THE CZECH IS IN THE MAIL
I still hear the words in my head. “I’m just a singer of a simple song. I’m not a real political man. I watch CNN, but I still couldn’t tell you the difference in Iraq and Iran. I know Jesus and I talk to God. I remember that from when I was young. Faith, hope and love are three things he gave us, and the greatest is love.” — Alan Jackson in “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning.”
It’s been 24 years since the largest terrorist attack on U.S. soil took place. As someone who was alive on Sept. 11, 2001, I remember where I was that day.
In the weeks following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, people in this country grew closer together. We put our differences aside for the most part.
Here we are more than two decades later, and some of us have forgotten — or refused — to put differences aside. We’re divided further by political affiliation and ideology, and in many ways, still divided by ethnicity and class.
There’s no greater evidence of this than what happened on Sept. 10 — a day before the 9/11 anniversary. Political activist Charlie Kirk was shot to death while hosting a forum at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Kirk was the cofounder and CEO of Turning Point USA, a conservative organization. He was considered one of the “most prominent voices on the right.”
Kirk, a native of the Chicago area, leaves behind a wife and two children ages 3 and 1. His spouse and kids reportedly were at the event as well.
In the wake of this tragedy, some people on social media are “laughing” at or trying to justify his death. Some say “Kirk had it coming” because he opposed gun control.
Regardless of where you stand politically, do not rejoice in someone else’s murder. Whether the person was Black or White, Democrat or Republican, there’s no call to kill someone based on a difference in skin color, religion or opinion.
Different does not mean wrong. Different means “not the same.”
Kirk’s death was a tragedy. The deaths of Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd were tragedies as well.
When are we going to wake up and learn how to embrace differences? When are we going to learn how to agree to disagree?
If we continue down this path, we might face a similar fate as Chile in the 1970s through 1980s. Fittingly, Chile had its own 9/11.
On Sept. 11, 1973, then-Chilean President Salvador Allende was overthrown by a military coup d’état led by then-Chilean Army General Augusto Pinochet. Allende died from a gunshot wound the Pinochet camp claimed was self-inflicted, albeit some Allende supporters said the former president was shot by a member of the Army.
Though he was finally voted out of office in 1990, during Pinochet’s regime thousands of political opponents were slain, tortured or exiled.
We don’t need anything like that in the U.S.
Let’s do better.
Chlapek is the area editor of the Elgin Courier and Taylor Press. He can be reached at jason.chlapek@granitemediapartners. com.
