Several columns ago, I used the phrase, “Thunder without sound,” when writing about our First Lady, Melania Trump. After my wife, two good friends, and I toured Auschwitz, I hope you’ll allow me to reuse that phrase, albeit slightly changed.

Auschwitz doesn’t whisper, shout, or mumble; it’s a quiet explosion rocking the foundation of my soul. I walked through our tour with an open mind, allowing it to flow rudderlessly to shape an outline for me to express in a way I hope makes sense. However, to properly share my thoughts, I’ll need to break this down into a few parts.

There was a strong sense of irony as we entered the camp, disembarking in the same area that victims did around 85 years ago, except we knew what to expect. The air felt different as we entered through the gates, almost as though it remembered. The weather truly fit the mood: windy, cold, rainy, as if we needed a reminder of what occurred there.

Then the barracks, the long rows of brick, standing like mute witnesses refusing to look away. When we entered them, it hit me, it wasn’t sadness, although that was there, it was rage. Unrestricted, boiling rage.

I was furious when looking at the selection lines, where men sitting in uniforms holding clipboards, deciding on the fly which prisoner would be healthy enough to work, and those who didn’t died a cruel death minutes later.

I felt tremendous rage towards the officers who carried out orders with German precision, with polished boots and a cold resolve. Rage at wives kissing their husbands goodbye, unsure if they would ever see them again, even though the SS soldiers told them they needed to shower off the dust of the long railroad ride. Rage at the local neighbors who saw trains packed with souls, heard cries, smelled the smoke, and decided to stick their heads into the ground. To them, silence was much safer than defiance.

The husband of the couple brought this up afterward, during a quiet lunch, the pejorative word, “Nazi.” Because of our tour today, I will never be able to connect that word uttered by idiots in America to what I witnessed. President Donald Trump and his cabinet aren’t Nazis when they’re working to restore our government, fix a broken education system, or clean up a nest of entrenched bureaucrats in the CDC.

No, the barracks made history books lie when calling this history an atrocity or tragedy, words too soft and sterile to describe what happened accurately. What occurred wasn’t a tragedy; it was a choice, not an accident of war but an enterprise of extermination, the result of an industry of evil, designed and maintained by people who enjoyed dinners with their families after a day of murder.

People casually tossing around that word will never have the bravery to face an evil that took the face of Nazis, because if they did, they would hopefully look themselves in the mirror and resolve never to use that word in anger again.

Yeah, right.

The Machinery of Murder

It took the Nazis a few years to transform chaos into order; trains arrived on time, families divided left or right based on a nod from a camp doctor, a chance for life when chosen for labor, or an immediate death. Bureaucrats dictated who worked until collapse and who walked straight into gas chambers disguised as showers.

It’s nearly impossible to estimate the number of people on the planet who believe the Holocaust was nothing more than a myth. The rage in me ebbed when looking at the evidence that’ still there, especially in its ordinariness: Shoes piled high, still laced, neatly labeled suitcases because the victims were told that they’d retrieve them later — they expected relocation, not annihilation. What nearly put me over the edge was the sight of roughly two tons of preserved human hair. Something I didn’t know was that the Nazis shaved the heads of men and women, primarily women, and kept the hair for industrial uses, typically woven into fabric used for felt and stuffed inside mattresses.

The Nazis felt pride in their efficiency, where industrial-scale murder ran like a factory line. Engineers designed crematoria, and doctors performed selection using the same detachment they would use when diagnosing illness.

The trains continued rolling, while the killing kept up with them. Civilization didn’t collapse; it simply inverted itself: Knowledge, science, law, and order remained intact, yet severed from conscience.

For the first few years Auschwitz opened, the Nazis took ID photos of all incoming prisoners. Looking at the eyes of the people who defied with their eyes struck home for me. The people in those pictures were of the era of my parents and grandparents; it was impossible for me to see my loved ones standing in front of those cameras.

That’s why the barracks left me furious, because the horror wasn’t the product of monsters from another world: It was men and women belonging to a civilization stripped of their souls.

The Neighbors’ Silence

Evil on this scale requires more than the executioners, making the complicity harder to bear than the perpetrator’s uniforms. This evil demands silence from the neighboring world, which saw ash drifting from chimneys, looking the other way, while others convinced themselves they didn’t know: The rest preferred the relative safety of silence to the perils of truth.

