Dr Jordan Peterson & Victor Davis Hanson talk to & about Charlie Kirk

There are times when the world is too much with us, and this weekend was one of those times. The tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, cut down by a loonie leftist for daring to talk about his beliefs, filled my mind as well as the ether. I needed time to process what I was seeing, hearing and reading. 

Rather than add my pitiful two cents worth, I'm reposting two excellent videos which appeared on YouTube. The first, featuring Victor Davis Henson talking about Charlie (I want to remember him as Charlie, not "Mr Kirk") with Hugh Hewitt, appeared on the 11th. The second is an interview with Charlie conducted by Dr Jordan Peterson on 19 March 2025. 

The two videos, combined, give you all you need to know about Charlie, who is already being referred to, rightly, as a political, even a religious martyr. RIP. We send a big thank-you to Agent 6, for taking on Ed.'s role and providing us with the URLs.

Charlie Kirk had many friends and admirers, among them Victor Davis Hanson, who joined me today to talk about Charlie, what moved him, and what his assassination could portend for the U.S. Victor’s new book “The End of Everything” is the somber backdrop to yesterday tragedy.

Dr. Jordan B. Peterson engages in conversation with Charlie Kirk -- author, speaker, and founder and CEO of Turning Point USA. They delve into his emergence as a leading voice in the Conservative movement, his choice to bypass traditional higher education, and the early indicators of ideological bias in academia. 

The discussion also addresses how the university system has not only tilted toward the hyper-feminine but has transformed into a large-scale scam. Additionally, they examine academia’s departure from timeless questions of good and evil, faith, and foundational philosophy, to a focus on Marxist economics and cultural capture. 

In addition to his role at Turning Point USA, Charlie also served as the CEO and founder of Turning Point Action, a related entity operating under a 501(c)(4) status. Turning Point Action’s mission is to embolden the conservative base through grassroots activism and to provide voters with the necessary resources to elect true conservative leaders. Turning Point Action has earned recognition as one of the leading grassroots forces in the country today.

Remembering the martyrs of Tiananmen Square

It is not only Christians who are persecuted to the point of martyrdom in Communist China. (See "World Day of Prayer for the Catholic Church in China", WWW 24/5/21.) Nor Uyghurs, who are being herded into "re-education schools" reminiscent of the worst excesses of Nazi Germany. Ordinary Chinese -- students, workers, and other "plain people" -- have been struggling against the might of the Communist police state for decades. 

Many have given up their lives in the fight for democracy and freedom. Today let us pause for a moment to remember those who, were killed by the "People's Liberation Army" (sic), in what is known as the Tiananmen Square Massacre (天安门大屠杀). 

32 years ago today, troops armed with assault rifles and accompanied by tanks fired at the demonstrators and those trying to block the military's advance into Bejing's Tiananmen Square. The protests started on April 15th and were forcibly suppressed on June 4th, when the Communist government declared martial law and sent the PLA to occupy parts of central Beijing. Estimates of the death toll vary from several hundred to several thousand, with thousands more wounded.

Today in Hong Kong, now a "special economic zone" (read: colony) of the People's Republic of China, police arrested an organizer of the annual candlelight vigil commemorating what the Commies call "the June 4th incident". People were warned not to attend the event, banned by the pro-Communist city government in an attempt to silence pro-democracy voices.

This is the second yeare the vigil has been prohibited. Last year, authorities were quick to blame the ban on the risks of large crowds gathering during the Kung flu pandemic. That excuse won't wash this year. It's just part of the Communists' continuing campaign to control the once-free city, including a new national security law, election changes and arrests of many activists who participated in the "yellow umbrella" pro-democracy protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019.

Hong Kong had been the last place in China where the massacre was publicly commemorated. In past years tens of thousands of people gathered in Victoria Park to honour the victims who died when the Communist Chinese military put down student-led pro-democracy protests. In Tiananmen Square itself this morning, security was increased and police checked identities of pedestrians while tour buses shuttled Chinese tourists onto the square as on any other day.

But, dear reader, it's not just another day. Please take a moment to remember and, if you're so inclined, pray for those who have suffered and are still suffering under the yoke of Communist imperialism. Today Hong Kong, tomorrow east Asia. And then, the rest of the world!

VIDEOS: A day to remember men who died for doing what was right

The world somehow got through "Juneteenth" (the new Kwanzaa, i.e. a totally bogus "thing" made up by the left) without any major disturbances (as far as we know here in the backwater), so let us turn our attention to a Holy Day worth celebrating -- the feast day of Saint Thomas More, Saint John Fisher, and other English martyrs who lost their heads -- literally -- for the One True Faith.

For those who don't know the story of how St. Thomas stood up to King Henry VIII when the king defied the Roman Catholic Church and declared himself head of the schismatic Church of England, in order to obtain a divorce and remarry, I recommend A Man For All Seasons, the award-winning 1966 film directed by Fred Zinnemann, starring Paul Scofied and Leo McKern. Here's the trailer.



The screenplay and the play on which it is based were written by Robert Bolt. Here is a quote which should be borne in mind by all those who are jumping on the present-day anti-everything bandwagon, in both the Church and the State, because "everone else is doing it."

