Together, Americans will get through this terrible tragedy
Most of us went to bed Sunday night feeling safe and secure. Our sleep untroubled except perhaps for the prospect of Monday and rising early for the beginning of another work week. Then we awoke to tragedy. Another mass shooting — this time the deadliest in U.S. history.
A crowd of people at an outdoor Las Vegas country music concert. A lone gunman high above in a hotel tower. country star Jason Aldean on stage in the middle of a song. Shots fired. Pandemonium.
The casualties were almost inconceivable. At least 59 dead. More than 500 injured. Police say the killer was a 64-year-old Nevada resident named Stephen Craig Paddock. He killed himself in the hotel room after the carnage.
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed credit, saying Paddock was a Muslim convert. The FBI was quick to say that wasn't true. Las Vegas police and federal authorities consider this a "lone wolf" attack. They say there is no credible evidence of a further threat.
Paddock's family was shocked. Early reports say he was a quiet, retiree who enjoyed country music and gambling. He was a pilot and owned two airplanes. No one seems to know what his motive might have been.
President Donald Trump called the attack "an act of pure evil." Indeed it was. The president ordered flags to be flown at half-staff and called for unity. He planned to visit Las Vegas on Wednesday.
And he recognized that in times like this we instinctively want answers — answers that might not come anytime soon.
"In times such as these I know we are searching for some kind of meaning in the chaos, some kind of light in the darkness," Trump said. "The answers do not come easy. But we can take solace knowing that even the darkest space can be brightened by a single light, and even the most terrible despair can be illuminated by a single ray of hope."
We cannot fathom the pain and suffering among those who were there at the concert, those who lost friends and loved ones. We can only pray the wounded recover, the families are comforted.
And we can only hope that Americans heed the call of the president for unity. This is not the time for political games, finger pointing or rash speculation.
We all want to feel safe in our homes and when we go out. Those who went to the country festival in Las Vegas hoped for a fun night out in a place that most consider a mecca for good times. It's not surprising that many across the nation, even here in the Twin Cities, feel a bit less secure today. A bit more fearful for the kind of world their children will inherit, perhaps.
We don't know how to address those fears. We don't know if anyone can. We do know that we, as a nation, will get through this. We always have. And together we always will.