First, quoting from a BBC article by Gary O'Donoghue:
"Moments in history can only really be judged in retrospect. But I'll take a guess that last night will go down as one of those moments. The question for the leaders of public opinion in this country is what will they now choose to do - to inflame or to calm. To further divide or to reunite. / As an outsider but someone who truly loves this nation, I'm not hopeful."
The day after the attack on Trump I solicited elevator responses from about 18 men, all of them thoughtful individuals, most of them activists in one way or another, half of them elders, a couple of them veterans. Here are the elevator responses of 9 of those men. I identify them by their initials.
G L:
I have been singing a song on and off for the last couple of days by Kate Wolf, "Across the Great Divide".
Now I find myself on the mountainside
Where the rivers change direction
Across the great divide.
There is a photo snapped by a NYTimes reporter that actually shows the bullet that nicked Trump's ear. iPhones and rapid split-second photography are granting us the super power to slow time to a standstill. To me this was a moment that we need to stop and contemplate with all the intelligence we can muster before we start "fuedin' and fightin" again. (ref: "The Martins and the 'Coys")
J H:
Assassination is a cowardly way to solve differences. Murder is murder. Both political parties are guilty of inciting hatred. Winning at all costs is now the norm. Lying, cheating, stealing, and murder -- they're all on the table. I'm hopeful, because there's a viable alternative candidate who wants to set the country on a new course, and does not talk in terms of division, but rather compromise for the good of all. His name Robert F Kennedy, Jr.
M B:
The bullet missed his brain by 2 inches. / The culture is still crazy after all these years. We must consider strategically how to protect ourselves, our towns, our state. Weave a denser net of relationships. And make careful and strategic decisions as we are faced with troubled options, especially politically.
R R:
The United States of American Racist Military Empire (US-ARME) is a terminally sick society. It was founded on racism and genocide, whose only voters were rich white men with property, basically meaning African slaves. In its 2 centuries it has warred against half the world at least 350 times, according to its Congress, which does not include all the regime changes/coups committed by the CIA. What can any rational human being expect of its capitalist appointed leaders who benefit from exploitation, oppression and permanent war? Any future will entail self-annihlation if the majority of its inhabitants do not look beyond their selfish egos, and struggle for a society based upon cooperation and not greed for the few to rule over the many.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
