Last week was the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001. Every year on 9/11, the names of those who died that day are read. What tends to get lost with the passage of time is how the events of that day affected the psyche of the country. It put to rest the idea of “fortress America.” Another aspect that is often overlooked is the response of then-President George W. Bush. In light of the assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, Bush’s response merits examination.
The September 11 attack could have torn the country apart. You do not have to be an expert in security to realize there were failures when a few individuals were able to take over planes and fly them into symbols of America—the World Trade Center and the Pentagon—causing thousands of deaths. The only reason the fourth plane was unsuccessful in its mission to destroy either the Capitol or the White House was the passengers’ heroism. The military was useless. In addition, the fact that the perpetrators were Muslim could have led to widespread attacks on Muslims or official government action against them as a group, like what happened to the Japanese during World War II. None of that happened.
Instead, the country came together. Subsequently, when there was a need to investigate the causes of the attack, including the many failures, it was done in a bipartisan manner.
The person who deserves much of the credit is President Bush. He met the moment. He asked for unity and calm. He went to the World Trade Center site to show support a few days after the attack. He also went to a mosque soon after to affirm that the Muslims who committed the attack did not represent the Muslims in our country.
In the past few years, there has been a rash of attacks on elected officials and other high-profile political figures because of their beliefs and party. Unfortunately, some were killed, such as Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman, who was killed in her home.
The latest is Charlie Kirk. I believe that his murder prompted a greater reaction because of his nationwide visibility, his closeness to the President, and how he was killed. He was assassinated while speaking at a college campus by a sniper’s bullet, and the video has been seen by millions.
The proper response is to decry such conduct whether it comes from the left or the right and to ask that the temperature be lowered. If not, it will lead to more killings. For those who remember 1968, we saw it firsthand with the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Senator Robert Kennedy within a few months of each other.
The Republican governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, met the moment in his response. He gave a few speeches with the same theme. For example: “We just need every single person in this country to think about where we are and where we want to be. To ask ourselves, Is this it? Is this what 250 years has brought on us? I pray that that’s not the case.” In another speech directed to young Americans, he said, “You are inheriting a country where politics feels like rage. It feels like rage is the only option. Your generation has an opportunity to build a culture that is very different than what we are suffering through right now—not by pretending differences don’t matter, but by embracing our differences and having those hard conversations.”
Unfortunately, the current president has used the killing of Kirk as a wedge to attack the “radical left” and the media, blaming them for political violence while ignoring violence on the right. He rejected the chance to try to unite the country on Fox & Friends when one of the hosts said to Trump, “We have radicals on the right as well. How do we fix this country?” Trump responded, “I’ll tell you something that’s gonna get me in trouble, but I couldn’t care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.”
Meanwhile, some on the left are trying to justify the shooter’s conduct, or complaining about why there is such a reaction to Kirk and not to others on the left who were attacked and killed, or pivoting to gun control. Finger-pointing and using the shooting for political advantage will not help stop the killing.
Fortunately, Governor Cox’s approach seems to be the majority response. We should follow the governor’s lead.
The idea of meeting the moment is also applicable to Rosh HaShanah. In looking back at our actions and the events of the past year, we can take different paths. We can try to justify our conduct and blame others. We can minimize it by rationalizing that everyone does it, so why is it wrong? One can always find excuses not to admit faults and change. Instead, we need an honest assessment of our behavior. It might not be pleasant, but it has to be done if we are going to change.
Just as the country needs to change its attitude toward political violence—including addressing its causes, as the governor stated—we, as individuals, need to address our own conduct. If that can be done, our own lives and the country will be better off.
Have a happy and healthy year.
