Carrier pigeons were the communicators of the World Wars. Whether assigned by the Navy, observation pilots or a group of desperate soldiers, one fact remains true: They were the middlemen.

Even unarmed, those feathered friends remained vulnerable to battlefield crossfire. While delivering messages on front lines, soldiers pelted those pigeons with bullets, looking to intercept messages. 

Pigeons practically had “sacrifice” in their job description. 

Humans also have a “shoot the messenger” problem. 

31-year-old conservative activist Charlie Kirk visited Utah Valley University campus for his American Comeback Tour as an event for his organization: Turning Point. 

Kirk perched under his infamous “Prove Me Wrong” tent, debating members of the roughly 3,000 member audience. On the mic, audience member Hunter Kozak refuted Kirk’s views on gun violence.

“Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?” Kozak said.

“Too many,” Kirk said.

After explaining there has only been five, Kozak asked how many mass shootings happened in the last decade.

“Counting or not counting gang violence?” Kirk replied.

That was the moment Kirk was shot in the neck.

The assailant was 22 year old Tyler Robinson, who authorities identified and arrested on Sept.12.

According to charging documents, Robinson’s parents called in to the police station after recognizing him in suspect photos. In the call Robinson said “there is too much evil and [Charlie Kirk] spreads too much hate.”

Robinson has yet to specify which of Kirk’s beliefs motivated the shooting. Utah records show his parents as registered Republicans who voted for Trump in 2024, but Robinson’s mother told investigators Tyler had become “more pro-gay and trans-rights oriented.”

Kirk’s assaination is a counterproductive step that tarnishes the liberal movement’s reputation and fails to encourage policy change. Using violence only attracts repulsion, and the idea that ”negative attention is better than no attention” stops at murder.

A Pattern

In December, Luigi Mangione was arrested for killing United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Like Kirk’s situation, both attacks were politically fueled, with both perpetrators engraving symbolic phrases on their bullets.

“It’s not new that someone who believes they are striking back against power is admired and cheered on by others who also feel that they are,” Professor of Criminology at Northeastern University James Alan Fox said.

Fox exemplifies serial killers Charles Manson and the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski. Their party-image is compromised, associating the left with extremely well known and heavily disliked criminals.

Contradiction

On Sept. 15, College Republicans at New York University held a vigil where protestors interrupted, singing “Bella Ciao” — a popular, anti-fascist song during Benito Mussolini’s dictatorship in Italy. Robinson etched the song title on a bullet casing investigators found after the assassination. Not only that, they allegedly threatened to kill the NYU College Republican Club president Ryan Leonard.

Condemning fascism by promoting the elimination of political opponents is like trying to defeat your enemy by playing from their rulebook.

Wisconsin Republican Rep. Derrick Van Orden even declared on X, “May the mighty wrath of vengeance fall upon the Brown Shirts who are responsible for this.” The Brown Shirts were Adolf Hitler’s henchmen who terrorized non-conformers.

There remains another value that the democratic party has violated-

All gun violence is bad gun violence.

Kirk, who once stated that to preserve gun rights a couple people must die annually, led to online commenters gloating about his death on social media.

This is a close reality for me. When I heard the news, I told a few classmates, and to my disbelief, I watched a student throw their hands in the air and cheer.

You are what you hate.

Matt Forney, known for his controversial writing, posts his two cents on X, “The left must pay. Ban the Democratic Party. Shut down CNN and MSNBC. Military tribunals. If you are to the left of Lindsay Graham, you belong in prison. YOU CAUSED THIS.”

By contrast, “Him dying this way seems both ironic and in line with his own politics,” Jenn Jackson, assistant political science professor of Syracuse University said on Blue Sky.

The first comment shows how one bad apple severely hurts democratic party reputation, and the second makes an exception for “all gun violence is bad,” justifying it with Kirk’s views on gun rights.

Social media warriors never fail to get their grubby hands on the next culture war; this behavior  should be discouraged. Robinson turned it to 100.

Now the political atmosphere is drowning in rage. No matter how much sexism, xenophobia, homophobia, hate against trans people or any other controversial topic — never side with the killer, or worse yet, be the killer.

Instead, grit teeth. Open mouth. Speak.

Damon Salvatore in Vampire Diaries once said, “I do believe in killing the messenger. You know why? Because it sends a message.”

Salvatore is right; it does send a message, but not the one he implies.

Political violence only reveals how incapable a person is at fighting back with dignity.