I certainly did not agree with him on every issue, but I always appreciated his commitment to civil discourse. He encouraged discussion with people who disagreed with him and embraced our inalienable right to free speech including the right of others to disagree with him.

It appears his assassin has been taken into custody. It has been reported that he engraved “LMAO” as part of a message on one of his bullet casings indicating the deep depravity of his mindset. He evidently thought it was funny to take the life of a young husband and father of two because that man dared to present opinions that were different than his own.

This can and should be a turning point for this nation. There are many issues that require debate and discussion. My hope is that there will be a recommitment to civil discourse. It starts with each of us as individuals. We can all point fingers and blame somebody else for fostering hurtful rhetoric and verbally abusive language. But is up to us to model our expectations.

Be the change you wish to see.

Do it in honor of a young man who died at the hands of another young man who thought it was funny to kill somebody he disagreed with….