Written By Seth TowerHurd
"As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
I've been out of the loop since Sunday's terrorist attack, due to the loss of my grandmother. So, take it with a grain of salt that these words are penned with a heavy heart.
Here's what the Orlando attack taught us...we're screwed.
Not because of radical Islam. Not because of gun laws. Or Democrats. Or Republicans.
But because Abraham Lincoln's words have become prophecy. From a speech in 1838:
"All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined...could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years.
At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher.
As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
Chase Strangio of the American Civil Liberties Union blames "The Christian Right."
The The Kansas City Star's editor says people in the National Rifle Association should be "plunged into everlasting hell."
Think Progress blames "toxic masculinity."
As a Christian, a registered Republican, and a member of the NRA, and someone who's "masculine" (I actually think I'm a very sensitive guy, but I hunt, fish, have tattoos, box, etc), what am I supposed to make of this?
If there's something I feel solidarity with the LGBTQ Nation with, it's the fact that I truly don't believe I can be 100% myself and be accepted, at least where I currently live.
The bottom line is that I have to keep my head down, and choke back my opinions in one of America's most liberal cities, or I will lose money. A good chunk of money.
On the other hand, I have a pretty good idea of why a lot of people hate people like me when I saw Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick's tweet about the victims of the Orlando attack getting what they deserved hours after the attack.
I can't even fathom how messed up you have to be, and how deep your dysfunction (maybe psychosis) goes to tweet out something like that.
So here I stand, seeing this season as different than any political anger we've had before...we now live in a place where the news media and many average joes typing furiously on their keyboards, do not want us to find common ground.
And I don't know how that gets fixed. The only thing I can think of is "maybe if the attack was worse." Of course, I don't want one more parent or brother or sister or friend...but you've got to admit, 9/11 brought us together. Made us want to be better men and women.
And so Lincoln is proven right. We are the world's lone superpower...and the rest of world's the armies combined could not likely penetrate to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
"If destruction must be our lot, we ourselves must be it's author and finisher."
It seems like we've written the first page of the book of destruction in 2016.
But there's a way to tear up that page. It's called being a neighbor. Caring. Hanging out with people who are different than you.
Here's the thing. You can't have my guns. And if you could, it wouldn't make you safer. And I'm not admitting some sort of weird peripheral guilt over a Jihad-obsessed whack job who butchered his fellow man in the name of Allah.
You can't have my guns, and you can't make me feel guilty...but you can come over for dinner. Straight or gay. Red or blue. Muslim or atheist or Christian or Jew.
In fact, Amanda and I have had all of the above over for dinner during our 15 months of marriage, save the Muslim (I don't know if there are any Muslim's in Kenosha).
If this country is to heal, it's going to happen one dinner, one backyard hang, one handshake and one smile at a time.
If you think that's crazy, or overly idealistic, then you try it your way. Let me know how well hating the other side goes for you (whatever that other side is).
When you're done with that, we usually eat around six. Just let me know you're coming over.
#endrant
@howewegotherewithsethtowerhurd
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