The screams from Auschwitz carry across time, yelling that evil doesn’t grow in secret, it grows in plain sight, and “decent” people decide it’s somebody else’s problem.

A Warning Hidden in Anger

I didn’t walk out of the barracks feeling lighter, but shocked and sad, while carrying the weight of fury, including a warning buried inside. Auschwitz dares you to prove that you would have stood up while others looked away.

The temptation to remain silent in evil’s face didn’t die at the end of World War II. Proving that the world still watches atrocities, calling them “complex conflicts,” the bureaucrats continue inventing euphemisms like “complex conflicts” to avoid responsibility, so when neighbors heard cries, they were able to pretend they didn’t hear anything.

Auschwitz doesn’t only belong to history; it’s the mirror held up to us, asking if we continue remaining silent.

Final Thoughts

Even though Auschwitz is a memorial, I don’t think it’s an opportunity for reflection; it demands confrontation. Barracks aren’t relics; they’re accusations reminding us that civilization is a fragile thing, where ordinary people build Hell when conscience is stripped away, and silence is as deadly as complicity.

I wasn’t moved to tears when I walked out; I was moved to fury because anger is the only honest response to standing where mankind decided that sitting was a safer path for them. I felt the camp figured that efficiency mattered more than mercy.

This fury must never fade, or else the barracks stands ready to welcome new victims, except now they’re built with the hands of contemporaries who continue to forget their humanity.

Why PJ Media Exists

Columns like this one are why PJ Media exists. The legacy press would rather water down the truth with euphemisms and academic detachment. We will not. We speak plainly, because history demands it. At PJ Media, we confront hard realities with honesty, even when it hurts. If you believe in telling the truth without compromise—whether it’s about politics, history, or the threats we face now—then you belong with us.

Join PJ Media VIP today and help us keep fighting against silence, against whitewash, and against the cultural amnesia that lets evil thrive.

Subscribe here and stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

Dave Manney is a PJ Media columnist known for calm, clear-eyed writing rooted in moral clarity and everyday experience. A former journalist and technical writer, he explores corruption, cultural drift, and political hypocrisy without resorting to theatrics or using talking points.

Manney blends historical insight with grounded storytelling, often drawing from life in the Midwest, his dog Watson, and the quiet moments most writers overlook. His work reflects a core belief: what you do when no one’s watching still matters.

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The Utah County Commission has approved an agreement naming Kathryn N. Nester as lead defense counsel for Tyler Robinson, the man charged with capital murder in the killing of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, the Deseret News reported.

Nester is a seasoned Utah trial lawyer with decades of experience handling complex criminal and capital cases.

Robinson appeared via video from the Utah County Jail during a 4th District Court hearing in Provo last Tuesday, where he is being held without bail. He remained expressionless as Judge Tony Graf read the charges.

Graf appointed the public defender’s office to handle the case but did not immediately name a specific attorney. Greg Skordas, a veteran Utah defense attorney and co-host of KSL NewsRadio’s “Inside Sources,” appeared on behalf of Utah County at Robinson’s first court hearing.

Alert: Carry Charlie Kirk’s Torch of Truth… Read More Here.

Before entering private practice as a founding partner of Nester & Lewis PLLC, Nester served as executive director of the Federal Public Defender Office for the District of Utah, where she managed federal capital and high-stakes criminal defense.

She is known for meticulous case preparation and expertise in death-penalty litigation.

Nester will oversee Robinson’s defense as prosecutors weigh seeking the death penalty, a process requiring intensive pretrial investigation and specialized mitigation work.

Prosecutors say Robinson fired a fatal single shot to the neck of Kirk, co-founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, on Sept. 10 during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem.

Mark Swanson, Newsmax

Swedish professional protester Greta Thunberg and supporters now traveling in a 51-vessel convoy to Hamas-terrorist controlled Gaza have a problem. Opponents have hijacked their radios and communications systems to play ABBA on repeat and block out any other comms within the anti-Israel fleet.

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) alleges the ongoing radio jamming incidents using the mellifluous tones of the legendary Swedish super group to be the work of an Israeli attack.

Mamma Mia! Greta’s Gaza Flotilla Flooded with ABBA Music on Repeat as Radios Hijacked 2 BARCELONA, SPAIN – AUGUST 31: Greta Thunberg waves as she greets people while sailing on tMario Wurzburger/Getty Simon Kent25 Sep 202566 2:30 Swedish professional protester Greta Thunberg and supporters now traveling in a 51-vessel convoy to Hamas-terrorist controlled Gaza have a problem. Opponents have hijacked their radios and communications systems to play ABBA on repeat and block out any other comms within the anti-Israel fleet.

The Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF) alleges the ongoing radio jamming incidents using the mellifluous tones of the legendary Swedish super group to be the work of an Israeli attack.

“We are witnessing these psychological operations first-hand, right now, but we will not be intimidated,” they added. “Sumud” in Arabic means “steadfastness” or “steadfast perseverance,” NBC News reports.

The protesters were subjected to hours of relentless playing of ‘Lay All Your Love On Me’ by the pop band – in a possible nod to Thunberg’s own nationality, the outlet confirmed.

Multiple ships in the activist’s flotilla are understood to be targeted by the intrusions, GB News reports.

“They’re jamming our radio,” Yasemin Acar, a member of the GSF, despaired in a video while ABBA blasted in the background.

“We don’t know where this is coming from, the sound, but other vessels are experiencing the same thing.”

Simon Kent, Breitbart

Nicole Sirotek, founder of American Frontline Nurses, shared the tragic story of a pregnant woman who allegedly overdosed on Tylenol in an attempt to “prove Trump wrong” Nicole Sirotek, founder of American Frontline Nurses, claimed that she received a frantic 4 a.m. call from a distraught husband whose pregnant wife is now on a ventilator after overdosing on Tylenol.

According to Sirotek, the woman, who was between 23 and 25 weeks pregnant, attempted to ingest massive amounts of Tylenol in an effort to “prove Donald Trump wrong” after his recent remarks linking acetaminophen use during pregnancy to autism.

As The Gateway Pundit reported, President Trump on Monday announced that the use of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can increase the risk of autism when used by pregnant women.

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Tylenol is tied to autism, ADHD, and liver toxicity in children.

“Today, the FDA will issue a physician’s notice about the risk of acetaminophen during pregnancy and begin the process to initiate a safety label change,” Secretary Kennedy said. “There is a potential association between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes, including later diagnosis for ADHD and autism.”

Following the historic announcement, pregnant leftists took to TikTok to mock Trump and RFK Jr.’s warning about the drug. As one will see, X users collected several videos of these snarky libs popping Tylenol pills while acting like they’re performing some act of defiance.

Talk about the height of arrogance with little regard for the little human being inside of them.

In a post on X, Sirotek wrote:

“Got a frantic call at 4am from a husband who was given my phone number via someone who had it. His pregnant wife is now on a ventilator dying of liver failure trying to “prove” that Tylenol doesn’t cause autism since this is trending in TikTok.

He know has to make to make the tough decision to try and save an unborn baby that may not survive outside the womb at an approx gestation of 23-25wks. At the same time his wife won’t survive through the week and will never get to meet her baby

This behavior is ridiculous. This woman hated Trump so much because of the HARVARD STUDY on Tylenol and Autism she ultimately killed herself by overdosing on Tylenol to try and “prove Trump wrong.”

Her baby may not even survive either Her husband now may lose his entire family because of the craziness of liberal women chasing TikTok clout with TDS.””

In a follow-up video, Sirotek shared chilling details:

Sirotek: “It’s going to be 6:00 AM, finally. For those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter, I recommend that you do. I got a very frantic call at 4:00 in the morning from a husband whose wife is now dying of liver failure on a ventilator in an ICU because she was trying to prove that Tylenol doesn’t cause autism—because of what Trump said. Mind you, that’s a Harvard study.

Now, whether or not you believe the Harvard study is not the issue here. The issue is that she’s somewhere between 23 to 25 weeks, and she overdosed on Tylenol. She’s going to die. She’s not going to come off that ventilator.

The guy got my phone number from somebody. Somebody gave it to him. I mean, guys, it’s early in the morning. I’m still in Hello Kitty sweatpants at the gym trying to work out. She’s going to die.

Let me tell you something about Tylenol overdosing and death: if you aren’t administered the antidote, it is a very slow and painful death. Tylenol—as well as Benadryl and Aspirin—are the three most common OTCs that people will typically try to unalive themselves with, so don’t get censored.

But now people are just taking massive amounts of Tylenol to prove Trump wrong. I mean, weren’t these the same people who put Harvard and Fauci and the pillars of science on a pedestal? And now they refuse to believe it.

