9/11, A School Shooting and Charlie Kirk
I spent Monday and Tuesday contemplating how I would react to 9/11. It’s been 24 years- almost a quarter century. Then, we had a political assassination and a school shooting within hours of each other.
The shooting at Evergreen High School more limited in its carnage but it was still too much. Two students remain in critical condition at separate hospitals. The 16-year-old shooter committed suicide. The previous evening, the local PTA asked why the school didn’t have a school resource officer.
Conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was at Utah Valley University, the first stop in the America Comeback Tour. 3000 people came to watch him speak. In another twist of fate, Kirk was answering a question about mass shootings when his life was ended.
I’m still numb from both tragedies. The violence in the USA seems to be incapable of stopping. As New York Times opinion columnist and journalist Ezra Klein pointed out on X, we’ve witnessed attacks against both Democrats and Republicans in recent years. When you look at his list, you might think it’s from the 1960s rather than the 21st century.
He concludes with a wise insight:
“Political violence is contagious. It is spreading. It is not confined to one side or belief system. It should terrify us all. The foundation of a free society is the ability to participate in it without fear of violence. Political violence is always an attack against us all. You have to be blind not to see that.”
So what do we do? Journalist Chris Cillizza had some great comments on YouTube. He highlighted Professor Robert Pape’s research which has found joint political statements are more effective in reducing the political divide than politicians issuing statements on their own. For instance, imagine Governor Gavin Newsom and President Trump coming together to condemn violence. Trump is the leader of the Republicans and Newsom is fighting to be the standard-bearer of the Democrats. Their relationship has been and still is contentious. By being present in the same room, united on a topic, they could signal to their followers that some things are greater than politics.
Former president George W. Bush provides an example on how to proceed. On September 17, 2001, he visited the Islamic Centre in DC. In his remarks, he emphasized how the September 11th attacks violated the tenets of Islam and that “Islam is peace.”
We have to come together. If we allow our politics to replace our humanity, we have lost.
I refuse to believe that is our destiny. I refuse to believe for the victims of 9/11, all our shootings, people like Charlie Kirk expressing their opinions and anyone else unjustly silenced.
May we never forget, today, tomorrow and forever.