For each person who has lived on our soil and gone on to commit an act of violence, be it Timothy McVeigh or the 9/11 hijackers or the Columbine kids or any of the others, each one of those represents a failing on us as a society to not embrace them, to make them one of us, and let them see the American Dream and our way of life as great enough to put aside their wish to do harm and to feel welcome and loved enough to put down their arms. Step out of your homes, hug your neighbors, wave at a stranger (with more than your middle finger), let that person merge in traffic, accept one another, quit labeling and name calling, resist the media and politicians’ efforts to divide us with fear and hate, and generally practice being nice.
Together we stand; divided we fall. Let love overcome!
