Letter: Praying for the victims of Orlando

Terror attacks terrorize all of us. They intend to make us afraid to live our lives — to send our kids to school, to go to work or out on the town. This time, the target was a gay nightclub. Past targets were schools, Army bases and work parties.

The commonality is that they happened in the USA. Let’s support America. Let’s use these unthinkably horrible events to unify as a nation and attempt to heal the division that is literally tearing our country apart.

I’m an American. I’m a human. Both of those virtues are under attack by those consumed with hatred and violence. When terrorism hits American soil, all Americans are impacted, and need support.

Whether religion, mental illness, drugs, or any other motivator — regardless of who their target is — if humans are killed, all humans are impacted and need to be supported.

Human life is precious. It needs to be treated as such.

I’m praying for all the victims of Orlando — friends, family, and the local community that felt the impact far greater than most of us ever will. Above all else, I’m praying for humanity. We need to restore humanity to the human race.

This story was originally published June 19, 2016 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Letter: Praying for the victims of Orlando."