There is no shortage of things on which to comment this week. The horrors of the Charleston murders took an unexpected turn when the families of the victims, while obviously crushed by their losses, spoke words of forgiveness and set an example that defused a situation that could have easily turned explosive.
It brought to mind an equally tragic shooting in the Amish community of Nickel Mines in Lancaster County, PA in 2006. Ten girls, ages 6-13 were shot in their one-room school house; five of them were killed. Before the rest of the world was able to get our minds around the senseless murders, the grandfather of one of the dead told the Amish community, “We must not think evil of this man,” and another father said that “the killer has a mother, a wife and soul and is now standing before a just God.” On the very day of the killings the Amish community had already reached out to the family of the killer offering forgiveness and reconciliation rather than hate and was even bringing food.
That was a jaw-dropping demonstration of belief in action. Few among us would have ever been able to express that, let alone on the day of the killings. But in an equally impressive response came from Mother Emmanuel AME Church. The massive outpouring of support from a city that was one of the capitols of slave trade a century and a half ago cannot be anything but healing.
The effects are already being seen with a realistic approach to dealing with the Confederate Battle flag issue. As one who lost a great-grandfather in the Battle of the Wilderness I understand those who feel the sacrifice of more than 320,000 Confederate men is hallowed by the flag.
But equally compelling are those descendants of the Charleston slave market for whom the flag stirs a sense of hatred for what was done to their ancestors. Both feelings are legitimate but what cannot be excused is trying to force those on the opposite side to accept a different point of view. No one has the right to dictate the beliefs of others in a situation like this.
The tide seems to have suddenly shifted and perhaps the President of the United States singing Amazing Grace (See next week’s column for that story) at the funeral of Clementa Pinckney will have the healing balm of Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
Amidst the reporting of terrorist attacks on three continents came down the ruling from the Supreme Court on same sex marriages. Sometimes things do turn around quickly. Just a few years ago states, Virginia among them, were amending their state constitutions to define who could marry whom.
The Court’s minority opinion is difficult for me to grasp: If we are to be a unified country with liberty and justice for all that cannot be disrupted by crossing a state line. Those who hold religious beliefs that are contrary to the ruling are certainly entitled to their faith, but like imposing personal emotions on others, we cannot remove equal protection under the law because of our individual beliefs or state laws.
The third event that will make this past week go down in history was the 6-3 ruling from the Supreme Court that the Affordable Care Act was within the bounds of constitutionality. The ruling holds that the Affordable Care Act authorized federal tax credits for eligible Americans living not only in states with their own exchanges but also in the 34 states with federal marketplaces.
The decision staved off a major political showdown and a mad scramble in states that would have needed to act to prevent millions from losing health care coverage. ACA is far from perfect, but at least it is the law of the land and Congress can get on to the business of improving it rather than trying to scrap it.
And fourth, just when it seemed dead in the water the Trans-Pacific Partnership for trade passed and was another solid victory for President Obama. There are downsides to that, but it passed the Senate 60-38, a margin that is seldom seen.
It has been a week of tragedy, of rejoicing, cooperation, and of understanding. Out of all of that a sense of hope still is present; we all should work to sustain it and understand that, while differences will remain, there is room for all of us in the same land, in the same world.
Hayden Hollingsworth
