The Avacado

Today, I'll be talking about Charlie Kirk, my opinion about him, and how I feel about his assassination, from my POV as a Democrat. Let's start off by talking about Charlie's life.

Charlie Kirk (1993–2025) was a prominent American conservative activist and the founder of Turning Point USA (TPUSA), a youth-focused organization that became influential on high school and college campuses. Raised in suburban Chicago, he entered conservative politics as a teenager and gained national attention through campus debates, media appearances, and viral online content. He did not complete a college degree, instead dedicating himself full-time to political activism.

Under Kirk’s leadership, TPUSA grew into one of the largest conservative youth organizations in the country, spawning related groups such as Turning Point Action and Turning Point Faith. Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show, a highly popular radio program and podcast, and became closely aligned with Donald Trump and the MAGA movement, playing a significant role in mobilizing young conservative voters. His work was marked by major fundraising success as well as frequent controversy.

Ideologically, Kirk promoted right-wing populist and later Christian nationalist views. He strongly opposed abortion, gun control, LGBTQ rights (especially transgender rights), immigration, climate change policies, and affirmative action. He was repeatedly criticized for spreading misinformation and conspiracy theories, particularly regarding elections, COVID-19, and race, making him a deeply polarizing public figure.

Kirk was assassinated on September 10, 2025, during a TPUSA event in Utah. His death prompted national mourning within conservative circles, sharp political debate, and large memorial services. Despite divided public opinion, he is widely regarded as a major figure in shaping conservative youth activism and the modern MAGA movement.

Now, I do not agree with much, if not any, of Charlie Kirk's beliefs. I think that he stood for a ton of inhumane, rude things, like how he saw the LGBTQIA+ community. I have a ton to say, and not a lot of space to say it, but I think (and not to speak I'll of the dead) that this man was a very ignorant and unpleasant person, and he was very rude and likely did not think about his words. He thought that LGBTQIA+ people were an "abomination" and in 2019 he even said "I believe marriage is one man, one woman" Now, I'm not criticizing the way he said it, because he was very respectful with that, but what he said is the problem, and this isn't even the worse of his words. Later, in 2022, on an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, he said that LGBTQIA+ activists were the "alphabet mafia" There are so many things wrong with that. Comparing activists of sometime to the mafia? Just unspeakable, I don't even have enough words to argue against that. We could be calling him the "Trump mafia" or better yet "Dictator mafia", because Trump's nearly becoming one. (see more in my post about Trump's dictatorship) But he was not only insulting the LGBTQIA+ community, but accusing them of the most crazy things. He stated, "they are not happy just having marriage" and that they "want to corrupt your children". What is that even supposed to mean? If anyone's trying to "corrupt your children" it's the republicans, with their illogical beliefs. I don't want to have this post get too long, so that's where i'll pause on his beliefs, but you can find more in the links from my resources. To end this off, I'll explain how I feel about Charlie Kirk's assassination. This is very easy to write about: I think Tyler Robinson (the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk) was not thinking straight and will die with the weight on his chest of his actions. Although I did not favor Kirk, I would never wish death on anyone, and I think it's very irrational to dislike somebody so much that you're resort to murder, especially because of their beliefs. Next time, -The Avacado

My resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Kirk

Today, I’m writing about something a lot of people brush off way too easily: the idea that Donald Trump isn’t technically a dictator—but might be aiming for something just as dangerous, if not worse.

When people hear the word dictator, they usually think of one dramatic moment where democracy suddenly collapses. But history shows that’s not really how it happens. Dictatorships don’t usually start with tanks rolling in overnight. They start with excuses. Emergencies. “Just this once” power grabs that slowly become normal.

A long time ago, in ancient Rome, a dictator wasn’t always seen as a bad thing. The Senate would temporarily give one person extra power during a real emergency, like a war or rebellion. The key word here is temporary. The Romans hated kings, so dictators were supposed to step down as soon as the crisis ended. That system worked—until Julius Caesar decided not to give the power back. That’s how the Roman Republic died and became an empire.

The U.S. founders knew this history very well. That’s why the Constitution is full of limits, checks, and balances. They understood that emergencies happen, and sometimes presidents need extra authority—but they were terrified of what would happen if those powers were abused. As Benjamin Franklin famously warned, America would remain “a republic, if you can keep it.”

Fast forward to today. Trump isn’t declaring himself dictator outright, but he’s repeatedly argued that he should have unchecked power during so-called “emergencies.” The problem? These aren’t real emergencies. Trade deficits aren’t emergencies. Political disagreements with other countries aren’t emergencies. And yet Trump has used emergency laws to impose tariffs, punish allies, and retaliate against governments he doesn’t like—all while claiming the law gives him unlimited authority.

What makes this even scarier is that Trump openly flirts with authoritarian imagery. His administration has shared images of him portrayed as a king. He’s joked—sometimes not joking—about serving more than two terms. He’s used armed force in cities to intimidate protestors. And he’s even said things like “a lot of people are saying maybe we’d like a dictator,” as if Americans are asking for that. They’re not.