Duke of Norfolk: Damn it, Thomas, look at those names.... You know those men! Can't you do what I did, and come with us, for fellowship?
More: And when we stand before God, and you are sent to Paradise for doing according to your conscience, and I am damned for not doing according to mine, will you come with me, for fellowship?

But wait, there's more... Thanks to a tip from one of our agents, whose patron is St. Thomas More, we have this excellent commentary on the film by Father Victor Feltes, who provides some insight into the connection between St. Thomas and St. John Fisher, along with other interesting takeaways from the film. Just under 6 minutes; check it out.

Saint Thomas More, in all seasons, pray for us!

About Saint Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is "Valentine's Day". Don't expect any hearts and flowers from Walt. [How about chocolates, then? Ed.] "Valentine's Day" is a crass and commercial secularization of the feast of Saint Valentine (Latin: Valentinius), Priest and Martyr.

All that is reliably known about the Saint is his name and that he was martyred and buried at a cemetery north of Rome, on the Via Flaminia, close to the Milvian bridge, on February 14th. A popular hagiographical account of Saint Valentine of Rome states that he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire.

According to legend, during his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. An embellishment to this story states that before his execution he wrote her a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell. Whether or not this is true cannot be known seventeen centuries later. What is certain is that St. Valentine has been associated since the High Middle Ages with a tradition of courtly love.

What is more important is that he was martyred for his belief in the One True Faith. That is why the heart associated with holiday, and with love, is red -- the red blood of the heart of the Holy Martyr.

The good father(s) who write the Traditio blog note that the modern Roman Catholic Church has deleted from its liturgical calendar not only St. Valentine, but also St. Christopher, St. Blaise, St. George, St. Barbara, St. Catherine, and 200 other Saints who had been venerated in the Church for some two millennia. Curiously, the Anglican and Lutheran sects, as well as our separated Orthodox brethren, still venerate Valentine as a Saint.

And that, dear readers, is what St. Valentine's Day is all about.

VIDEO: Media, Obama ignoring world war against Christianity: Sen. Rand Paul

"From Boston to Zanzibar, there's a worldwide war on Christianity," Senator Rand Paul told the Values Voter Summit in Washington on October 11th. Yet, he charged, the fanatical Muslim attacks on Christians are being studiously ignored by the mainstream media and the Obama administration.

Here are some quotes, as published in The Blaze, following which we have the video of Senator Rand's address. (Running time, 19:10)

"Christians are being attacked around the world, but you won’t hear much about it on the evening news because the answer’s not convenient," Mr. Paul said. "It doesn’t fit the narrative we have been told about radical Islam. The president tries to gloss over who’s attacking and killing Christians. The media describes the killings as sectarian. But the truth is, a worldwide war on Christians is being waged by a fanatical element of Islam.

"Elsewhere in Syria, Islamic rebels have filmed beheadings of their captives," the Republican senator from Kentucky continued. "They’ve filmed themselves eating the heart of their enemy. Two Christian bishops have been kidnapped, and one priest was recently killed. These rebels are allies of the Islamic rebels that President Obama is now arming. We are now arming Islamic rebels who are allied with Al Qaeda that attacked us on 9/11. Does that make any sense at all?"
[Shouts of "No!" from the audience.]

"American tax dollars should never be spent to prop up a war on Christianity," he continued. "But that’s what’s happening now across the globe. As Christians, we should take a stand and fight against any of your tax dollars funding any persecution of Christians."

Sen. Paul cited a Pew Research poll that found 21% of Egyptians, 15% of Jordanians, and 13% percent of Pakistani Muslims find terrorism acceptable. And he mentioned a Daily Telegraph survey which found that over 100,000 Muslims in Britain supported the London subway bombings.

"It’s a minority to be sure," he said, "but if you add up the numbers in just three countries...over 40 million Muslims sympathize with violence against Christians.... Radical Islam will end only when Islam begins to police itself. Only then will knowledge [and] enlightenment begin to glow and grow [and] religious violence will recede."

Martyr in waiting needs your prayers

On November 26th Walt told you about the case of Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman convicted of blasphemy under the Sharia law of Pakistan.

She was spared from death only through the protests of Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti, both martyred just a few days ago, and a few other brave souls who dared to stand up for their faith and for religious freedom against Muslim extremists bound on exterminating all Christians.

Now Ms Bibi -- who is still facing a sentence of death -- has given an interview in which she speaks of her "pain and concern" following the death of Mr Bhatti, a Catholic cabinet minister who had sought to amend the blasphemy laws.

In the article on the UCANews website, Ms Bibi says she is still afraid that she could be the next target of violent Islamic groups. Posters have appeared inside the jail showing images of Taseer and Bhatti with a large question mark and the threatening phrase “Who will be next?”

Although the Pakistani government has been under pressure to show clemency in her case, Muslim militants have announced that they will kill her if she is freed. They are reportedly planning a "million Muslim march" in support of the anti-Christian blasphemy laws. Click here for details from Winds of Jihad.

