A MOMENT OF SILENCE
Today is July 14th, 2024. Less than 24 hours ago, a young man attempted to assassinate President Trump. Over the last twelve hours or so, I’ve followed some of the news coverage and people’s reactions.
It’s a strange thing, as I sit here in my room.
Outside my window, the sun is shining high and bright. It’s 94 degrees. More importantly… it’s quiet.
If I turn on twitter, reddit or youtube, there is turmoil. The silent screams of millions of people, but not as one. No, definitely not that. If anything, they are more divided than ever. The dichotomy between the real world and the deafening screams online is jarring.
The shooter fired multiple times from a rooftop across from the field and stage. You can actually see when the bullet hits, as President Trump touches his ear. Three people were shot. One killed so far. We’ve not seen an act like this since 1981, when President Reagan suffered a gunshot wound.
Even then, I would suggest that we’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetime.
There are people right now calling the attempted assassination of a former United States President a hoax. And many others snarkily suggesting that they wish the killer had been successful. Not a shred of remorse. I couldn’t even imagine that kind of reaction. The logical part of my brain isn’t surprised. But the rest of me… the part of me that still holds onto hope… I can’t believe this is where we are as a nation.
We treat everything like it’s a game. Or more accurately, a show.
I imagine that for Allyson Comperatore, it is anything but a game.
She was at the Trump rally with her mother and her father, Corey Comperatore. Corey had celebrated his 50th birthday. He was a firefighter, a Christian and a hero. More importantly, he was a loving husband and a good father. Allyson said there was nothing he would not do for his children. No mountain he wouldn’t move. Corey proved that yesteday when the shots rang out in Butler, Pennsylvania. He pushed his wife and daughter to the ground and covered them with his own body. And ultimately, he exchanged his life for the people he loved.
I could only hope to be half the man that Corey Comperatore was.
This isn’t just about President Trump. Or Biden. Or Democrat and Republican. It isn’t about your feelings on Israel. Or the war in Ukraine.
It’s about what kind of person you want to be and what kind of country you want to live in.
If we celebrate the deaths of people we disagree with, we cannot claim decency or justice. No matter how convinced you are that your cause is just, your actions are not.
Instead of a national discussion on political discourse that is LONG overdue… we’re gearing up for battle. The drums of war rumble in the distance.
It’s silent outside, but if you listen closely, you can hear the death of our humanity. The assassination of a nation.
God save us.
