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For the second time in my 55 years, I saw an assassination attempt on a person that served as President of the United States.

Last Saturday, gunshots were fired at former President Donald Trump-Republican, at a political rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. I was relaxing at home when breaking news flashed across the TV screen that shots were fired at Trump. Secret Service agents quickly covered up Trump and escorted him off stage. Trump raised his right fist, telling the audience he was OK. The bullet grazed his right ear. The shooter, Thomas Matthews Crooks, was killed by Secret Service agents.

Everyone knows that I come from a long line of passionate, opinionated Democrats, but my family would never stoop to such a cowardly act of violence against a Republican or Independent candidate. We always vote for our candidate of choice at the ballot box.

My mother, grandmother and uncles would be proud of the outstanding work done in Selma and Dallas County, encouraging local residents to vote. That’s the way to pick between candidates.

While we are currently divided politically across the nation, I was glad to see President Joe Biden show remorse against his potential opponent in the upcoming election, putting aside differences for a moment.

“I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well,” Biden said in a statement.  “I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

Former President Barack Obama expressed soberly and offered prayers. 

“There is absolutely no place for political violence in our democracy,” Obama said. “ We should all be relieved that former President Trump wasn’t seriously hurt, and use this moment to recommit ourselves to civility and respect in our politics.’’

I was a fifth-grader at Cottondale Elementary School when John Hinckley Jr. shot President Ronald Reagan on March 31, 1981 in Washington, D.C. The shot hit Reagan in the left underarm, breaking a rib, puncturing a lung, and causing serious internal bleeding. 

Because Reagan was a Republican and beat Democrat Jimmy Carter in 1980, I did not appear upset over the shooting. I was severely disciplined at home for disrespecting the leader of our nation at the time.

With that in mind, I am glad to see Trump survive the shooting regardless of any political affiliation. Let us settle this on Election Day in November.

 

James Jones is the managing editor of the Selma Times-Journal. He can be reached at james.jones@selmatimesjournal.com.