his death that he had begun keeping the Sabbath, the Biblically commanded Sabbath. I gained much respect for him when I learned that. He was a man who had principles and was willing to stand by them.
I have watched the events of the last three months unfold from a distance, not holding any particular opinion, and listening to different views. I have come to my own beliefs. This current AMFEST is a disgrace. EK is a disgrace and an embarrassment. I do not trust her one iota. She has sold out for money and fame. She is being used by dark forces, as is TPUSA.
That being said, I totally agree with your four goals, four fundamental political aims. I hope that the base CK created in his generation will be on board for those and vote accordingly.
You said:
"I am my own man, and I have my own opinions and arguments". I respect that. Thank you Seth.
> EK is a disgrace and an embarrassment. I do not trust her one iota. She has sold out for money and fame. She is being used by dark forces, as is TPUSA.
This is exactly the kind of pointless divisionary rhetoric which is driving the wedges deeper into the coalition Charlie worked so hard to hold together. It's fine to believe this, that's your right. But what purpose does it serve to spread it, unless it can be backed up with something concrete? What good do depressing vagaries promote? What call to action, in service of the movement and the message, does this criticism raise, or is it purely a vapid display of anxiety, devoid of further meaning?
Charlie's work was founded on promoting the best in people and leaving the rest to lie, rather than promoting the worst. I suggest we learn from that example, because if we do not hang together, we will surely hang separately.
This is the first article where a wish came for some way to hit "like" many times instead of once only.
Captain for me it's been totally unwatchable. However, your political positions as stated form the four legs of a very sturdy America First stool. If the conservatives can't agree on that we have a problem...
Directly over target captn
Exactly! It’s like conservatives have a disdain for collaboration and coalition building. If we spent as much time, energy and money collaborating as we do tearing each other down, there’s hardly a political race we couldn’t win.
I would say the greater problem is insisting on perfection before making any progress at all. Ideology over action.
Right?! is that our fierce independence and an obsession with “right” and “true”. I am fascinated by the inability to see the big picture. That what we are preserving is constitutional freedom.
What does waiting for perfection have to do with egos getting in the way of collaboration?
They go hand in hand. The egos have their own “my way or the highway” when in reality there are only a handful of things that will determine if our country survives.
I really applaud what you've written, probably because I agree with most of it. What has split the movement is whether to trust law enforcement to carry out an investigation of Kirk's assassination. I don't trust our justice system anymore, and I'm skeptical of people who do.
Thank you for bringing that up. IMO, at this point we are being totally gaslit. The real investigations are being done by independent folks who want the truth. I personally avoided any speculation for weeks, and accepted the "official narrative". Only the last week have I allowed myself to hear others discuss the events and reach disturbing conclusions.
There's a lot of discussion going on in X. I haven't followed it very closely, as I've decided to concentrate on the Butler, PA assassination attempt.
I could more or less keep up with the acoustics analysis of the Butler attempt, but without putting the time in to know the names of all the videos and understand the layout of the area intimately, a lot of what they are saying goes over my head.
I do understand Chris Martenson's (Peak Prosperity) excellent and accessible analysis. If the bullet was coming at a 9% downward angle, it would have made an exit wound in the Mr. Kirk's neck. He even did 55 tests with pork roasts and different types of 30.06 bullets.
On the other hand, why wouldn't Tyler Robinson's attorneys be using some of the problems with the physical evidence as a defense?
There may be very good reason for mistrusting law enforcement in this regard, but why would disagreement over that "split the movement"? Is there something about that that changes our goals?
Honestly not sure how being America First requires a Shapiro stamp of approval?
It doesn’t and I’ve argued he’s the worst of the worst.
Especially since he is explicitly Israel First.
Have you considered Rand Paul's idea that as long as there is a Federal budget deficit there should be no foreign aid?
I don’t believe in foreign aid.
The taxpayers are forced to support other nations and are jailed if they don’t pay.
"We need to get back to goal-setting, coalition building, and promoting full transparency with regard to the pillars listed above. Without it, events like AmFest are nothing more than “Six Flags Over Conservatism”
This. Is. Brilliant. TYVM Cap'n!
Thanks Doc!
Well said sir.
Well written, I agree completely! Thank you!
I’ve followed you around for a long time, Seth. This is why.
Greatly appreciated, James.
Wonderful summary of what "America First" should be. President Trump is the first high level politician in many decades to dare to say that countries should be able to restrict immigration to people who are likely to benefit that country, and that third worlders and Muslims generally don't benefit the countries they move to.
I saw an article recently that said over half the kindergartners in Austria DON'T SPEAK GERMAN, so it's probably too late for that country.
Kudos for pointing out all the different forms of corruption.
This stuff is made deliberately complicated and our own side acts like liberals half the time in hurling insults.
That is wonky….i have relatives in Vienna. A cousin of mine married a woman from China and relocated to Vienna. Married or not, she was given five years to learn German or she would be deported. The family was frantically working with her to achieve this requirement. So, perhaps those children are new to Austria? But I don’t think Austrian government has much tolerance for non German speakers.
AMEN, Brother K!
Six Flags over Conservatism is perfect. Have a wonderful Christmas.
You too, good sir.
Captain K, I don’t know how you have the patience to stay focused on the greater good while the “conservatives” scream like toddlers every day!
I learned the skill in uniform, I’d have to say.
