The Place Where Ludington Talks
Not the Same
A lot of people that are annoyed with both political parties have had a lot to consider over the last dozen days. Charlie Kirk, the leader of Turning Point USA, a pivotal figure in getting Donald Trump elected president again in 2024, was shot fatally in Utah while doing what he was famous for, debating opposing viewpoints on a college campus. The reactions since, on both sides of the political spectrum, have starkly illustrated that both sides are not the same.
Our sister site on Facebook, The Ludington Pitchfork, was the location where a common working man suggested the weekend after the shooting that a candlelight vigil should be held in Ludington. Organically, that idea grew into action in a way that even Charlie would admire. Four days later, about 700 people met at the county courthouse and walked to the end of Ludington Avenue, meeting hundreds of others waiting for them. Multiple testimonials to his life, prayers for his family and for the country, patriotic and religious songs dotted the somber gathering before the candles were lit.
Earlier that Wednesday, a much smaller group of around 30 had gathered at the same courthouse as they have throughout the year, blessed and celebrated by the Mason County Democratic Party. As per usual, they were protesting either Trump, the MAGA movement, or both, and we will see some of their signs later, but on that same day where 1000 gathered for a dignified vigil our local paper published an incredibly insensitive letter to the editor in the Reader's Forum:
The author, Barry Matthews, tries to disguise his hostility towards the target of the week-old political assassination by couching it with meaningless homilies to try and show he really is sorry. But don't believe it because when you get past the fatuous blather you need read nothing other than this:
"I wish he were out there spouting his false doctrines of hatred, bigotry, and misogyny... Charlie Kirk has walked on to his just reward..."
What exactly is Charlie Kirk's just reward? Matthews is saying that getting shot in the neck was the deserved outcome for this husband and father of two, for what Matthews falsely misrepresents as hatred, bigotry, and misogyny. Rather than moderate this obvious bit of hate-speech aimed towards what may have been the nation's best debater, the failing Ludington Daily News publishes it, and the local branch of the Democratic Party amplifies the venom on their social media page. Sadly, that group failed to have respect for the assassinated even the day after the murder was graphically depicted on-line, witness the introduction of their re-posting of an article decrying the executed:
The day after a heavy caliber bullet stole this man's life, Mason Co. Democrats said: "We can condemn... Charlie Kirk for the rotten vile hatred he fomented." Words have meaning, and their introduction indicates it's okay to tear down, even kill, this young man for the hatred he stirred up. The truth is, he did incite hatred-- among the left when they and their professors couldn't deal with his Socratic method.
Recall, the death sentence of Socrates was the legal consequence of asking politico-philosophic questions of students, which resulted in the two accusations of moral corruption and impiety. Charlie Kirk's hemlock was a bullet, received for going against the 'state religion' of atheism and corrupting the minds of youth with a message of higher truths of free enterprise, freedom, and hope.
Three days after the assassination, the local liberals punched the time clock for two hours on Saturday afternoon at the courthouse. While they didn't take the effort to make new signs attacking the memory of Charlie Kirk, they did keep to the continuing message of contempt towards the current administration and the man that has had multiple assassination attempts on his person:
True fascism was a political movement in vogue about 100 years ago mainly in Europe, started in Mussolini's Italy and defined best in Hitler's Germany. The term "fascist" has become synonymous with evil in modern times, an epithet thrown out often with "racist" and "bigot" by people who, often unknowingly, better fit the definitions.
"The Nazi swastika is a potent symbol of antisemitic ethnic intimidation, terrorism, and hate crimes against Jewish people. Used by Nazis to promote an ideology of "Aryan" supremacy, it is now deployed by white supremacists to threaten Jews with violence and evoke the trauma of the Holocaust." So says AI, but the WW 2 survivor above and her friends wave them often in front of passing motorists to remind them that the Democratic Party has revived its own hatred of the Jews in recent years.
