Probably not somebody you want working with students.
Regardless of how you feel about Charlie Kirk’s political views, it should go without saying that shooting somebody because you disagree with them should never be acceptable in the United States of America. Silencing those with opposing views is one of the key components of fascism, which is what those who oppose Charlie’s views claim to be fighting against.
That’s why it was so tragic when Kirk was assassinated yesterday during a stop on his The American Comeback tour at Utah Valley University.
Graphic video from the tragic scene showed a single shot striking Kirk in the neck before he fell to the ground and the crowd went running. As of right now, it doesn’t appear that any suspect in custody, though the FBI confirming this morning that they recovered a weapon and have surveillance footage of the shooter.
Kirk, whose full name was Charles James Kirk, was an American conservative political activist, author, and media personality. He was famously known for being a founder of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses. And he was also a devout Christian, often speaking about his faith and belief in Biblical values.
The popular political pundit was famous for traveling around to various college campuses, speaking to students on political topics. Given his outward right-wing views, his events often attracted many left-wing attendees anxious to debate or argue, and he was often the subject of protests and criticism from the left, though he encouraged thoughtful debate over violence and arguments.
Unfortunately, because of the times we live in, there were plenty of people who took to social media to celebrate the horrific assassination simply because they disagreed with his political views. And one of those people was the Assistant Dean of Students for Middle Tennessee State University, located in Murfreesboro just outside of Nashville.
In a Facebook post, Laura Sosh-Lightsy says that Charlie “spoke his fate into existence” and that she has “hate begets hate.”
“Looks like ol’ Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.”
And after receiving criticism, she doubled down:
“Yep. Hate begets hate. Still no sympathy. You get back what you put into the world tenfold.”
Well it didn’t take long for her disgusting comments to go viral, even catching the attention of Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, who called for Sosh-Lightsy to be removed from her position:
And it didn’t take long before the university to take action.
Late last night, MTSU posted a statement to social media from university president Dr. Sidney McPhee confirming that the dean had been fired:
“An MTSU employee today offered inappropriate and callous comments on social media concerning the horrific and tragic murder of Charlie Kirk. The comments by this employee, who worked in a position of trust directly with students, were inconsistent with our values and have undermined the university’s credibility and reputation with our students, faculty, staff and the community at large.
This employee has been fired effective immediately. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Kirk family.”
Unfortunately, all too many companies have had to issue similar statements over the past 24 hours, which is a pretty sad reflection of the times we’re living in.
