Kevin Hensley
I can’t quite put my finger on what it is, but there is an evil lurking in our country right now – the likes of which our democracy has never seen.
Has our nation seen its fair share of tragedies, lack of justice and unspeakable acts since establishing its independence some 249 years ago? Without question. But the recent amount of slayings that have given talking heads on corporate news channels the chance to actually earn their cartoonish salaries has really shaken me.
Perhaps it’s because all of it occurred around the anniversary of one of our country’s darkest days, 9/11. At a time when patriotism should be at an all-time high, political division and civil unrest has instead been our focus. The 24th anniversary of a terrorist attack on American soil last week served as more of an escape from the miserable existence we are living in.
If that doesn’t upset you, go take a long, hard look in the mirror. Maybe you are part of the problem.
Let’s trace the recent timeline:
* A Ukrainian refugee was stabbed to death on a Charlotte train Aug. 22. Iryna Zarutska, 23, was innocently sitting on the commuter car – roughly four hours from Graham County, mind you – when Decarlos Brown Jr., 34, simply walked up behind her and used a pocket knife to stab her three times in the throat. Reports have since emerged that Brown may have struggled for years with mental illness.
* A right-wing political activist was slain during a public debate at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. Charlie Kirk died at 31, leaving behind a young wife and two children, after being shot one in the neck by Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old man who allegedly confessed to the crime on Discord and was said to be in a relationship with a transgender man, who has fully cooperated with authorities regarding the crime.
* A McCaysville, Ga., police officer was shot Friday for simply doing his job. Capt. Brantley Worley was rushed to Erlanger Baroness Hospital in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a gunshot wound and broken neck after allegedly being shot while dealing with a suspicious individual for the second time on the night. Some 19 hours later, lead suspect Timothy Craig Ramsey, 26, was apprehended in Polk County, Tenn. Thankfully, Worley was discharged Monday night, but he has a long road to recovery ahead.
Think about this: all of this occurred within a three-week span. Two of these incidents split the remembrance of 9/11. These were attacks fueled by malice and a blatant disregard for authority.
There is not enough space here to delve deeper into each suspect’s motives and background (and plenty has been wrote elsewhere already to cover that), but do you ever stop and ponder what possesses individuals to behave in such a manner?
We are blessed everyday, but many lost sight of that a long time ago. The amount of backbiting and persecution locally – let alone, the rest of the world – is unsettling. The words in this column will sadly do very little to put an end to the fighting.
If you’ve read this far, though, at least try to pump the brakes the next time you feel provoked. Don’t become part of the problem and be the reason this evil continues to spread.
Kevin Hensley is publisher/editor of The Graham Star. He can be reached via phone, 828-479-3383; email, editor@grahamstar.com; or on X, @KevinHensleyCNI.