I don’t believe it’s going to do it either, but I’m also not going to go overdose on Tylenol. And it’s just so sad because he has to make the choice of them going and trying to emergency deliver this baby—and the baby may not survive.

The baby is going to spend a long time in the NICU. Hopefully, the baby will survive. Remember, guys, premies have complications even if they do survive. I didn’t ask him if he had more children. Let’s say this woman did. They have more children, but now they’ve lost their mother.

The baby’s not going to grow up with the mom. He’s lost his whole life if this baby dies too—all because of TikTok challenges. Everybody wants… well, not everybody, but maybe these crazy liberal women. They literally hate Trump so bad that she killed herself and her baby, potentially.

I’m just like—I don’t even have words for this because it’s such a waste of life.

It’s such a waste of life. This was a preventable situation. This situation didn’t even have to exist. It wasn’t like she woke up and was in a car accident, or something fell off a building and killed her. She willfully did this herself.

I don’t know. What are you guys saying? I’ve got to stay off TikTok because that’s all the nonsense I keep seeing right now. I’m going to try and hopefully finish my workout in my Hello Kitty sweatpants now that I’m done helping. Well, I mean, probably not done helping this guy—he keeps calling.

But I don’t know. Pray for these people, folks. Pray for them. They need help.”

WATCH:

The Gateway Pundit cannot independently verify Sirotek’s claims.

Skeptics online pressed Sirotek to verify the story, asking why mainstream media has ignored it.

“I would love to talk to the news about this situation and what is going on in hospitals. Remember I was the one who told everyone about what was going on in the hospitals in 2020. I was also the one who warned everyone about remdesivir and the Covid shot killing kids before the doctors finally caught on.

I would love to go on @joerogan and let him know considering he’s had every doctor in but won’t get back to me. Or how about @jordan.b.peterson who has also spoke with the doctors but not the nurses? I had a scheduled phone call with him when he was on a book tour in Brussels which he missed.

Or how about @tuckercarlson and his @tuckercarlsonnetwork? I’ve reached out to him and his network as well. Once again, he has spoken to the doctors but not the nurses. ’m down to talk to anyone that will listen, they just don’t want to listen to me because I’m “just a nurse”

Screenshot Sirotek also responded to another comment that medical privacy laws prevent her from releasing identifying details without the husband’s consent.

Screenshot According to the FDA and medical authorities, Tylenol (the brand name for acetaminophen) can cause overdose, which can lead to serious — even life-threatening — harm.

Aside from the fact that it can cause autism and ADHD, the FDA stated on its website:

Taking too much acetaminophen, also known as an acetaminophen overdose, is unsafe and can lead to liver failure and death. FDA has previously communicated to the public about how too much acetaminophen can lead to severe liver damage.

That is why the agency has taken steps to reduce the risk of overdose by limiting the amount of acetaminophen allowed in prescription drugs, requiring label changes for over-the-counter drugs containing acetaminophen, and requiring manufacturers to take certain actions for prescription drugs containing acetaminophen.

Jim Hoft, Gateway Pundit

As scary as a nut job with a gun can be, a disarmed population is a hell of a lot scarier.

*******

This is not satire. I am utterly speechless. Read on:

Violet Affleck, the 19-year-old undergraduate daughter of Hollywood’s Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, addressed the United Nations on Tuesday and demanded an immediate return of personal masks to combat coronavirus.

The first-year student at Yale’s Davenport College was appearing as part of an event titled Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action.

She was introduced as “a youth advocate, [the] voice of gen Z, [a] climate champion and [a] clean indoor air advocate” and wore a K95 mask plus goggles for the entire time she stood at the U.N. podium. [From Breitbart 9-24-25]

Daddy Ben Affleck must be so proud. Oh, that’s right; he’s a totalitarian too.

*******

Treasury’s Bessent warns NYC: No bailout under Communist Mamdani if he’s elected mayor; Bessent says Mamdani can “drop dead.”

Drop dead, New York City. Finance your own Communist starvation.

*******

Trump’s Justice Department weighing whether to charge former FBI Director James Comey, sources say.

They’re talking perjury — if we’re lucky. It should be treason. Easily. Death penalty. Anything less for this ruthless scumbag, and we’re not a country.

*******

“On Wednesday, as Breitbart News is reporting, a gunman opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Dallas, Texas, leaving one migrant detainee dead and two others in critical condition.”

So let me get this straight: In order to help people who entered the US illegally, you shoot at the officers detaining them — and kill the people you claim to be helping. And then congratulate yourself for being virtuous.

