Editorial, By Pierre Little, Publisher

As I write this, it has been 22 hours since the attempted assassination of President Trump at the rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.  I am sure we have all had numerous emotions over this evil act.  Thankfully and miraculously, he survived by millimeters.  Sadly, one man attending the rally has been lost in this cowardly act of hatred and violence, and two others are still in serious condition.  Our prayers and sympathies go out to their families and friends.  I am almost certain President Trump will not forget them.  Let us pray for President Trump’s healing and the Nation’s as well.

The reaction by President Trump after being shot has solidified his place in world history.  The idea that he dodges bullets and raises his arm and fist in defiance will be an iconic symbol of American courage and valor for generations to come.  He has shown an inner strength of personal character and fortitude in responding to this heinous attempt on his life.  Not since 1981 with the assassination attempt on President  Ronald Reagan who went on to serve two terms and became one of the most popular presidents in history, have we experienced an attack on the life of a President. 

The 26th President, Theodore Roosevelt, was shot, and no less defiant. Within minutes, Roosevelt was speaking to the would-be assassin after the bullet was blocked by his 50-page speech in his jacket pocket.  Sadly, American history was not as propitious with the November 1963 tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy or the 1865 assassination of President Lincoln. 

It is always tempting to be polemic in response to another American political assassination attempt, especially against the GOP candidate for President in November’s election, in a time where American politics are more divided than at any other, but now, more than ever, we must look to the Bible. 

The campaign rhetoric has become more and more irresponsible, portraying Trump as a fascist dictator and like Hitler, planting the seeds justifying his murder.  This behavior went on in the 2016 and 2020 elections as well.  There is a movie called Civil War which predictively presents a war between right and left and a Trumpian-style leader being taken out and assassinated, all highly irresponsible by movie makers in Hollywood. 

We have chosen government by the people for the people by voting in a democracy in lieu of violence, civil war, tribalism, and genocide. There is no revolution or goal in which the ends justify any means used. None. There is no revolution, so stop this nonsense.  There is no arbitrary truth.  Or your truth is not my truth.  Amorality is a fiction.  There is simply good and evil.  Living good provides a road to living a long, fruitful, and happy life; living with evil leads you to the gutter and ultimately dying younger. Moses says in the Bible after receiving the Ten Commandments in Deuteronomy 30: 19-20, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life.”  The morality of “Thou Shall not Murder” and “Thou Shall not Lie” (false witness) has been the foundation of a just and stable society for 3,334 years, pointing to the inherent dignity of mankind made in the image and likeness of God.  My most ardent prayer and hope is that we can get back to the basics, the Ten Commandments.

I was struck by a comment from Deacon Harrison Garlick, chancellor and in-house legal counsel for the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma, posted on X in response to the attempted assassination, “Peace is not the absence of conflict.  Peace is the tranquility of order. And such peace must be made.”  We must bring order to this situation by people with courage and goodwill.  Jesus Christ taught ”Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called children of God.”

So, we are treading on unstable territory. We should redouble our efforts to unify and stop the irresponsible rhetoric and ad hominem attacks on any presidential candidate by campaigns, and simply focus our efforts on the ballot box with fair, open, and honest voting come November. God is warning us. To do otherwise is folly.  

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

 or let the fish in the sea inform you.

Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?

In his hand is the life of every creature

and the breath of all mankind.”   Job 12: 7-10