What is it about September?

Alan Jackson had a #1 hit with the song asking "Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day" twenty-four years ago.  The day that we, as a nation, sat glued to our televison screens and radios as the travesty of 9/11 unfolded before our very eyes. Our nation, our freedoms and all that we stood for had come under attack in a way that most of us living had never witnessed. Sure there had been war, but not since the Civil War had it touched American soil.

In the wake of that tragedy, political parties crossed the aisles in solidarity as Americans not a Republican, Democrat or Independent. Families sat to watch as the President spoke of the travesty and the heartbreaking loss of life that had occurred at the hands of these terrorists with the promise that those responsible would be held accountable.  The nation cheered as the call to arms was sounded and took solace in knowing that this great nation would rebuild and come back stronger than ever.

Twenty-three years, 363 days later, tragedy strikes again. This time, not in a populated city causing catastrophic damage but the quietness of a college campus in Orem, Utah.  Honestly, I had never heard of this town even though it is a bustling college town.  But this time is different. There is no solidarity of the nation, not seeing the political differences set aside to denounce the atrocity that has taken place. Love him or hate him, Charlie Kirk was true to his beliefs, and sadly that conviction lead to his aspiration.

But tragedy did not stop there. In a rural town in Colorado, three students were gunned down at almost the same time. But there is no national outcry for them.  Why? Because they didn't die.  This shooting does not fit the school shooting narrative that political activists want to push for there agenda.  

But I digress for a moment. I have to ask myself what happened to this country I love. Twenty-four years ago, tragedy was met with determination, solidarity and a willingness to put aside differences of opinion, religious beliefs, color or creed for the betterment of America and to defend the freedoms that we all held near and dear. Twenty-four years later, a man is gunned down in cold blood in front of a national audience to see because someone disagreed with his political, religious and moral beliefs. The very same things that once united us now serve to divide us. What happened to THAT September that Alan sung about? I sure would like to have it back!