That’s leftism and Communism–in a nutshell.

Michael J. Hurd, Daily Dose of Reason

Donald Trump is now President of the United States for a second term, having survived an unprecedented campaign of lawfare that has included no fewer than four criminal prosecutions, two state and two federal, brought during the four years that he was out of office. All were brought by highly partisan Democratic Party prosecutors.

The four prosecutions of Trump are all now essentially dead. However, much of the process of killing off these prosecutions has occurred either since Trump’s re-election, or only because of the fortuity of Trump getting enough appointments to the Supreme Court during his first four years in office to have an effective majority on that Court.

To get an idea of how things might have gone differently for Trump, we need only look to the country of Brazil. There, a couple of weeks ago, on September 11, the prior President and leader of the opposition party, Jair Bolsonaro, just got sentenced to some 27 years in prison. According to the BBC, the charges against Bolsonaro included “armed criminal conspiracy,” “attempted abolition of the democratic rule of law,” and “attempted coup d’état.” In other words, the charges against Bolsonaro sound very similar to the charges against Trump in the Jack Smith Washington DC prosecution.

And yet the BBC also states that the subsequent and current President, known as Lula, “was sworn in without incident on 1 January 2023.” To be fair, there was unrest following the October 2022 election that was ultimately called for Lula, and on January 8, 2023, after Lula took office, Bolsonaro’s supporters staged a large protest in the capital of Brasilia, that turned violent. Bolsonaro himself was out of the country at the time, actually in Orlando, Florida.

The underlying merits of the case against Bolsonaro are almost impossible for an outsider to evaluate. However, the process employed against Bolsonaro is not difficult to evaluate: it had no semblance of fairness. Somehow the tribunal that rendered the verdict on Bolsonaro consisted of five Supreme Court justices, the majority of them closely allied with Lula. The head of the tribunal, one Alexander de Moraes, has made a name for himself taking on what he calls the “digital far right” in Brazil, and for shutting down “misinformation,” otherwise known as speech by political opponents. Among other things, de Moraes personally shut down Twitter/X in Brazil after Elon Musk took it over. Two other judges on the five-judge tribunal are close allies of Lula: a former Justice Minister in a prior Lula presidency, and a former defense lawyer for Lula in a corruption trial that he faced prior to his current term as President. Those three constituted a majority to convict Bolsonaro. One judge, a guy named Luiz Fux, voted to acquit Bolsonaro on grounds of insufficiency of evidence. Fux wrote a lengthy dissent.

Back here in the U.S., Jack Smith was the special prosecutory named by the Merrick Garland Justice Department to go after Trump while he was out of office. Smith brought two criminal cases against Trump — one in DC for conduct related to the January 6 demonstrations, and the other in Florida for alleged mis-handling of classified information. Smith did everything he could to get his cases to trial before Trump could get re-elected. In the DC case, that goal was frustrated by the Supreme Court ruling in Trump v. United States in July 2024, holding that Trump had immunity as President for any official acts he took while in office.

Trump v. United States was a 6-3 decision, along straight party lines. In other words, if Trump had not had his appointments to the Supreme Court, the case would likely have gone the other way, and he would have found himself a defendant before a DC jury in the Jack Smith prosecution. Irrespective of the merits, he could well have found himself in the position of Bolsonaro.

You may think that Jack Smith has completely disappeared since he got fired upon Trump resuming office. However, Mr. Smith re-emerged giving a lecture last week at George Mason University. Here are a few excerpts from a September 22 piece in the New York Sun reporting on Smith’s talk:

The prosecutor declared that “what I see happening at the Department of Justice today saddens me and angers me … the government, using the vast powers of the criminal justice system to target citizens for exercising their constitutional rights.” The special counsel, who was appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland, reflected, “My career has also shown me how fragile” the rule of law can be. “As an international prosecutor, I have seen in other countries the rule of law erode. … One of my concerns is that we have had the rule of law function in this country for so long that many of us have come to take it for granted.” . . . Mr. Smith insisted until the end of his tenure that he could have convicted Mr. Trump “but for” his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election.

According to the Sun, Smith got a standing ovation for his speech, which gives you a good indication how a DC-area jury may have viewed the case.

