OCT 2025. Blues Vol 41 No.10

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S

FROM THE PUBLISHER’S DESKIs America Broken?As I began writing this month’seditorial, it was 7:45 a.m. onSeptember 11. In another minute,twenty-four years ago, a highjackedairplane would slam intofloors 93-99 of the North Towerof the World Trade Center. Seventeenminutes later hijackedFlight 175 would strike floors 77to 85 of the South Tower at 9:03am. An hour and forty-two minuteslater, both towers wouldbe piles of rubble killing 2,977people including 343 firefighters,71 police officers, 8 paramedics,and 55 military personnel.Thousands more would die inlater years from illnesses linkedto exposure to toxic dust anddebris at Ground Zero.The only positive thing tocome out of 9/11 was it unitedus all with a common goal –fight the enemy not each other.But that national unity beganto erode within months due topartisan politics and differingviews on the subsequent "Waron Terror". By 2002, the initialsurge of bipartisanship wasgone, and by 2003, divisionsover the Iraq War had growninto major rifts. It was politicsas usual, and we were onceagain at war with each other.The Left vs The Right.Today’s America is no differentthan it was before 9/11. Evilmonsters still roam our streets6 The BLUES OCTOBER ‘25killing the innocent.On August 22, 2025, a beautiful23-year-old Ukrainian woman,Iryna Zarutska, was goinghome after work in North Carolinaon a light rail train whena monster stabbed her to deathfor no reason at all. Iryna fledto America to escape the war inUkraine only to be killed on herway home from work in Americawhere she thought she couldlive and work without fear ofdeath.Five days later, Robin Westman,a mentally ill transgenderwoman who was obsessed withschool shootings and killingyoung children, would fireover 100 rounds into a Catholicchurch in Minneapolis. He/Shekilled two beautiful children,10-year-old Harper Moyski, and8-year-old Fletcher Merkel andwounded 17 others. Innocentkids just praying in church.And just yesterday, on September10, a political assassinshot and killed conservativeactivist Charlie Kirk during anevent in Utah. The suspect wasidentified as 22-year-old TylerRobinson who was in a romanticrelationship with his transgenderroommate.“This is a dark day for ourstate. It’s a tragic day for ournation," said Utah Governor Coxduring a press conference. "Iwant to be very clear that this isa political assassination.”"Nothing I say can unite us as acountry ... Nothing I can say willbring back Charlie Kirk," Coxsaid. "Our hearts are broken ...we mourn as a nation.""We just need every singleperson in this country to thinkabout where we are and wherewe want to be. To ask ourselves,is this it? Is this what 250 yearshas wrought on us? I pray thatthat's not the case," he said. "Ipray that those that hated whatCharlie Kirk stood for will putdown their social media andtheir pens and pray for his family,and that all of us will try tofind a way to stop hating ourfellow Americans."Despite the touching and poignantwords from Governor Cox,the sick and twisted left seizedon the moment when politicalanalyst Matthew Dowd said onMSNBC:

“Kirk has been "one of themost divisive, especially divisiveyounger figures in this, who isconstantly sort of pushing thissort of hate speech or sort ofaimed at certain groups. AndI always go back to, hatefulthoughts lead to hateful words,which then lead to hateful actions."The asshat was fired later thatnight for his hateful words.But Dowd couldn’t have beenmore wrong. Charlie Kirk, thefounder of Turning Point USA,was a loving husband to wifeErika and an unbelievable fatherto his 3-year daughter and1-year old son.First lady Melania Trumpoffered her condolences to theKirk family on X:"Charlie’s children will beraised with stories instead ofmemories, photographs insteadof laughter, and silence wheretheir father’s voice should haveechoed. Charlie Kirk’s life shouldserve as a symbolic reminderthat compassionate awarenesselevates family, love, and country."I met Charlie at a GOP fundraising event in Houston a coupleof years ago. He was the sincerest,most caring young manI had ever met at a campaignevent, and I remember thinking,this guy is going to be presidentone day. Sadly that will neverhappen because a monster tookhim from us way too soon.President Trump posted a videoon X hours after the shootingsaying, “Charlie was the best ofAmerica, and the monster whoattacked him was attacking ourwhole country,” Mr. Trump said.“An assassin tried to silencehim with a bullet, but he failedbecause together we will ensurethat his voice, his message andhis legacy will live on for countlessgenerations to come.”On this day, not only are weremembering those we loston 9/11, but we mourn the lossof all our brothers and sisterswe’ve lost in this country due toviolence. Perhaps it’s time wethink back to the days after 9/11when America was united andwe stood by each other, focusedour anger on the real enemiesof America and not each other.Political violence has noplace in America. Violence inour schools and churches hasno place in America. Violenceagainst one another has noplace in America and it needs toend now.Martin Luther King Jr said itbest “Violence never bringspermanent peace" and "Nonviolenceis a powerful and justweapon, which cuts withoutwounding and ennobles the manwho wields it"The BLUES - OCTOBER ‘25 7