The article’s main point—and the reason this matters so much—is that democracies don’t usually fall because one person seizes power. They fall because others allow it. Congress is supposed to review and limit emergency powers, but instead of pushing back, many lawmakers have stepped aside, changed rules, or stayed silent. That’s how Caesarism happens: not through bravery, but through cowardice.

And history backs this up. We’ve seen what happens in countries like Russia and El Salvador when leaders convince people that safety matters more than democracy, and that resistance is pointless. Trump can only succeed if people believe they’re powerless.

But the truth is, people aren’t powerless. His agenda has sparked massive pushback—from “No Kings” protests to grassroots organizing to public pressure on elected officials. That resistance matters. Democracies survive when people refuse to normalize authoritarian behavior, even when it’s wrapped in legal language or brushed off as “not that serious.”

Trump may not be a dictator. But pretending this is harmless, or that “it can’t happen here,” is exactly how it starts.

That’s why it needs to be talked about.

Today, I'm writing about women's hygiene products, and why menstruation is a "weird" topic to talk about. So, firstly, period products. I have multiple points about this. First, why are they so hard to get for free? Like, some women and girls don't have enough money to be spending it on these expensive pads and tampons, they should be cheaper. Even in those metal things in public bathrooms that have them, they usually cost like 25 cents. Why though? Pads and tampons should be free for women in places like that. Toilet paper's free, and that's a pretty close comparison to pads or tampons. You can't wipe your ass with your hands, so you need toilet paper. You can't hygienically keep yourself clean with period blood with just your clothes, so you need tampons/pads. People get grossed out if you bleed through, but sometimes you can't do anything to stop that, because period products are just some unrealistic standard for who knows what reason? Also, even if the things for pads and tampons in bathrooms were free, most public spaces don't constantly restock their machines. Especially in middle schools and high schools, they never restock on their period products, and girls usually would have to go to their school nurse to get period products. They'd have to walk all the way to the nurse before using the bathroom, and by then they could've bled through. Period products being so hard to come by is just another addition to the sexist world we live in, where men are favored over women, and we try to look over it, say sexism rarely happens anymore, but that's not true. Let's face it, if men didn't have to wipe their asses, toilet paper would cost money too. Women are overlooked and ignored in this time, and it's completely horrible. Moving on, the second thing I said I'd talk about was why periods and menstruation are un-normalized topics. So, if you start talking about tampons, pads, your flow, how many pads you use in a day, or anything similar to a friend, she'd probably get uncomfortable, but why is that? Women need someone to talk to about this stuff that understands them, and that someone should be comfortable with the topic. Men too, if you even mentioned a period to them, they'd be disgusted. More people need to care about periods and women hygiene, because almost half of the population (49.7%) is women, so periods are a pretty normal thing. Almost half of the people on this planet get them, and including trans men since they still get their periods, so likely more than half of the population gets periods, yet there's still this weird, uncomfortable aura around menstruation. That's all, love you! Next time, -The Avacado

Today, I'm writing about the US force ICE. So, if you haven't heard of it, ICE is a US service famously known for deporting "illegal" immigrants. I put illegal in quotations, because there have been rumors (some proven true) of ICE deporting people who are in the US legally. Many sources have spoken up about this, and most of the heat has passed, but I'm bringing it up again because it needs to be spoken about. ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but we all know it does a hell of a lot more than that. For starters, ICE has done many, many raids across the US, in lots of different places. Here's a list of some places ICE can/has raided that are unethical and should be illegal (in my opinion): homes, schools, churches, hospitals, restaurants, children's playgrounds, concerts, colleges, grocery stores, gyms, and so many others. Now, some places on that list aren't that bad, but others, like hospitals, schools, and playgrounds to name a couple, are downright not okay, and should not be allowed. Many reports, videos, and other good resources prove that during ICE raids, the agents sometimes harm/injure people. Mind you, the US government, partially the reasons some immigrants even come to the US, is allowing their agents to hit, tackle, and in some cases, even shoot at immigrants. Not everyone ICE deports is even actually here illegally, some people who are fully US citizens, and they still get deported! Also, many reports have been made about pregnant women getting miscarriages from ice because of the harsh behavior, delayed/denied medical care, and other reasons, which is just fully inappropriate! Ice is allowing anyone to join it's forces, and the agents who work with ICE have done many inhumane things, as I said, including sexual assault/rape. From 2012 to 2018, 1,448 allegations of rape or sexual abuse were filed with ICE, and though not all could be proven true or false, it's still just fully disgusting that that many people would even claim ICE would do that, because people wouldn't just say something like that without reason. Now, although I'm almost finished writing this, I haven't even gotten to the top of the ice-berg on this one. (get it? ice-berg?) and there's so much more I could've said, but if you want to get into that I encourage everyone to do their own research to find out whatever they want to know about this irrational, inhumane, and unethical government force. Next time, -The Avacado