And why would a peaceful group of folks allow somebody to wave a sign with the call for assassination of President Trump ,"8647", after someone instrumental to his re-election was just killed in cold blood? That is one seriously "F-ed up" aging white hippie, and one seriously F-ed up call to action. These signs are regularly hoisted at these protests which have fortunately remained peaceful, despite the call for killing the sitting president. James Comey knew what it meant in his vernacular when he arranged his shells and so do they.
Thus, it comes without a chink in their conscience for them to tell us that Jesus caused good trouble right above the call for eliminating our president, just like a Utah operative(s) with evil in their heart and mind did to Trump's most effective supporter one week prior.
In Ludington, one side has a thousand people assembled at the beach for a grassroots vigil for one taken from us too soon, praying for a man's family and recognizing his life's successful mission to spread the word of truth and loving the sinner to us all. One side has a couple dozen people holding signs invoking Jesus' name in order to kill the president, a 'Mega-Hitler' who has somehow succeeded in bringing peace to multiple corners of the earth in much less than a year rather than war.
The two sides are not the same, and we hope that you have the wisdom to distinguish between the two even if you decide to stay out of the partisan struggle. And on this day that we have Charlie Kirk's funeral overfilling a sports stadium, we pray for those who have landed on the wrong side of the truth that you have the wisdom to alter your beliefs accordingly and live a good life based on truth, love, and faith.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by XLFD
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Just one more thing.
You may know of Steve Begnoche, 21 year managing editor of the Ludington Daily News, he serves as a regular columnist for the newspaper since. In a 9-17-25 column he introduces his piece by saying:
"I had not heard of Charlie Kirk before his assassination a week ago."
He then goes through the usual lines of equivocating that we see on the signs above and on corporate media including the COLDNews. How could nobody who has reported and commented on the news for as long as Charlie Kirk lived, never hear (even pejoratively) of this rising star of the Republican Party, a man who has taken a very active role in the last three presidential elections and heads perhaps the most influential political movement in the USA?
Begnoche is an ignorant idiot, someone who will never listen to the other side or debate their points because he has been indoctrinated to accepting the world view of others in his corporate media culture echo chamber. This unfortunately describes a lot of the old ladies and their cuckolds who go out to the courthouse each Wednesday and Saturday waving their discordant signs for other meat puppets to honk at. If someone knows of an equivalency to this on the right side of the political spectrum, I cannot think of one. Everyone should indeed listen to the news and opinions of those that mostly agree with your world view, but too many fail on both sides to listen also to the other side, for the division that Begnoche laments over cannot ever be bridged at all if you don't. Charlie taught us best that the debate is essential.
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Permalink Reply by stump
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To me it is interesting to hear these people on the tv shows saying I didn't agree with Charlie Kirk s views . Nobody ever ask what don't you disagree with. Some as MR.Matthews states of false doctrines and bigotry. Explain what words Charlie Kirk said that makes you think that of him.
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I don't know if I'm off based or what, but this all makes me think of the ending to the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas", where the title character robs every home down in Whoville of all of their gifts, presents, home decor, etc. and looks back wanting to see the sadness and chaos he had wrought onto the peaceful creatures. Instead, he sees them rejoicing in the day, despite their newfound indigence.
What hits you if you watched or saw the highlights of his memorial service was that Erika Kirk publicly forgave the killer, an idea that exhibits the greatest of mercies, Christlike if you will. And instead of the overcapacity crowd jeering her for not wanting vengeance they all applauded the gesture. Can you imagine a similar thing happening at a George Floyd memorial?
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Permalink Reply by MED
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Wow X! Awesome analogy. I was sobbing when I saw Erika bravely forgive the assassin. We are not the same as them.
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The most hopeful part of the analogy that I cling to is what happened to the Grinch after seeing the Whoville residents doing the unexpected. All of us who are familiar with Charlie's work, not from memes ascribing negative traits to him, have "leveled up" on spirituality to the point that we are the Who in the story, even if our names aren't Roger Daltrey or Pete Townshend.
And while some of the Grinches on the other side are never going to be looking back at Whoville, those who do may just have their hearts grow by a factor of three (without the health complications that would undoubtedly follow from a biological standpoint) and take a place at the table with us, carving the roast Beast.
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