On this solemn anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, a day when radical evil struck at the very heart of America, claiming thousands of innocent lives, we are reminded of a chilling truth. The same malevolence that brought down the Twin Towers and scarred the Pentagon has not faded into memory or vanished from the pages of history. Evil does not retire. It evolves, adapts, and resurfaces in new forms, always seeking to destroy what is good and just.
Wednesday, that same evil revealed itself again when it claimed another victim: Charlie Kirk, the fearless conservative activist who was assassinated at Utah Valley University. That this atrocity hit yesterday is no coincidence of dates; it is a sobering reminder that we remain engaged in a multi-generational war of good versus evil, freedom versus tyranny, life versus death.
The ideology that animated the terrorists of 9/11 was rooted in a hatred of liberty, individual rights, and open discourse. It seeks to silence through fear and subjugate through force. Its intention is never simply destruction, but domination, the replacement of truth with terror. Wednesday’s assassination bears those very same marks.
Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA and a tireless advocate for conservative principles, was gunned down from a sniper’s perch during a campus event. Authorities confirm the attack was targeted, and while the shooter remains at large, the motive is unmistakable: silence the voice, terrorize the crowd, and crush debate. The same evil that hijacked those planes is the same evil that fired the assassin’s bullet. It is the same evil that every day attempts to assassinate characters across this nation with slanders and baseless conspiracy theories, silencing by force what it cannot defeat with reason.
Charlie was not just another voice in American politics; he was a living embodiment of the ideals our Western civilization cherishes. He carried the torch of free speech into some of the most hostile arenas in our nation—college campuses, where conformity is celebrated and dissent punished. He confronted the strongholds of academia with courage, rallying a generation of students to reject the culture of grievance and embrace responsibility, free enterprise, and national sovereignty. He was not merely speaking; he was waging a cultural war with words and ideas. In a climate where dissent is branded as “hate speech,” Charlie stood firm, echoing the courage of the Founding Fathers who risked everything for the right to speak freely. His assassination is therefore more than a personal tragedy. It is an assault on the very foundations of our civilization.
And yet, if history teaches us anything, it is that evil never has the final word. On 9/11, the terrorists believed they could break America’s spirit by bringing down towers of steel and glass. Instead, they forged a new resolve in the American heart. Likewise, the assassin who took Charlie’s life perhaps believed his bullet could silence a movement. Instead, it has already sparked the beginnings of a new chapter.
Conservatives will not torch their neighbors’ businesses nor riot in the streets when provoked. They will respond with resolve. Out of this sorrow will rise thousands of new Charlie Kirks. Voices unashamed of truth, undeterred by hatred, unwilling to yield to fear. His murder will not silence; it will multiply. What evil intended for intimidation will become inspiration, fueling a generation determined to fight back with clarity and conviction.
Already, voices in the political establishment are calling for America to “turn down the temperature.” On the surface, such pleas for civility may sound noble. But in the face of barbarism, they ring hollow. The truth is that the temperature must not be lowered but raised. Not in violence or destruction, but in moral clarity, in conviction strong enough to expose and consume corruption at its core. We cannot negotiate with evil; we cannot appease it. Whether it comes cloaked in radical Islamism abroad or in homegrown extremism that dehumanizes conservatives as enemies to be assassinated, it must be confronted head-on. To turn down the temperature now would be to let evil grow in the shadows. The only path forward is exposure, accountability, and courage.
This means confronting not only the perpetrators of violence but those who enable it: the commentators who justify it, the politicians who excuse it, the groups that fund it, and the institutions that look the other way. As President Donald Trump said in response to the assassination, “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country, and it must stop right now.” His call for accountability is not just appropriate. It is essential if we are to prevent this cycle of violence from consuming us.
Let us remember that the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, did not break America. They galvanized us. They called forth the best of who we are: resilience, unity, and defiance in the face of terror. So too will Sept. 10, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk will not frighten us into silence. It will awaken us to action. On this day of remembrance, we honor both the victims of 2001 and of 2025 by recommitting ourselves to the eternal struggle for truth and liberty. Evil may strike, but good endures. And in the end, good will prevail.
