If We’re Better Than This, Let’s Prove It | Part II

As recently as June 18th, I commented on the sad situation of two Minnesota legislators having been shot, one murdered and one severely wounded. Now we have had an eloquent conservative influencer murdered while speaking at a college campus in Utah.

The American murderers or wannabes have a broad array of targets. They include school children from elementary school through high school. They include college students. They include a presidential candidate, two governors, a governor’s family, a federal judge’s son, a congressional spouse, Black Protestant worshipers, Catholic children worshipers, Jewish worshipers, congressional baseball players, a Ukrainian refugee, and gay nightclub attendees.

Those who sadly get less attention are the many recipients of spousal abuse and street-crime violence. H. Rap Brown once said, “Violence is as American as apple pie.” Brown was hardly a positive role model in his day. But under the maxim that even a broken clock is right twice a day, Brown’s cynical observation appears to have been quite prophetic.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are our founding goals. Getting shot, stabbed, bombed, or hit with a hammer doesn’t quite match those lofty goals. Will there continue to be more divisive rhetoric and blame-gaming? Or will there be adult conversations about potential solutions? Will there be solutions or performance? What will change?

There is an old cliché: “How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has to want to change.” How bright are the lights? The whole world is watching. What do they see? What do we see? What do we do? Nothing?