Flotsam and Jetsam - Charlie Kirk Assassinated in Utah

I had a whole bunch of links already in the digital bins when news came over the TV that Charlie Kirk, the conservative thought leader who founded Turning Point USA, an organization dedicated to changing minds to a more conservative point of view, had been shot while on stage at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, apparently from long range. It was reported (and recorded on video, of course) that he was hit in the neck, in what appeared to be a catastrophic injury. There was a single shot, clearly from a high powered rifle, almost certainly fired from a rooftop about 200 yds away. A figure in black was seen on the rooftop. As a former Oregon deer hunter, I would say that the ability to hit such a target from that range with a scoped rifle would not be rare, especially in the western mountains. While two people were briefly detained and one questioned, the killer has not yet been identified.

It wasn't very long after that President Trump announced his death on Truth Social, and later gave a brief address. I wasn't terribly aware of Kirk's work, which was mostly aimed at college aged people, but by most accounts he was an advocate for verbal engagement and not violence. The fact that he was shot while answering a question from the crowd about transgender murderers seems darkly ironic.   Stacy McCain, Charlie Kirk Was Assassinated Today UPDATE: Suspect Reported in Custody UPDATE: Nope, FBI Got It Wrong (Again). Capt. Ed at Hat Hair, Charlie Kirk, RIP; UPDATE: Trump's Oval Office Address. Sundance at CTH, Charlie Kirk is Dead – Charlie Kirk Shot in Neck During Remarks at Utah Valley University in Orem. Ace, Just the News: Charlie Kirk Has Been Murdered, Shooter Still At Large. "Apologies to TJM for posting his post- - I thought we were in a news lull with Kirk in stable condition." Ward Clark at RedState, Here's What We Know About Charlie Kirk's Killer. Not much, but I think we can safely say it was from the left. John Sexton at Hat Hair, Kirk's Shooter Fired from a Roof 200 Yards Away (Update: 2nd Suspect Released). Cathy Salgado at PJM, Fox Reporter Eyewitness Describes Charlie Kirk’s Tragic Assassination, former congressman Jason Chaffetz, who honestly didn't see that much.

Insty cites JEFFREY CARTER: Reflection. First Gutted. Then Angry: Charlie Kirk was Murdered For His Speech. Related: Charlie Kirk @charliekirk11, "You can tell a lot about a person by how they react when someone dies." A long tweety post from Insty, THE KEY WORD IS “CLAIM.” Randy Barnett @RandyEBarnett, "Charlie Kirk was the kind of conservative that progressives claim to like. Calm, rational, substantive, open to respectful engagement with the other side. But they unremittingly demonized him anyway." Ace, in red italics, BREAKING: DEMOCRAT RADICAL SHOOTS CHARLIE KIRK IN THE NECK AT UTAH APPEARANCE SUSPECT IN CUSTODY, KIRK'S CONDITION UNKNOWN, "Update: I saw a close-up of the video. The blood pours out of his neck. I don't want to bring you bad news before it's confirmed, but the odds of him surviving this are extremely low." and MSNBC Guest: Charlie Kirk Brought It On Himself, "You Can't Stop with... Saying These Awful Words and Not Expect Awful Actions to Take Place" "Unbelievable. I recognize this guy, but can't name him. I want a name. I want a name to publish. I think it's Matthew Dowd, ABC "News's" former "political director."" It was Dowd, and he was later fired. Dave Strom at Hat Hair, You Can't Hate MSNBC Enough, Charlie Kirk Edition; UPDATE: Trump Announces Kirk's Passing. Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: MSNBC anchor calls Charlie Kirk "divisive" and "polarizing" after he was shot. This is perhaps the most disgusting response to a political act of violence I've seen on cable TV, ever." Capt. Ed, MSNBC President: Sorry About Slagging Charlie Kirk After His Murder, Or Something; UPDATE: Dowd Fired and Pritzker: I Don't Know Anything About Charlie Kirk's Assassination, but It's Trump's Fault; UPDATE. Twitchy, Sen. Elizabeth Sends Out Her Condolences for Charlie Kirk's Family, But … "She could have stopped there, but she went on a gun control rant for the next four-and-a-half minutes. Oh, and she says about "lowering the temperature" to start with President Donald Trump and his mean tweets." Kurt Schlichter at TownHall, They Murdered Charlie Kirk and They Must Pay. Althouse is not pleased with Trump's rapid assignation of the crime to the left, "It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year..." "The headline prompts us to question Trump's basis for purporting to know what motivated the killer. Maybe we ought to wait until we learn more, and maybe the hateful rhetoric is coming from both sides, and maybe there are leftwing targets of violence. I'm imagining those on the left scurrying to prevent Trump and his allies from controlling the narrative." There are many more links, but enough is enough for now.

