A Country Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand

November 8, 2018

The man behind the mask of recent bomb scares has been caught, but the anger of U.S. citizens remains as opposing political parties continue to feed blame and hatred into the public eye. In these unpredictable times, we must realize that there is always the choice to show forgiveness towards those who have done us wrong, rather than becoming vengeful.

During the duration of only a few days, twelve pipe bombs were sent by mail across the country to public figures such as Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Robert De Niro. After realizing all victims of these threatening bombs scares were Democrats, who have spoken out about their disapproval of President Trump, citizens erupted with suspicion.

On Friday, October 26, a man named Cesar Sayoc was arrested for mailing these bombs. Sayoc is an open Donald Trump supporter, as seen in a recently leaked video taken by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore. Within the video, Sayoc can be seen during a rally soon after Trump was voted into office holding an anti-CNN sign. Cesar Sayoc’s trials will continue as we all anticipate a speedy conclusion. Though this man is behind bars, the effects of his actions still stand.

When the bomb threats began, citizens began standing up for the Democrats being victimized by these bomb threats by blaming President Trump and the Republican party. With this mindset, those already on edge about supporting our current president now have more fuel to disapprove of him based on their early assumptions that the pipe bombs threats were his doing. Trump responded to those accusations through Twitter.

“Funny how lowly rated CNN, and others, can criticize me at will, even blaming me for the current spate of bombs and ridiculously comparing this to September 11th and the Oklahoma City bombing. Yet when I criticize them they go wild and scream, ‘it’s not Presidential!’” said Trump.

Though we now know it was Caesar Sayoc who was behind the pipe bombs, this circumstance is not the first time tragedy has struck our country and we have responded by turning on one another; for example, in the case of racial issues. We cannot completely prevent awful things from occurring, but we get to choose how we respond. We will always have our own personal opinions, but with our faith as an influence in our lives, we should always choose to show love.

The media can sometimes become a source of negativity, but we have to find courage within to stand up against the darkness and be a beam of light to everyone. It is almost guaranteed that someone or something will enter our lives and test our faith, but despite what others may try to enforce, there is always the option of love and forgiveness rather than hatred and violence.

In the case of these pipe bombs, we should work together as a country for the greater good rather than blaming others as if there are opposing teams. If we blame each other we cannot stand, but with an attitude of perseverance towards a harmonious future, we will evolve as a country and as individuals.

Unity Made Difficult with 2018 Midterm Elections

Elizabeth Petruso, Staff Writer

It’s election season! If you thought that voting for our favorite politicians to represent us would unify the country, you would be completely wrong. With everyone voicing their opinions and politicians fighting to win elections, the division of the United States continues.

As Election Day grew closer, any Missourian could tell you about the never ending McCaskill versus Hawley ads. Whether driving down the road, listening to the radio or on your phone, the campaigning didn’t cease. The harsh rivalry between Hawley and McCaskill became obvious when both could no longer promote themselves but attempted to ruin the reputation of the other. This behavior divided our own state, and has caused the debate of “Which side are you on?”

After months of campaigning, we now know that Republican Josh Hawley won the election in Missouri and will be our state senator. Though some may be jumping for joy about the announcement, McCaskill supporters are not satisfied. As political problems continue to spread throughout the country, it becomes increasingly harder to make everyone happy in politics.

In the state of Georgia, candidates Republican Brian Kemp, the secretary of state for Georgia until his resignation on Thursday, and Democrat Stacey Abrams competed for the title of governor. On November 7, Kemp declared victory, but Abrams refuses to accept that conclusion. When Kemp’s office made the announcement, Abrams believed that the counting was rigged and demanded they recount the votes. Therefore, the election has not been settled yet in Georgia, causing the citizens to remain angry and suspicious.

Trouble follows those in Washington D.C. running our country. With results in for this year’s midterm elections, Republicans held onto control over the Senate and Presidency but the Democrats grasped power within the House. This conclusion brings the possibility of disagreement. In order to pass something it needs to be approved through all three branches of the government, and now that the control of political parties is split, it may be much more difficult to reach conclusions.

As so many people in the public eye thirst for success while accusing others, they lose sight of what they truly need to strive for: peace. As our own country persistently divides in front of our eyes, this is a time where we need to band together to repair what has been broken. Love and forgiveness is needed more than ever now with drama between politicians, shootings happening back to back and countless more tragic events. We can easily show love and compassion everyday to our peers, which could potentially create a butterfly effect, spreading love across the country.

It is encouraged that everyone continues to voice their opinions; it’s our right. But when the vexation of the world becomes overwhelming, don’t be afraid to be that spark of light that shines in the darkness.