the Assassination Attempt

 The assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump has shocked and, hopefully, sobered our nation.  For too long our national politicians have indulged in violent and acerbic rhetoric.  An entire generation has come into their adult years listening to Presidential candidates characterizing one another as dangerous extremists. 

 Fortunately, the would-be-assassin’s bullet missed its mark by a fraction of an inch and Donald Trump was spared.  Tragically the other bullets he fired took a heroic father’s life and left two others seriously wounded.  Hopefully the shock of the scene will cause everyone to rachet down their assumptions and accusations, both in public discourse and in private.

 Some of us, who are a dwindling number, remember the 1960’s: the paralyzing report that President Kennedy had been killed on the streets of Dallas November 22,1963;  Martin Luther King, Jr. shot down by a sniper’s bullet at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, April 4, 1968;  and Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy dying in a pool of blood at the hands of an assassin in  the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, June 5, 1968.  Emotions were high.  Thousands were dying in Vietnam.  Protesting students were gunned down at Kent State.   Those were tragic times we hoped would never be repeated.

 Words matter.  Jesus was clear in His instructions and warnings.  “You have heard it said, you shall not murder, but I say to you everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court, and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good for nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell,” (Matthew 5:21-22).

 A 20-year-old young man fired the bullets that killed one and wounded others, including former President Trump, but everyone who has engaged in denigration of opposing candidates in both parties had their finger on the trigger.  We must do better.

 Our politicians and journalists must lead the way, treating one another with courtesy and respect.  Listening with consideration rather than shouting and dismissing.  Again, as Jesus instructed, “There is a saying, ‘Love your friends and hate your enemies.’ But I say: Love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  … If you love only those who love you, what good is that? Even scoundrels do that much. If you are friendly only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even the heathen do that,” (Matthew 5:43-48 Living Bible.)