To the Editor:
On Sunday, July 14, I drove to my local Wawa in Dennisville for one reason – to buy a Sunday “Inquirer.” I grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania – with the Inquirer and the Bulletin.
I wanted to read about their coverage of the attempt on Donald Trump’s life in Butler, Pennsylvania, the day before. They placed the story on page one but on the bottom half! The rest of the paper was devoted to lopsidedly negative articles about Trump and the upcoming Republican National Convention. The last Inquirer I bought was about 10 years ago. This one was most certainly my last. At mid-day, there was still a full stack left which was somewhat comforting!
However, I did learn of a new left-wing buzzword: Christian nationalism. As a retiree, I watch a fair amount of TV. I read books and magazines. I listen to the radio. The term was used negatively several times. If you are a Christian, don’t forget that in many states, e.g., California, you were locked out of your place of worship. You could not pray in front of an altar, at the time of the Covid pandemic, and this was not long ago!
The “nationalism” part is a direct criticism of those of us who respect the sovereignty of our country and that of all other nations. We are not World Federalists who deserve to kowtow to some world-ruling elite! We believe firmly that we are all better off trying to improve our own country, which strives for “liberty and justice for all” than any other course of action.
My working career began in 1963 and ended in 2019. I began as a psychiatric child care worker and wound up as a special education teacher in Washington, D.C. I then became a travel agency professional and sent clients all over the world. I wound up working for the Cape May County MUA for 18 years.
Back to the assassination attempt. As a children’s mental health professional, I learned a lot about emotional disturbance. There is zero doubt in my mind that the 20-year-old who accessed the rooftop and shot at Trump was an extremely disturbed human soul. Look how he wound up. He certainly didn’t appear to have an exit strategy, so I conclude it was a suicide mission. I see no other explanation. Crooks now joins Harris and Klebold (of the Columbine massacre) and all the others in between, all extremely disturbed young men.
I’ll wrap up by saying I can’t tell you the reasons, the causes for deep-seated emotional disturbance. I attended scores of meetings on this kid and that kid but no one ever had solid, definitive answers. This type of understanding is now and will continue to be a work in progress.
I appreciate the last-minute column by Art and Patricia Hall in the July 17 Herald. Most of us have good hearts. But there is so much negativity, it is easy to fall into traps!
JAMES PAUL JR.
South Dennis
