Conservatives are right to raise the ‘say her name’ issue with respect to the entirely preventable death of Laken Riley… but that isn’t the only name we ought to remember.
One gold star dad, invited to the State of the Union, reacted to Joe Biden’s self-congratulatory account of how much better and safer the world was under his term as POTUS with an outburst of emotion. It got him arrested.
Before we get to the outburst that got him arrested, let’s remember what had him so upset.
Remember that moment when Joe Biden checked his watch while coffins were rolling past him at a dignified transfer ceremony? One father does more deeply than the rest of us could imagine.
Steve Nikoui, 51, lost his son Lance Col. Kareem Nikoui on August 26, 2021 in Afghanistan’s (entirely preventable!) Abbey Gate disaster. To heap sorrow upon sorrow, Kareem’s brother took his own life near the grave site less than a year later.
Dakota Halverson, 28, died by suicide in California just days shy of the anniversary of the attack that killed his brother, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, and a dozen other US troops at Kabul airport as terrified Afghans tried to flee the Taliban.
In the run-up to his death, Dakota had “been talking a lot lately about how he just wants to be with Kareem, how much he misses him,” the men’s mother, Shana Chappell, told friends. — NYPost
With the after-action reports of all the decisions that leadership got wrong on this — and the direct role Biden played in steering these decisions — it’s hardly surprising a grieving father would take this personally.
This is disgusting, and should infuriate everyone.
Gold Star dad, Steven Nikoui, whose son died during Biden's completely botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, was arrested for a misdemeanor for yelling "Abbey Gate" at Biden at his SOTU.
His son, Marine Kareem Nikoui, was… pic.twitter.com/AjDrqXNFwK
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) March 8, 2024
Let’s look at what he said, and then the consequences that followed:
Just as Biden said that America is ‘safer today than when I took office’, Steve stood up and shouted his response, seen at the top of this story.
He yelled ‘Abbey Gate’ and ‘United States Marines’ in response.
Washington Examiner provides further context:
Police say that Steve Nikoui, 51, was arrested for violating the D.C. Code after continuing to yell at the president despite officers warning him to stop. His son, Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, was one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in an ISIS-K bombing during the American withdrawal from Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 26, 2021.
“This is a routine charge on Capitol Hill. People who illegally demonstrate/disrupt Congress typically are released after they pay a $50 fine, so the misdemeanor charge is resolved without going to court,” a U.S. Capitol Police spokesperson told the Washington Examiner.
Nikoui, invited to the speech by Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), appeared to reference Marines in his heckling of the president.
“I am honored to have Steve Nikoui as my guest to the State of the Union. He is the father of Marine Lance Corporal Kareem Nikoui, who was KIA due to Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Mast said in a social media post. “Joe Biden may try to turn the page on Afghanistan after his incompetence cost American lives, but NOT ON MY WATCH.”
[Including interesting plot twist further down in the article.]
“Well, you know it’s interesting because I just walked by congressman Jamaal Bowman, who intentionally pulled the fire alarm — which is a felony in the District of Columbia, and he was not arrested,” Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) said of the arrest. “If Gold Star families are being arrested and a member of Congress was not arrested for committing a felony, that’s not right.”
Arrested Not arrested pic.twitter.com/MurHepCzNi
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) March 8, 2024
Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men
Dear young Christian male, this book you’re about to read is meant to challenge you to your very core. Its intent is not to make you feel warm and fuzzy. Some of the chapters will upset you greatly, especially if you’re a dandy who was raised with kid gloves by a helicopter mommy.
That said, in addition to the holy introspection contained herein, this book will also shoot adrenaline into your soul. It’ll push you to be a Godly risk taker and earth shaker. A veritable Rebel With A Cause just like the Captain of Our Salvation, the Lord Jesus Christ.
If you want a feel-good book that tickles your ears and morphs you into a little Christian popinjay, this tome ain’t for you. You should put this book down and walk away from it immediately. However, if, young man, if … your motto is to give God your utmost for His highest, and you wanna live a life worthy of Christ’s death, then this book will be grist for your mill.
Get your copy of Lionhearted: Making Young Christian Males Rowdy Biblical Men TODAY!
