Rein on All Fronts
By Charles Rein
My article, 'A Man with Two Brains' which would have been submitted and hopefully appeared tomorrow to coincide with September 11th, will be delayed.
I assure my readers, it will be submitted in the near future, but in respect for Mr. Charlie Kirk and his family, I simply can not submit it today. I am reeling with the news of the shooting and the death of Mr. Kirk on this very day in Utah. I am saddened even though I wasn't a critic nor a fan, but sincerely thought his conversations were important for our country.
I've heard of Charlie Kirk and his Turning Point USA, and have occasional watched his videos. I never imagined that he would be killed by political violence. I repeat what I've heard from both Republican and Democrat leaders: that political violence has no place in our beloved America today.
We all have a part to play and a responsibitly to each other. We have the ability to cool down the political rhetoric, to remember we are all Americans, even if we disagree on religion or on politics or other divisive issues.
We need to start a respectful conversation with our neighbors on the other side. We need to listen more, not to caricature others. If you're a Democrat, I encourage you today to reach out to a Republican friend, neighbor or colleague. Ask them if there's anything you can do to help them deal with the shock he or she feels. If you're a Republican, I encourage you to not blame the left wing or democrats for this tragedy.
A young man, a husband, and a father's life is gone, but not forgotten. His life should not divide us but cause us to listen, to bring respectful dialogue back. As President Abraham Lincoln stated in his inaugural address in March, 1861:
"We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature."