Likewise, Althouse doesn't appreciate "We have to be vicious just like they are. It's the only thing they understand." says Trump in response to the NC murder of Iryna Zarutska. JD Vance @JDVance, "Daniel Penny prevented this from happening on a NYC subway. Instead of thanking him, many hated him for it." Matt Walsh @MattWalshBlog "This image will define the new civil rights movement. We have a right to use public accommodations without being butchered in our seats. We have a right to safe communities where violent animals are rounded up and caged. This is not just a local crime. It’s a civil rights issue."Ace, The Only Story In America: Feds Lodge Terrorism Charge Against Democrats' Black the Ripper; Trump Demands Death Penalty; Karoline Leavitt Blasts Democrat Judges, Prosecutors, and "Complict" Democrat Media. "The feds have charged DeCarlos Brown with the federal crime of "Terrorism or other violence resulting in death on a mass transit system." The charge has a maximum penalty of life in prison without the possibility of parole -- or death." PJM's Matt Margolis says I Can't Believe This NYT Headline on the Charlotte Murder Is Real "A Gruesome Murder in North Carolina Ignites a Firestorm on the Right." I can. Sister Toldja at RedState hears 'Crickets': Fed-Up Reporters Go Off As Media Reckoning Over Coverage of Fatal Stabbing Commences. TV News Now @TVNewsNow, " WATCH: Fox News’ Trace Gallagher slams CNN anchors: “Erin Burnett says ‘Trump is now seizing on the video of Zerutska’s murder.’ But shouldn’t somebody seize on it? Shouldn’t somebody seek a solution? Shouldn’t somebody point out the accused killer was arrested 14 times, walked free 14 times, was diagnosed with mental illness while walking free 14 times?”. . . "  Matt Walsh at Da Wire notices The Media Is Outraged That You’re Outraged By The Murder Of An Innocent White Woman, "Until yesterday, CNN and MSNBC hadn't spent even 30 seconds of airtime reporting on it." Dave Strom reads POLITICO: Republicans Seize, Pounce, and Turn Brutal Murder Into Culture War Issue. Tyler O'Neil at Da Signal recounts 7 Horrific Incidents of Violence Against Conservatives. Twitchy, Activist Loons at Restaurant Inadvertently Prove Trump's the Worst Authoritarian Dictator EVER.

The many mugshots of Iryna's killer

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "UPDATE: It’s now been exposed that the Court Clerk for the courthouse that released Iryna Zarutska’s murderer was a “DEI consultant” and “racial equity organizer,” and the superior judge was “DEI champion of the year.”" Tom Knighton at TAW on cashless bail,  We may have made the wrong call. Sarah Hoyt at Insty, HOW WOULD SHE KNOW – DEMS HAVE NEVER TRIED: Democratic Rep. Alma Adams Says We Can’t Stop Crime Like the Charlotte Stabbing by Jailing Criminals. Matt Vespa hears the Killer Reveals Why He Stabbed a Ukrainian Refugee to Death in Charlotte. It's Total Garbage. Of course. He is crazy. The real question is why a violent crazy is allowed to roam free. Disclose.tv @disclosetv, "NEW - The Black career criminal and murderer of Iryna Zarutska now claims the government implanted "materials" in his body that made him commit the heinous crime." It's a high bar, but Dave Strom claims to have found The Dumbest Take on Iryna's Murder: Tim Mak @timkmak, "Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands. Republicans are using the murder of a Ukrainian refugee in the U.S. to further their agenda. We have uncovered that many of them have previously voiced anti-Ukraine views, showing they don’t care about Iryna's life." Right Angle News Network @Rightanglenews and "The official black lives matter account has posted a video stating that black people “have a right to violence” amid mass outrage over the slaying of Iryna Zarutska at the hands of a black male in Charlotte, North Carolina." You cant' say they don't practice what they preach. The Babylon Bee @TheBabylonBee, "Safety-Conscious Passengers Now Donning Full Suits Of Crusader Armor To Ride Public Transit."

Capt. Ed, Hmmm: SCOTUS Expedites Trump Tariff Appeal and New Inflation Indicator Flashes Warning Of ... Deflation? Powell's excuses for keeping interest rates up are getting might thin.

Bonchie at RedState says Whoa: Kamala Harris Unburdens Herself of Joe Biden, Rips Him, Jill, and His Team in New Book. Ace, Kamala Harris, Who Is Entirely Unemployable and Needs Money Badly, Leaks Passages from "Her" Book to Trick the Public Into Thinking She Will Expose the Truth About Biden "But that is all a lie. She is sticking to the Democrat prayerbook that Biden should have stepped down because of the polls, while insisting that he was mentally fit as a fiddle." Stephen Kruiser at PJM thinks the Entire Biden Presidency Was a Fiction From Which We're Still Recovering. "Now the lie has officially collapsed. The Bureau of Labor Statistics just confirmed what President Trump has been saying all along: Biden’s “strong economy” was nothing but smoke and mirrors. On Monday, the BLS issued the largest downward revision in its history, wiping out nearly a million jobs — 911,000 to be exact. That’s not a minor correction; that’s proof Biden’s economic record wasn’t just exaggerated, but was a fraud from the start." 

John Sexton hears Shutdown Chatter Growing Louder on the Left. Please doan throw us in dat briar patch.

Eric Daugherty @EricLDaugh, "BREAKING: Democrats just blocked the passage of an Orange County California measure that would have removed "non-humans" from the voter rolls. Uhh...WHY?!"

From the College Fix, Two Alabama universities caught in undercover videos admitting to DEI despite law.

The Wombat has posted Rule 5 Sunday: Karin Hart at the usual time and place.