[00:00:11] Speaker A: What's worthwhile? It's a question we all need to answer for ourselves. I'm Ramsey Zimmerman. As for me, it's building mind, body, and spirit wellness. Let's ponder the big questions together as we seek peace of mind, vitality of body, and joy of spirit.
[00:00:37] Speaker B: Wait, wait. Let me get my shoes. Those were his first words to Secret Service agents as they lifted him up, shielding him with their bodies as best they could. Apparently, when they jumped on top of him, they knocked his shoes off, so they started walking. But again he said, wait, wait, wait, and he stopped and looked over the head of a shorter agent toward the crowd. With blood streaked across his cheek and hard, fixed eyes, he raised his closed fist into the air and spoke to his audience.
[00:01:09] Speaker A: Fight.
Fight.
Fight.
[00:01:13] Speaker B: I feel like the earth moved. Last Saturday, July 13, 2024, a would be assassin fired multiple shots at Donald Trump, hitting him in the ear. I was driving when I heard about it. Our son called on the phone and asked if we had heard the news. We'd been hiking all day, so I said, no. There was an assassination attempt. Trump was shot, but he's okay. He raised his fist in the air. He's a living martyr. He just won the election. My son said all of this in one breath. I was driving through a forest when I heard this. Unformed and unrecognizable emotions swirled inside of me. I didn't really say anything as I write this, it's been about a week. Details are beginning to shape up, and opinions are certainly crystallizing. In the 1960s, there were several prominent assassinations in the US. JFK, RFK, MLK. All of these attempts were successful. The shooting of Reagan in the eighties didn't kill him, but it certainly put him into the hospital. All were attributed to lone gunmen. This feels different. I've been watching a lot of reaction videos, you know, people talking about what they think. I'd combine and summarize their messages as follows. First they tried to stop him from getting elected. Then they said he was a russian agent. Then they impeached him twice. Then they stole the election. Then they tried to bankrupt him. Then they tried to throw him in jail. None of it worked, so now they tried to kill him. They, they. Who are they? Same people. Different people. I think the notion of the lone gunman is pretty much out the window. Did the 20 year old kid who climbed up a ladder onto a sloped roof 150 yards away and. And shot at Trump act alone? Maybe, maybe not. But even if he did, it still feels like they tried to kill him. Has not the language and imagery from Trump opponents been violent and hateful much of the time? For years. And even today, people say things like, Trump is literally Hitler. Trump is an existential threat to democracy. Trump needs to be eliminated, taken out, put a bullseye on him. We need to do anything and everything to prevent a second Trump presidency. Where else would this kind of rhetoric be expected to go?
We dodged a bullet last weekend. The last moment turn of Trump's head toward the shooter created a path where the bullet grazed the top of his ear, where it connects to his head. Had he not turned his head, it would have blown his brains out. Graphic, but accurate. Of course, a few people in the crowd were not so lucky. One man died shielding his family. Two other people were seriously injured. But America dodged the bullet. Love Trump or hate him. Can you imagine what would have happened if the bullet struck home? I think it's likely that the civil war so many people have been imagining might have kicked off hot within a couple of days and dodging that bullet. Many have said, and I tend to believe, that the very finger of God guided the path and or guided the turn of Trump's head. Talk about a singularity. It's like a coin toss that landed on its edge, not an injury and not a miss. Literally the only line or trajectory that could draw blood, but not seriously injure or kill him. No one can reasonably say, oh, it was fake or staged. He missed on purpose to build sympathy for Trump. That kind of precision feels supernatural. And the images that have come from the event. There's a photo of Trump on his hands and knees, looking down at his hands with light streaming onto his face. When I look at that image, I know why his shoes flew off. As God said to Moses from a burning bush, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground. Exodus three five don't get me wrong, Trump is no saint. I think he's deeply flawed. But God has a long history of choosing and using deeply flawed people for his purposes and his shoes. What would you do in his shoes? What would I do in his shoes? I think everyone, or most everyone, would like to think that they would respond bravely in a situation like that. But we don't really know until it happens, right? Trump stopped and popped his head up and signaled to the crowd that he was okay and gave them a message of defiance. There was no panic, no violence, no stampede in the crowd afterwards, in his shoes, what would I have done? I don't know, but it does bring back one echo for me of a personal experience. When I was about 20 years old, I rolled my mustang, driving on ice. The car was totaled, but I was unharmed, except for a cut on my ear from a piece of glass. Over the years, I've come to believe that God protected me that day, drew blood, but protected me from harm. Feels familiar. But let's get back to today. There are so many questions. Now, why was that roof not secured? It had a direct line of sight less than 150 yards away. First the secret service said it was outside the perimeter and therefore the responsibility of local police. Then they said they chose not to put an agent sniper on the roof there because it was pitched at an angle and a safety concern. But that's laughable. They had snipers on other pitched roofs. Supposedly, the actual building inside was secured. So how did this kid get a ladder up against the wall with no one stopping him? How did he even get a ladder in there with his little Kia sedan? Now we're even getting reports that agents noticed him up to an hour in advance. He was on the grounds with a bicycle, a backpack, a drone, and a range finder, all items that are generally not allowed at Trump rallies. Police climbed up to the roof and spotted him, and he pointed his gun at them. They backed off. People in the crowd saw him, yelled to authorities, there was a shooter on that roof. All of this must have been on the agents radios. Secret Service countersnipers had him in their sights before he opened fired. Why didn't they stop Trump from going on stage? If they knew there was an active threat, why was he not confronted decisively before the event began?
Incompetence, maybe. In fact, there were a few real bonafide Secret Service agents on site. The rest were substitutes from the Department of Homeland Security. What? Why? Because the other secret service agents had been diverted to a nearby rally where first lady Jill Biden was speaking. So they brought in scrubs from the DHS. So, yes, it's plausible that the inexperience and lack of training of the substitutes could account for the lapses. But what a cascade of failures. It's hard not to wonder if some links in the chain let it happen. And there's no denying that there has been so much energy and desire and intent in the nation for Trump's elimination. That is insanity. It cannot stand. As a nation, we cannot seek to resolve our differences with violence, let alone sniper bullets. I hope and I pray that this is a turning point. I hope and pray that we can be honest and truthful and reach out to each other and seek to work out our differences peacefully. I hope and pray that Trump uses this second chance at life to reach out to all Americans with an open hand, even though he shook his fist in the air and asked us to fight. Yes, we need to fight against tyranny and hatred and division. We need to fight with love and compassion and dedication in our hearts. As a nation, we don't agree about many things, but I hope that we can agree that violence is not the answer. And for today, that is enough.
[00:09:50] Speaker A: Thank you for asking. What's worthwhile? Visit whatsworthwhile.net to learn more about me, Ramsay Zimmerman, and please provide your name and email to become a supporter. I'm asking for prayer, advice, feedback, and connections. The what's Worthwhile podcast is on Spotify, Apple, iHeart, and Amazon. You can also
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