According to her lawyer, Ms Bibi says that part of her hope died with Bhatti, but there are other things that give her hope: visits from her children, and the support of all Christians in Pakistan and around the world.

Please keep Asia Bibi and all Christians persecuted in Muslim countries -- not forgetting "secular" India -- in your prayers.

Catholics in China -- follow-up

In "Catholicism under fire in China" (Nov. 18) I reported on the Communist Chinese government's plan to call a meeting of the "National Assembly of Catholic Representatives" before the end of 2010.

The ostensible purpose of the meeting is to elect a new president of the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association (CPCA), the schismatic puppet "church" set up by the Reds after the revolution of 1949. Understand the real meaning. The "president" of the CPCA is called (by the Communists) the head of the Catholic Church in China. That, of course, is the vilest heresy. There can only be one head of the Church, and that is the Vicar of Christ, His Holiness the Pope.

No Catholic, and especially no Catholic bishop, can give even the appearance of assent to the claim of the Communist appointee to be head of the Church, not even in his own country. It's on a par to Henry VIII's claim to have made himself head of the Church in England. St. Thomas More, St. John Fisher and many other martyrs met a cruel and horrible death for speaking the truth to Henry VIII's power -- the truth being that the English king had not the power to take the place of the pope.

To avoid having anything to do with the illegal and heretical election, some of the Chinese bishops have gone into hiding in order to avoid attending the meeting. Othere are attending -- some because they have been forcibly transported to Beijing, according to AsiaNews -- but will refuse to concelebrate with those state-appointed bishops who are not in communion with the Holy See.

Please continue to pray for the bishops, priests and lay people of China who face imprisonment, torture, even martyrdom, for their loyalty to the One True Church and the Chair of St. Peter.

Catholics in Pakistan -- follow-up

On November 26th I wrote about Asia Bibi, a Christian Pakistani woman who had been sentenced to death for blasphemy against Islam. Her case was under appeal, and there was some talk at the time, that the anti-blasphemy might be changed before the appeal was heard, to let her off the hook. (As she was sentenced to death so "off the hook" is putting it too lightly.)

However, the High Court at Lahore has now ordered the Pakistani government not to change the nation’s blasphemy law before the court hears the appeal, so it's still quite possible Ms Bibi may feel the sting of the executioner's sword.

Meanwhile, terrorist organizations associated with the Taliban have issued a fatwa against Shabhaz Bhatti, Pakistan's minister for religious minorities (sic), who is himself a Catholic. Mr. Bhatti is -- or was -- leading a commission that would have considered changes to the blasphemy law.

On Monday, ZENIT, a Catholic news service, ran an interview with another Pakistani Christian, Shaheryar Gill. Mr Gill is associate counsel to the American Center for Law and Justice. Here, Mr. Gill speaks of the effects of Pakistan's blasphemy law.

"20 years or more of the blasphemy law in Pakistan has instilled in people that punishment for insulting Islam is death. So, rather than going to the court, people have taken the law into their own hands.

"There was an attack on a village in Kasur by a Muslim mob where hundreds of Muslims attacked a Christian village of 135 families. The triggering event was a blasphemy charge. There was a dispute between a Christian and a Muslim.

"A Christian was driving his tractor and he saw a motorbike standing in the middle of the road. He asked the owner of the motorbike to please move so that he could pass. The owner said to the Christian with the tractor: 'How could a "Chuhra" [a derogatory term for a Christian] tell him what to do'? Over this they had a little fight. Some people intervened and stopped the fight and everybody went home.

"After a few hours a Muslim family gathered other people and attacked and beat the Christian family. The next day they announced in the mosque that a Christian desecrated the Quran. A mob gathered and attacked 135 families of that village just because of a petty fight between two people."

Let's be clear. We are talking about people who are being killed for no other reason than their belief in Christianity. They are dying for their Faith. The Church has a name for such people. It's MARTYRS.

Latest Asian Christian Martyrs

AsiaNews has another disturbing report from Vietnam. On July 26th, in the northern city of Vinh, Father Peter Nguyen The Bin was savagely beaten by police and gangs acting on their orders. The priest was beaten into a coma, then defenestrated -- thrown from a hospital window.

On the same day, Father Paul Nguyen Dinh Phu was taken to a hospital in Dong Hoi with broken ribs and head injuries. A statement from the Diocese of Vinh denounces police and gangs of thugs for their savage attacks on anyone who dares to do as little as wear a cross or other Catholic religious symbol. When we say "anyone", we mean even women and children. In one gruesome incident, thugs savagely beat a woman, Nguyen Thi Yen and her child, aged only 9 years.

TESTIMONY OF AN EYE-WITNESS -- Read Sister Emily Nguyen's report from Vinh diocese, Catholic World News feature story.

Meanwhile, in North Korea, a female member of an evangelical Protestant sect has been executed for the heinous crime of distributing Bibles.

Let it be remembered that Vietnam and North Korea are both totalitarian communist regimes. It is communist policy -- thus the policy of the governments of those and other communist countries -- to destroy Christianity. And they are doing it "one Christian at a time".