I saw a man die today.
Charlie was his name.
He spoke his mind.
Some liked him. Some hated him. He'd talk to you either way. Hand out stretched. A conversation invite.
He spoke bold. No holds barred.
Charlie said:
"There is no excuse for murder, period. We believe that in the West."
He talked straight:
"Political radicalism is a catalyst. Political radicalism doesn't come out of peace, prosperity and rising wages, stable families, church attendance and happy people. Happy people, grateful people, do not get behind Vladimir Lenin. And they certainly do not get behind Chavez or Castro. People that own nothing, who feel like their property is diminishing, or they don't have property, or their dollar's diminishing in value, they start to look for alternatives. The political project in front of us should be 'how do we de-radicalize the country in the next couple of years?' That's my obsession. It is my number one obsession because I know what's coming next."
He understood:
"When people stop talking that's when violence happens."
The conversation stopped. His life, taken.
A husband. A father. A son. A brother. A man.
Flawed. Imperfect. Human.
They killed him. His ideas live.
Don't stop talking.