Mary Gabriele says she’s sickened by the political violence gripping our nation. A senior at Temple University, Gabriele spoke on PennLive’s Battleground PA podcast and shared her reactions to the gunfire that left one father dead and several people injured, including a former President of the United States.
Gabriele’s reaction was not unlike that of Connor Joyce and Sam Pimental, two young voters who joined her to talk about their disappointment and dismay at coming of age in a nation plagued with gun violence and political vitriol.
In their young lives, these students have already seen too much national tragedy. They’ve lived through school shootings, faced the planet’s destruction from climate change, and witnessed the violence of Jan. 6 when rioters supporting ousted President Trump attacked the nation’s capital. One police officer died in that attack, and several were injured.
These students also have lived through the brutal hammer assault on the husband of Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Speaker of the House, as well as the assassination attempts against House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.; and former U.S. Rep. Gabby Gifford, D-Ariz. Now they’ve seen the Republican candidate for president come within a centimeter of losing his life at a campaign rally.
This coming generation of leaders has reason to wonder where it will all end.
It’s not the kind of nation these young people hoped they would inherit. But it’s what Baby Boomers — Republicans, Democrats and in-betweens — are leaving them.
What a crying shame.
Gabriele is pursuing global students with a concentration on global security at Temple University. Joyce is pursuing a double major at Gettysburg College, focused on political science and national security; and Pimental is heading into his first year at Dickinson College, majoring in political science.
Pimental, Joyce and Gabriele are the cream of the crop. They are willing to devote an entire summer learning about the intricacies of local, national, and international affairs. They have lunched with the Mayor of Harrisburg, spent a morning with a Dauphin County Commissioner, toured the state capitol, and debated U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and Ukraine with seasoned experts.
They’re even organizing the International Young Leaders Conference and Career Fair that will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7 at Central Penn College to delve into the major issues impacting our nation and the world. The event is free and open to the public with Ticketleap registration.
They take little consolation in knowing that the political climate in the United States actually was worse a few decades ago when Americans lost three icons to assassins’ bullets that didn’t miss their marks. They fear America once again may be heading in that direction.
Gabriele, Joyce and Pimental know about the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, and his brother Robert Kennedy, killed as he campaigned for the presidency.
And they know about the life and death of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as he spoke for millions of Americans trapped in a quagmire of hatred and violence that fueled the kind of mayhem Butler, Pennsylvania, suffered last weekend.
Gabriele, Joyce and Pimental never imagined they would come of age during another tragic period in American history. They never imagined their generation might have to piece together a nation generations before them tore asunder.
These youth hoped Americans had learned the lessons of history to ensure a peaceful future for their children. Last weekend’s events and the months since the Jan. 6 attack on the nation’s capital dispelled that hope.
But there is some good news. These budding leaders are more than up to the task of rebuilding our nation. They are optimists. They have not given up on the possibility that both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump could summon the selfless duty and moral courage to save the nation from further violence.
Gabriele believes it’s fully possible former President Trump is a changed man who has stared down death to become a powerful force for peace and national unity.
Joyce hopes President Biden could realize it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation of Americans.
And Pimental sees a country where Americans vigorously debate ways to solve problems but stand united against any outside foe.
Gabriele, Joyce and Pimental have a better vision for these United States. They have the smarts, empathy, compassion, and perseverance to reclaim a nation staring into the abyss.
We wish them Godspeed. They will need it to clean up the mess we’ve left behind.
This article was written by Joyce Davis for PennLive. You can read the article on PennLive here.