Absolutely spot on!! The backstabbing and posturing that has been going on these past three months would have horrified and infuriated Charlie Kirk, who spent more than a decade trying to get people to talk TO each other instead of yelling AT each other! But Charlie, like Rush Limbaugh and Andrew Breitbart before him, was both intellectually gifted and infinitely curious, but also had a side of true humility as well!
Shapiro started out strong decades ago but has turned into an arrogant "little" man with a massive ego and an obsession with all things Israel (just like Mark Levin, who has now become a caricature of his former self and simply can't stop yelling at everyone)!
Tucker Carlson, who always seemed like a nice, earnest young man, who knew he wasn't the brightest kid in the class, is now in the midst of a full blown mid life crisis and can't stop pontificating on complex subjects that he clearly doesn't always understand!
Candace Owens flamed out early but, buoyed by her husband's billions, is now delving into truly crazy ideas, some of which have enough truth in them to make them worth discussing, but not in the haphazard, conspiratorial ramblings of a troubled young woman who needs to just calm down!
And trying to hold it all together is Erika Kirk, who loved her husband, but simply does not possess either his innate ability to grasp complex subjects nor his lighthearted approachability to large groups of diverse people. She comes across as a beauty queen who is used to "performing" and "winning" and the more time she spends in the public arena, the less people feel sympathy for her. She may have the brains to "run" TPUSA but she does not have the personality to be the public face of it and if the inner circle is unable to explain that to her soon, I fear the whole thing will collapse.
Hard to keep a handle on it all, I agree.
Totally disagree. Kirk was being bullied by Jewish donors. That's just a fact. Kirk's organization was in trouble financially. Kirk had called for an audit -- where was the money going? Because of the assassination and the flood of sympathy money, the organization has temporarily dodged that bullet, but the long-term outlook for TPUSA is not good. To name Erika Kirk as successor feels very off to me. I would bet you money there was no official succession document or official statement from Kirk naming Erika as successor. If there is, TPUSA's board has never shared it. They have simply claimed that was Charlie's plan. I guess we shall see how "crazy" Candace Owens is. I'm troubled that the TPUSA staff isn't more aggressive in looking for helpful information. For example, if my husband had been assassinated and I had his phone, I would be scouring every data byte of that phone for clues and info. No one, not even Erika, had carefully examined the messaging platforms on his phone. And you are calling Candace "crazy?"
I do not disagree that Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson may be raising legitimate questions. My frustration is that the way they are going about it is divisive and unhelpful. Let Shapiro and Levin rant - it shows their character and lack of coherent arguments, IMHO! But, if everyone involved starts acting like they are in a Junior High food fight, then no one takes anything they are saying seriously and that was exactly the opposite of how Charlie Kirk behaved!
Genuine question - have you listened to Candace herself or are you simply taking what others are saying about what Candace says?
My opinion is division is sowed by those wanting to limit topics of discussion, the questions which can be asked and/or who a commentator may interview. Freedom of speech is not negotiable.
Yes, I have listened to her personally, both on this subject and on several other subjects over the past couple of years. She is long on possibilities and short on actual facts, in my opinion, and she often jumps from one theory to another, without clearly explaining why she has changed her thesis and is now going in a different direction.
I agree with you that those who do not want certain conversations to happen are very good at changing the subject to one of "tone" rather than substance, which is a great way to keep honest dialogue from happening. Freedom of speech is of paramount importance but I wish more people would do it in the manner of Charlie Kirk, rather than in the manner of some of the people who are rushing to fill the vacuum left by his death!
Have you listened to Ben Shapiro say many times that he does not want Candace or Tucker de-platformed? He did the correct thing the other day. He showed up and exercised his free speech to deliver a correct rebuke of their insanity. Tucker and Candace are not victims. They are both running highly lucrative businesses. Let's stop acting as if they are being victimized.
Interesting response. So is not Ben Shapiro running a "highly lucrative" business? Has Ben Shapiro not attacked Candace for saying Christ is King? Not to mention who fired who?
I see which "side" objects to words by the other "side," and who is called anti-semitic for holding a contary political opinion about Isreal. I personally consider the arguments of both sides to be legitimate political opinions.
If Kirk did not like his Jewish donors demands, he could tell them to walk. It's not bullying if you can cut ties at any time. I don't blame Jewish donors for wanting TPUSA to cut ties with Tucker Carlson. I don't blame Kirk for saying no. It is what it is. It doesn't make 'the jews' evil.
Kirk said the donors were living up to stereotypes. His words not mine. Let's stay calm. No one said anything about Jews being evil.
Actually, a lot of people are saying that or insinuating it. They are the ones who look hysterical. If you look at the comments section of his videos, you will see that Tucker's audience is full of them. You could see that, if you wanted to. Kirk called out the white nationalist scum for what they are while Tucker attracts them like flies on shit.
You may be right on that front, but what I meant was, no one in this comment exchange, me specifically, said anything about Jews being evil. It was not part of the conversation. But too many people are quick to throw that accusation around.
And my point is that those Jewish donors were not bullying Kirk. They did not owe TPUSA that money. Charlie was learning that you can't please everyone. Remember, he was only 31 years old.
Even though it is no excuse, if we did not have systemic election fraud, republican presidential candidates would not feel as though they need to cater to the fringe. That is what Vance is doing, and I agree that it IS cowardly. I also think it's politically foolish in the long run. Vance is looking and sounding very hollow these days. He is also young. It's a shame because I don't want Rubio either. Maybe someone else will emerge.
The visual of EK looking like Tammy Faye Baker, including the tear wiping of heavily mascaraed eyes, is a cringe factor to many….just saying.