Trending
In the moments following the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump Saturday, there was horror and confusion. Trump emerged defiant from the pile of Secret Service members who rushed to protect him, but as the nation breathed a sigh of relief we learned the attack had, indeed, been deadly.
Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief who was attending the Butler, Pa., rally with his family, had dived in front of his wife and daughter to protect them from the bullets. He died for them.
Meanwhile, Trump was able to let the nation know he was injured but "fine" after the attempt, but the incident has left us all shaken.
What line has been crossed? Where do we go from here?
Surely we can join President Joe Biden in his sincere gratitude that Trump was not hurt more seriously (or worse), AND in his plea for a stop to political violence.
"Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is more important than that right now," he said.
There must be an immediate and thorough investigation into the attempt and the suspect. Perhaps of highest priority must be how in the world the shooter managed to be so close to Trump without detection.
And we must all be dedicated to the idea that elected officials, candidates for public office -- all of us -- have the right to our individual political opinions and to support the candidate of our choice without the fear of violence or even death.
Local state senators Bill Hamilton, District 11, of Upshur County, and Randy Smith, District 14, of Tucker County, were among the signees of a statement from the West Virginia Senate Republican Caucus that read:
"In these challenging times, it is crucial that we stand together as a nation against those that introduce violence and hatred to our elections. We urge all Americans to reject any form of political violence and to engage in the sort of civil discourse and election participation that preserves a government by the people."
The West Virginia Democratic Party posted the following on social media:
"In the United States, we decide our elections with ballots, not with bullets… In times like this, that are marked with so much division and acrimony, we do well to remember the words of President Lincoln who reminded us, 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.'"
Where do we go from here? We have a choice, and we MUST choose to overcome the division and vitriol that preceded Saturday's tragedy.
Violence and fear should not define us. We can disagree and still be united in our commitment to a peaceful political process. The alternative is unthinkable.