Rollin Russell: Taking our pulse
It has been excruciating to watch the news streaming from Orlando. All of the mass killings have touched me deeply. This one, however, elicits a unique breadth of pain and dread. It is an election year, and the polarization in America is deep and seems intractable. The president is being castigated for not calling the attack “radical Islamic terrorism.” Of course, the NRA will chant, “if someone in the crowd had a gun.” Blame the victims?!
This is not about the faith of Islam. Muslims are devastated about this massacre: It reflects wrongly on the character of their faith and further alienates persons of shallow spirit. We even have an aspiring leader of the nation and other political opportunists who try to capitalize on it.
At heart it is about religious and cultural disdain and hatred of LGBT persons. About 200 anti-LGBT laws have been introduced, and not by Muslims! How can we ignore our nation’s founding principle: All are created equal and endowed by the Creator with inalienable rights? Is America sick?
It is time to take our national, ethical and spiritual pulse.
Rev. Rollin Russell
Hillsborough
This story was originally published June 17, 2016 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Rollin Russell: Taking our pulse."