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Floor Speech
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Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, 13 years ago, an inspired and patriotic 18-year-old by the name of Charlie Kirk launched a political organization. He wanted to identify, train, and organize students to engage in American politics. His dynamism, his tenacity, and his convictions helped inspire a generation.
Charlie Kirk was participating in the very American act of political dialogue when he was assassinated. He was a husband, a son, a father-- had two little children--and he was murdered in broad daylight. It is horrifying. It is very disheartening not only for me but I know many young people.
Tragically, it is all too common. Charlie Kirk isn't the only political figure to be impacted by violence. In recent years, he has just been added to the list of people like Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, Congressman Steve Scalise, Minnesota House speaker Melissa Hortman, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and, of course, President Donald Trump.
No matter our political beliefs, all of us should be able to affirm a simple truth: that violence against political figures is unacceptable. It is actually anti-American, period. It is an attack upon our very values. It is an attack upon our Republic.
Our level of sympathy should not depend on the political views of the person who violence has been perpetrated against. Our level of outrage should not depend on the political views of the victim or the perpetrator.
In our great country, we settle disagreements with ballots, not bullets. The way to combat speech you don't like is with more speech, not less speech. This makes us better, sharper, and more American. That is what Charlie Kirk was doing when he was assassinated.
It might seem unnecessary to say these things in the wake of an assassination, but the tragic reality is that not every American believes what I just said; not everybody believes these statements are true. A recent YouGov poll found that only 72 percent of Americans said that political violence is always wrong, and 11 percent said that political violence can sometimes be justified. Eleven percent of people think that it is justifiable to commit political violence. That number shocks the conscience. Let that sink in. The people who believe that are siding with the bad guys.
We must reverse this trend. We must make sure that political violence isn't normal, that it is not accepted. Each of us has a role to play in that. Each of us can be a part of restoring American civic virtue.
We need to focus on what we know to be good and true. Let's spend more time in prayer. Let's spend more time outdoors rather than on our phones or our devices. Let's spend more time getting to know our neighbors and investing in our community. Let's relearn civil discourse. Civil discourse sharpens our arguments and makes us better, and it is better for our communities. It is what makes us human and what makes us American. The civil discourse in our great Republic is what makes us great.
There is no time to waste, and we all have a role.
God bless Charlie Kirk, his wife Erika, and their children. May Charlie rest in peace.
Now, Mr. President, I would like to say a prayer not just for Charlie but for our entire country.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: And I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
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