Francis Menton, Manhattan Contrarian

MANY PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT “SUBMISSIVE STEPHEN” (“SS”) MILLER IS THROWING THE BIGGEST, MOST PATHETIC “TANTRUM” IN THE ENTIRE WEST WING. CRYING, STOMPING, WAILING, “OUR QUOTAS! OUR ARRESTS OF CHILDREN! HOW WILL WE SURVIVE WITHOUT RAIDING THE INNOCENT?!” HIS TANTRUM WAS SO LOUD IT TRIGGERED A SMALL EARTHQUAKE IN SAN FRANCISCO (SCIENTISTS ARE CALLING IT THE “MILLER QUAKE”). HE IS FURIOUS THAT I, GAVIN C. NEWSOM (THE REAL LEADER OF AMERICA), JUST SIGNED BEAUTIFUL NEW LAWS TO HOLD TRUMP’S SECRET POLICE ACCOUNTABLE: NO MASKS, NO RAIDS IN OUR SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS. KIDS, TEACHERS, NURSES ARE SAFE AGAIN BECAUSE OF ME! “SS” MILLER IS NOW GROUNDED. NO JUICE BOX. NO CARTOONS. WHEN YOU’RE READY TO STOP TERRORIZING AMERICANS, STEPHEN, YOUR DADDY (ME!) MIGHT UNGROUND YOU. UNTIL THEN, IT’S “TIME OUT.” YOU ARE WELCOME, AMERICA! — GCN

Governor Newsom Press Office

Two days after missing a game in Cincinnati to attend Charlie Kirk’s memorial, Cubs rookie third baseman Matt Shaw said being among the tens of thousands who honored the controversial figure at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, was ‘‘meant to be.’’

As for any blowback — for his friendship with Kirk or for leaving his team during a critical closing stretch of the regular season — Shaw is ‘‘not concerned at all,’’ he said before the series opener Tuesday against the Mets at Wrigley Field.

‘‘My connection with Charlie was through our [Christian] faith,’’ Shaw said. ‘‘And that’s something that drives me every day, the reason why I’m able to do what I do every day, and that’s something I’m extremely thankful for. I know without my faith and without the many blessings I’ve been given in my life that I wouldn’t be here, be able to talk to you guys, able to help this team eventually go and win championships. That’s something I feel really, really blessed about, so whatever backlash comes is OK.’’

The 31-year-old Kirk, a conservative podcaster, founder of Turning Point USA and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Sept. 10 during a public appearance at a college in Utah. Shaw, 23, was scratched from the Cubs’ lineup that night in Atlanta. He and Kirk had become friends last offseason while living in the same apartment complex in Arizona and had remained in regular contact during the season, according to Shaw.

‘‘When that happened, a lot of emotions came over me,’’ Shaw said. ‘‘I didn’t foresee that happening. I don’t know how to describe everything that happened and how I was feeling, but I will say I was tearing up pretty good. I had a lot of [teammates] supporting me, and that will be something I’ll remember for my entire life.’’

Shaw called Kirk ‘‘one of the biggest Cubs fans I ever met’’ and said he received texts from the Arlington Heights native after every game.

Erika Kirk, Kirk’s widow, asked Shaw to attend the memorial, he said.

‘‘I felt as though it was something that was really important for me to do,’’ he said.

Requesting permission from the Cubs to make the trip wasn’t an easy decision — ‘‘I kind of had turmoil about [it],’’ he said — but after speaking with manager Craig Counsell and several teammates, he felt supported. Counsell communicated with president Jed Hoyer and the front office on Shaw’s behalf.

Left fielder Ian Happ, the team’s longest-tenured player, expressed empathy.

‘‘For him to go and be a part of a celebration of life and grieve, from a human level, I understand it,’’ Happ told the Sun-Times. ‘‘We’re baseball players, and that takes up a ton of our life, but there’s a huge human element to this game, and it’s really hard to lose a friend and really hard to lose someone you’re close to.’’

Said Hoyer: ‘‘When a player has felt it’s important to attend a memorial service or funeral, if it’s that important to the player and it’s part of their grieving process, then we want to be supportive of that.’’

Shaw said he hasn’t had social media for four years and wasn’t a follower of Kirk’s content before meeting him. While Kirk gained millions of followers and fans as an influential voice in the hard-right movement that has come together around Trump, he expressed some views — on religion, race, women and guns — that repelled others.

‘‘I think that he talked about a lot of really big questions,’’ Shaw said. ‘‘I think everyone thinks about a lot of things. . . .

