by Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
The world watched a miracle take place as former President Trump barely missed an assassin’s bullet.
Thousands of people in the audience witnessed this in person and multiple millions of people watched it live or have since seen the video replayed many times.
July 13 will go down as a day that will forever be remembered in American history. It was a sad day when there was an attempt made to take a former President’s life while he was campaigning for reelection.
While most Americans are relieved that the heinous attempt on Trump’s life was not successful, we mourn that some people sitting in the crowd were not as fortunate. At this writing one man in the crowd was killed while two more persons remain in critical condition. The question has surely been asked why such innocent people have to suffer and even die while simply attending a political rally? Most likely, the assassin’s target was only Trump but he was apparently not concerned that others might die as a result of his actions.
Evil always afflicts the innocent. Time and time again, we have seen mass school shootings where a shooter had a specific target in mind yet others were killed and suffered along with the targeted victim. Evil has no boundaries or concerns about the results of its actions.
We have heard it said over and again that this was a sad day in America. It is also sad that every political campaign event will be crawling with security at an even higher level. This doesn’t mean that the most recent event in Pennsylvania was not crawling with security. At any event a snake can slither into a crack and then suddenly strike to inflict pain and devastation.
Recently, a neighbor was out of town and his sister was taking care of his two pet birds. She was shocked when she went to feed them and discovered a four-foot-long snake was in the cage and had killed one of the birds. How the snake got into the house is unclear. How the snake got up to the elevated level where the birds were seemingly safe is hard to understand. However, it was there and in time would have killed the second bird.
Somehow, my cousin got the head of the snake between a pair of scissors and called another neighbor to help. They managed to cut off the head of the monster snake before dragging it out of the bird cage. Unfortunately, one precious pet bird perished and the second one was terrorized before the snake was killed.
Assassins and mass shooters are like slithering snakes crawling quietly to strike their victims. They hide, they are creepy, sneaky, and plot to move under the radar. The Secret Service, FBI, and local police must work hand in hand to screen every nook and cranny as well as every high and low space to hopefully deter such an act from happening again.
Tragically, it’s happened too many times before. Abraham Lincoln was sitting in an unprotected theatre booth in Washington, D.C.
President Kennedy was riding in a convertible and was a wide-open target from various angles. Martin Luther King Jr. was caught off guard on the balcony of a Memphis Hotel. John Lennon and his wife were simply walking into their New York City apartment building. There are many others that have been targeted throughout history.
We can never let our guard down. Even when our guard is high, there is the risk of a slithering villain lurking in the vicinity.
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He is the author of 13 books including Uncommom Sense, the Spiritual Chocolate series, Grandpa's Store, Minister's Guidebook insights from a fellow minister. His column is published weekly in over 600 publications in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization. We welcome comments and views from our readers. Submit your letters to the editor or commentary on a current event 24/7 to editor@oursentinel.com.
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The keynote speaker is actor Gene Weygandt. He has appeared in a host of films, television shows, and on Broadway. His acting credits on screen include The Birdcage, Babe, and Mea Culpa. He has appeared in televised episodes of Home Improvement, Cybil, Murphy Brown, Chicago Fire, Empire, and Chicago Med.
The Chicago-based actor also had roles in Broadway productions, including BIG: The Musical, Wicked, and Come From Away.
This year's 2024 Awards of Excellence include:
Creative Drama/Theatre for Young Audiences:
by Terri Dee
