By: Cole Bennett
Columbus
It’s been four years since a violent mob attacked our nation’s Capitol building, resulting in the deaths of four people, incalculable damage to historical relics, and irreparable damage to our intolerance of political violence.
January 6, 2021 seemed like another day. I worked as a nursing assistant in a busy emergency room in a northwest suburb of Chicago. The entire country was still reeling from COVID and I was about to start nursing school. Needless to say, politics was the last thing on my mind.
Then, around noon, I watched television in a patient’s room. At first I thought it was a movie. When I saw the shocked look on one nurse’s face, I knew it wasn’t a joke. Then I got frustrated. How can people be so up in arms about something as trivial as politics – especially in America? There I was, caring for those in need during a global crisis, and these protesters were acting like absolute idiots.
Four years later, it’s as if the mentality of fools is being celebrated.
Take the murder of Brian Thompson, the late CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Apologies for his killer’s actions have permeated the national debate. The left’s obsession with its “oppressor versus oppressed” mantra has resulted in the celebration of Thompson’s death. As a nurse, I have my own concerns about the insurance industry – but I have enough common sense to know that murder is never justified.
President-elect Trump has now been the subject of two assassination attempts. The first, in July last year, surprised the whole world. Although assassinations have occurred throughout our country’s history, I can’t even imagine how much our divisions would have deepened if either of these attempts had succeeded. The online discussions that celebrated these attempts are disgusting.
Bartholomew County has seen its share of politically motivated threats. Take for example the recent school board race, where candidates and school board members were threatened either for their opinions or their vote on agenda items.
We resolve our disagreements at the ballot box and in the public square. This is what I learned in an elementary history class at school. Regardless of your political affiliation, we are all Americans. January 6 should remind us what happens when we forget that.
Now it’s easy to look away and say, “Well, it’s just politics.” » And honestly, I wouldn’t blame you. Our 24/7 news media floods our feeds with information that can make anyone believe that our country is ready to collapse at any given moment. But I refuse to accept that “it’s just politics”. You shouldn’t accept it either.