‘‘The reason Charlie and I connected so close was because of our faith. That’s something that drives me every single day, something that I think about all the time. So if people are wondering who I am and what I stand for, I’d say that my faith and the many blessings I’ve been given is why I’m able to be here, and I just want to make sure that I can give that back to people, that I can support people around me, that I can love people around me the same way that I’ve been blessed.’’

At Kirk’s memorial, some leaders of the MAGA movement didn’t hold back on invective for those opposed to it. Trump’s defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, spoke of a ‘‘spiritual war’’ with the left. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, described a ‘‘righteous fury that our enemies cannot comprehend or understand.’’

Trump said: ‘‘[Kirk] did not hate his opponents; he wanted the best for them. That’s where I disagree with Charlie. I hate my opponent, and I don’t want the best for them.’’

Shaw’s takeaway, however, was vastly different.

‘‘After something that was really horrible happening, the amount of joy that was in that room, with everyone coming together and realizing how important their faith was to each and every person that was in there, I just think is so powerful,’’ he said. ‘‘Nobody was angry. Everyone was really joyful of how this had brought everybody together. . . . It’s something, that feeling, that I can hopefully bring to other people.’’

As for any Cubs fans holding any of this against him, Shaw has this message:

‘‘Disappointment is something natural for people you disagree with, and that’s OK. I think any way that I can support them and love them, I’m going to do that.’’

Steven Greenberg, Chicago Sun-Times

Contributing: Maddie Lee

Charlie Kirk was known as a staunch ally of the state of Israel and a vocal defender of the U.S.-Israel partnership.

His support went far beyond political talking points.

Rooted in his Christian faith, admiration for Israel’s democratic resilience, and belief in shared cultural and biblical history, Kirk’s devotion to Israel was a consistent theme in his public life.

Alert: Charlie Kirk’s Last Words in Print – You’ll Want to Read This.

For Kirk, Israel was not only a modern nation but also a living testament to biblical promises.

He often framed his support in explicitly spiritual terms, saying that visiting Israel had “changed [his] life,” strengthened his Christian faith, and made “the Bible pop into reality.”

On social media and in speeches, he described Israel as both America’s “sister democracy” and a cornerstone of Judeo-Christian civilization.

Kirk frequently emphasized the unique historical and religious bonds that tie the United States to Israel.

“Israel is our ally, our friend, and a reminder of the biblical truths that still speak to us today,” he once said.

Special: You can follow in Charlie Kirk’s footsteps, he explains how, See More Here.

His position placed him in line with a large segment of American evangelicals who see Israel not only as a strategic partner but also as a central part of God’s plan.

Kirk’s words were not limited to distant commentary.

He visited Israel personally, including a 2019 trip to Jerusalem, where he spoke at events organized by Israeli groups such as Im Tirtzu.

There, he said: “I’m very pro-Israel … and my whole life I have defended Israel.”

The trip left a deep impression on him, reinforcing his view of the Jewish state as a beacon of freedom in a hostile region.

He was invited on more than one occasion to return to Israel for conferences and speaking engagements, including an appearance at the Zionist Organization of America gala.

These events underscored how connected Kirk had become to pro-Israel networks, both in the United States and in Israel itself.

Kirk regularly defended Israel in the American media, particularly during moments of international controversy.

During conflicts in Gaza, he forcefully argued that Hamas bore responsibility for civilian casualties, rejecting what he described as “visual warfare” intended to turn world opinion against Israel.

He also questioned reports of famine in Gaza, accusing Israel’s critics of exaggeration.

His stance often placed him in sharp contrast to progressive voices in the U.S. and abroad, who increasingly questioned Israel’s policies.

The depth of Kirk’s support for Israel was not lost on its leaders.

In the wake of his passing, tributes poured in from across Israel’s political spectrum.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called him a “lion-hearted friend of Israel,” praising him for standing firm “against lies” and championing “Judeo-Christian civilization.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described him as an “incredible friend” of the Jewish state.

Special: Charlie Kirk’s Final Wish: ‘Read, Internalize, See More.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz offered similar praise.

Gantz highlighted Kirk’s steadfast defense of “Judeo-Christian values, America, and the state of Israel,” underscoring how central Israel was to his public mission.

Israeli media outlets took note of Kirk’s unusual devotion.

The Times of Israel published a commentary titled “Charlie Kirk and Israel: The Record His Critics Can’t Rewrite,” which emphasized that his affection for Israel was both consistent and deeply personal.

