It was Wednesday, September 10, 2025, when a bullet penetrated the neck of Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA (TPUSA) event hosted by Utah Valley University in the city of Orem just south of Salt Lake City. Charlie died shortly after his arrival at Timpanogos Regional Hospital. Eleven days later — on Sunday, September 21 — a memorial was held in honor of Charlie at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. In attendance were the President and Vice President of the United States as well as many members of the President's cabinet.

I had never met Charlie, but it was my goal to do so. Already I had made several inroads, but it was still early, and his attention was obviously in great demand. We shared the same target audience, and he was personally acquainted with President Trump whom he ardently supported. Establishing contact with Charlie would be invaluable to the future of the Mt. Cambitas project.

In preparation for our meeting and in an effort to understand TPUSA I had read Charlie's books entitled, How We Win: Finding the Will — Individually and Collectively — to Fight for America (2022), The College Scam: How America's Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America's Youth (2022), and Right Wing Revolution: How to Beat the Woke and Save the West (2024). I liked his approach and shared one of his two principal goals: restore faith in the American ideal among our nation's youth. My goal to meet with Charlie was shattered with his death.

Although he preached — at times it was nearly impossible not to do — he was not a preacher. Rather, he challenged our nation's college youth to defend the positions with which they had been inculcated by their grade school teachers and college professors. In effect, he applied the Socratic method in an effort to reach out to those who were being misled by the West's new addiction to knowledge in the absence of wisdom.

I very much liked his approach even though I could not agree on one of his two fundamental principles — namely, that restoration of the American ideal requires faith in the Christian church. This said, I did not find this principle offensive, for Christianity was the principal religion of America at the time of our nation's founding. In effect, if you are an American in search of a religion, then none is more compatible with our nation's fundamental principles than that of Christianity.

Who knows? Maybe I will touch base one day soon with TPUSA's leadership. Then too, they make take offense when they learn that I listen to the likes of Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes. Of course, I listen to many others, as well — just sayin'.

Charlie was a symbol of hope for many. He was only three younger than my assailant of 2021. Whereas Charlie wanted to reform the system by restoring the faith, my assailant uses the system to his own advantage and considers himself ruse. Whereas Charlie wanted to Make America Great Again, my assailant appears to care less what happens to his fellow citizens so long as he gets his way. Unfortunately, there are many like my assailant living in American society. They feel themselves victimized by the system and believe that society owes them a living. Rather than trying to fix the system and make society better, they laugh when those who prop it up are fallen, easily take offense when called out for their own bad attitude, and bully those who get in their way. With so many like this living in our midst, our foreign threats are magnified, for our enemies from without view our weaknesses within and nurture them sowing our internal division. Tyler Robinson, if, indeed, he was Charlie's assassin was born and raised in America. We need not look out to find our nation's enemies; for they are nurtured within.

Yes, the political process has been corrupted, and each of America's two major political parties serves the special interests of those who support them. In the end, however, it is not the political party that counts; rather, it is the integrity of the individual who wears the mantel of the party. The party is merely a filter, and a good one for its evil purpose. Unfortunately, there are those who would seek to destroy the political process through violence including rioting, strategic assassinations, and mass murder. Such activity runs afoul of our nation's founding, governing principles.

Yes, you may argue, "What good are the principles, if no one is following them?". Then, it is up to you to follow them and lead the way for others to follow.

Soon! Try again on January 3rd or thereabouts.