By The Craig Bushon Show Media Team
High over a land divided, where anger shakes the streets and suspicion fills the air, the bald eagle soars. Its wings stretch wide—one to the left, one to the right. Neither wing can lift the bird alone. Only together can the eagle rise and fly. That truth, written into the very symbol of America, is a lesson we must not forget in these volatile times.
Since the tragic assassination of Charlie Kirk, the country has been shaken to its core. A young father, husband, strong man of faith, and political voice was silenced in front of a crowd—not by debate, but by gunfire. The message is clear: when political rage goes unchecked, it can spill over into violence.
On the Craig Bushon Show, we’ve always said: the truth is not hate speech. But today, truth itself feels hunted. Americans fear speaking their minds. Citizens look at neighbors not as fellow Americans, but as enemies. This is how nations fall, not how they rise.
The Symbol of the Eagle
The Founders did not choose the bald eagle as America’s emblem by accident. They saw in this bird a symbol of courage, independence, and strength. The eagle does not cower in storms; it rides the winds higher. Its wings must work in harmony—each balancing the other, each essential.
Think about what that means. The left wing represents ideals of progress, compassion, and reform. The right wing represents tradition, liberty, and accountability. Alone, each can flap furiously but will never lift the body. Together, in tension yet balance, the eagle soars.
This vision is embedded in our Constitution itself. The system of checks and balances, the separation of powers, the respect for debate—all were designed so that no one side, no single “wing,” could dominate without restraint. America’s survival depends on that balance. When one side seeks to silence or destroy the other, the eagle falters.
And more than that—the eagle is resilient. It has vision sharper than any other bird, able to see miles ahead. It can fly above storms that ground lesser creatures. It can live for decades, surviving battle scars and hunger, only to rise again. What better metaphor for a nation that has endured civil war, depressions, assassinations, and unrest—and yet still flies?
What Charlie Kirk Understood
Kirk was a polarizing figure. Some opposed much of what he said. But he also held beliefs that point us back to something important—America is strongest when it faces hard truths head-on and refuses to tear itself into scattered pieces.
One of his quotes drives this home:
“We must also be real. We must be honest with the population. Having an armed citizenry comes with a price, and that is part of liberty… But I think it’s worth it.”
Kirk’s words remind us that freedom always carries a cost. Liberty is not cheap—it demands responsibility, courage, and sacrifice.
Another of his statements cuts to the heart of what this moment requires:
“If you believe in something, you need to have the courage to fight for those ideas — not run away from them or try and silence them.”
This speaks directly to our crisis. The answer is not to shut down debate or silence those who think differently, but to engage, challenge, and stand firm. That is how free people live.
History’s Warning
This is not the first time America has faced division so sharp it threatened the very survival of the republic. In the 1830s, Abraham Lincoln warned against what he called the “mobocratic spirit,” when political disagreements turned into violence, lynchings, and riots. Lincoln said the danger was not from foreign armies, but from Americans themselves tearing down their institutions through lawless rage.
We see that warning alive today. Whether it’s a riot in the streets, an attack on a public figure, or the silencing of voices online, the danger is not that America will be conquered from without—but that we will collapse from within.
The Civil War itself was the ultimate breakdown of America’s wings. One half of the bird turned against the other, and the eagle nearly fell from the sky. It took immense sacrifice—brother against brother, hundreds of thousands of lives—to mend the wings and restore flight. Do we really want to flirt with that kind of collapse again?
And it wasn’t just the Civil War. Assassinations have marked turning points in our history. The murder of Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre could have shattered Reconstruction. The killings of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. tested whether the nation would descend into chaos. In each case, America mourned—but America also chose to move forward, determined that bullets would not silence its future.
Where We Are Now
Across America, frustration is boiling over. The left accuses the right of fueling hatred. The right accuses the left of silencing voices. Families are split. Communities are fractured. Too many are pointing fingers, but the eagle cannot fly if one wing is at war with the other.
Digital life only accelerates the fracture. Social media algorithms feed outrage because anger keeps us scrolling. Online mobs destroy reputations with a click. Cancel culture on one side, conspiracy theories on the other—the effect is the same: citizens stop trusting one another.
When political violence enters the conversation, it poisons everything. People stop trusting elections, stop listening to debate, and start fearing one another. That fear eats away at the very heart of the republic.
The Eagle’s Flight: What Unity Looks Like
The bald eagle shows us the way forward. If one wing fails, the bird crashes. If both wings beat together, the bird soars. That’s the message for America now:
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No More Excuses for Political Violence
When ideas are met with threats or gunfire, the whole country loses. Violence is not strength—it’s weakness. -
Free Speech Must Be Defended
Charlie Kirk died holding a microphone. That symbol matters. The answer to speech you hate is more speech, not violence. -
Be Honest About Differences Without Demonizing
Both sides need to stop painting the other as monsters. You can disagree without destroying. -
Citizens Must Build Bridges, Not Walls
Neighbors need to listen again. Communities must bring people together to argue, yes—but argue with respect, not rage. -
Leaders Must Lead With Courage
Politicians and influencers must condemn violence outright and stop feeding division for personal gain.
Birds of a Feather
They say birds of a feather flock together. It’s more than a proverb—it’s a truth written into nature. A single feather cannot make an eagle fly. A lone feather has no lift, no strength, no power. But when every feather is connected, when the wings are full and working as one, the bald eagle lifts to sovereign heights, calm while the winds rage.
So it is with America. Every citizen is a feather. Each one matters. Each one contributes to the lift of this republic. When we forget that truth, when Americans stop seeing themselves as part of the wings, the bird weakens. The enemy’s strategy has always been simple: divide the feathers, tear out the unity, and watch the eagle struggle to rise.
But America was designed differently from any other nation in history. Our strength is not in one tribe, one class, or one region—but in the flock itself. When citizens recognize that they are the feathers that give the eagle flight, division fails. When they work together, no outside force can clip our wings.
Rising Through Faith
Charlie Kirk was not just a political activist—he was a man of faith. And faith is what gives this nation its deepest roots. From the Mayflower Compact to the civil rights movement, Americans have leaned on God in moments of crisis. Faith tells us we are not accidents of history, but people with a purpose. Faith reminds us that forgiveness is stronger than vengeance, and love stronger than hate.
Lincoln, in the middle of the Civil War, declared in his second inaugural address that the nation must act “with malice toward none, with charity for all.” Martin Luther King Jr. urged that hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that. Both men spoke out of faith that America could be better than its rage.
The eagle rises not only on balance and unity, but on faith—faith that the storms will pass, that the winds can be ridden higher, that this republic is worth saving.
America Rising Again
The eagle is still in the sky. Wounded, yes, but not grounded. The choice is ours: let bitterness drag us down, or let both wings lift us higher.
Charlie Kirk’s death should not be the moment America fell apart. It should be the moment America realized that only together—left and right, every feather united—we can fly again.
Let this be the point where we remember Lincoln’s warning, Washington’s prayers, King’s dream, and the courage of all those who refused to let violence define America. Let us rise—not because it is easy, but because it is the only way this republic survives.
The eagle still flies. The question is whether we will give it wings.
Disclaimer: This commentary reflects the perspective of The Craig Bushon Show. It is intended to encourage civic responsibility, unity, and peaceful engagement. It does not promote violence or endorse any political party, but seeks to remind Americans that free speech, faith, and shared citizenship are the foundation of our nation’s strength.