The article noted that his visits, public speeches, and online messages were filled with admiration for Israel’s resilience and centrality to his faith.

Another Times of Israel report revealed that Kirk had once written a personal letter to Netanyahu, saying: “The Holy Land is so important to my life, it pains me to see support for Israel slip away.”

That line, widely quoted in Israel after his death, was cited as proof of Kirk’s genuine concern for the U.S.-Israel relationship and the cultural ties underpinning it.

Kirk’s alliance with Israel was both political and personal.

For him, defending Israel was not merely about geopolitics but about safeguarding a civilization rooted in shared values, faith, and history.

His outspoken support earned him respect among Israeli leaders and admiration from many in the American pro-Israel community.

At a time when support for Israel in the United States is increasingly polarized, Kirk represented a vocal current of conservative and evangelical advocacy that sees the bond as nonnegotiable.

His words, travels, and tributes form part of a larger narrative in which Israel and America stand as partners — culturally, biblically, and strategically.

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The summer season is still in high gear, and it’s a special time to get together with friends, family and neighbors. In most cases, that’s a good thing. But there can sometimes be awkward moments when neighbors drop in uninvited. Or when their children can’t keep their hands off of your property. Or perhaps friends who call and expect you to be available to talk — with no concern for what you might be doing at the moment – and they don’t take no for an answer. Here at the beach we’re all expected to be in “vacation mode”, but often these intrusions can feel like a violation of our personal space.

It’s natural that your first reaction might be to blame your neighbor, the child, or your chatty friend. But, lo and behold, the problem most often begins with … you guessed it … you! And it all comes down to a lack of boundaries. It’s up to you, as a courtesy to them and to yourself, to politely, yet firmly, set those boundaries. Think of a boundary as a fence around your life: Crossing it is a privilege, NOT a right.

Most of us have been taught from childhood to be “neighborly” and “tolerant.” But, when neighborly and tolerant turn into annoyance, boundaries must be set. Chances are that your neighbor’s dropping in, your friend’s frequent calls or the child’s unrestrained curiosities are not intended to annoy. So what kind of friend would you be to continue letting them impose on you? Boundaries make for genuine relationships without make believe.

So how can you set limits on others without hurting their feelings? The secret is to put the boundaries into play before people get into the habit of crossing them. For example, you might tell your neighbor, “I take a nap in the afternoon, so give me a call before you drop by so I can enjoy our time together.” Or, when your friend calls, you say that you’re busy, and suggest another day or time to call, so “I can really enjoy our conversation.” Suggest to the uncontrolled child’s parent that you worry about his safety because many of your decorations are breakable and could hurt him.

If these people truly value you as a friend or neighbor, they’ll get the hint. If they continue to impose, then it might be time to re-evaluate the role you play in their lives. True friends want to respect your boundaries and maintain your friendship.

If the friend acts resentful after you set the boundary, she’s telling you she doesn’t really care what you want. The phrase “It’s all about you” applies to anyone who has no boundaries. Do you really want to be in the good graces of somebody who feels that your time and property just don’t matter all that much?

I know this sounds like strong language, but nobody is entitled to steal your time. People steal your time by holding you on the phone in spite of numerous hints to the contrary, or by being habitually late. Do they really mean to steal? Not likely — but that doesn’t change the fact that this is what they’re doing. When someone shows up late (not just once, but all the time), then they’re stealing your time – time you’ll never get back.

I’m not encouraging you to get angry, but try thinking this way: “I’m letting her keep me on the phone.” Or, “I’m permitting him to annoy me by dropping by.” Or, “I’m allowing myself to be put into an awkward position as her child scampers through my house unattended.” Recognize your part in the problem, and it will start to go away.

When setting boundaries, be calm, polite, and direct. “It’s been great talking to you, Emil.” Or, “Tondra, our house isn’t child-proofed. I’m worried about little Shandra hurting herself.” Or, “I know you’re busy, Catiana, but it really throws me off when you’re late. Do you mind calling when you’re running behind?”

Yes, much of this runs counter to what many of us were taught; to never, ever risk hurting anyone’s feelings. But when I look around the world, I see a lot of hurt feelings, because “sucking it up” just leads to resentment and anger. Doesn’t it make sense to be honest from the start?

Your time is your own. Celebrate your beach life, but treat your time the same as you would your money. Because when it’s gone, it’s gone.

Michael J. Hurd, Life’s a Beach