Press opinion: Let's all take a deep breath
David Earl Hutto is accused of murder. He’s not guilty — yet, anyway. Unless and until a court decides otherwise, he’s still innocent of killing Bo Kirk.
And yet, Monday’s claim by the prosecutor that Hutto kidnapped and shot Kirk to death over a road rage incident should give every conscientious North Idahoan pause.
Maybe Hutto is, as some citizens have concluded, a base creature with a criminal record who would let anger over a driving disagreement lead to his depriving a healthy young man of the rest of his life and leaving the Kirk family without a loving husband and father. Maybe Hutto was suffering from an affliction that none of us know about, demons that he thought he might exorcise through savage violence. Maybe he was out of his head on drugs. As incomprehensible as those suggestions might seem, we prefer them to a question that we’re unable to answer:
What if Kirk’s death resulted in some part from the pent up anxiety demonstrated daily on the political trail in our country? What if the anger that’s seething in so many quarters found not just an isolated release in this tragic case, but is boiling just beneath the surface and is threatening many others elsewhere?
In recent days we have heard more than one citizen call for civil war — yes, taking up arms against the government and/or supporters of one candidate — if a certain outcome in the presidential election occurs.
On these pages, candidates are demonized, ranging from alleged criminal behavior to personifying pure evil. While violence has not been expressly recommended, the vehemence behind the words is only too clear. It’s not just dire warnings and passionate voting recommendations. The poison runs deeper into the bloodstream than that.
Even as citizens reel from the allegations against Hutto, The Press is publishing a three-part series by author Uyless Black that suggests our nation is great already, that it’s strong but can get stronger. The premise is that if we work together, we Americans can fix whatever ails us. We believe that strongly. But we also worry that the anger and anxiety festering in so many people poses a serious potential threat in the days ahead.
While you have no direct control over the outcome of next week’s elections, merely a participatory nudge, you do have control over your actions and reactions to others. Please, if you find yourself in a situation where cooler heads are needed — on busy roadways, overhearing a coffee house conversation, discussing issues with acquaintances — do your best to de-escalate rather than exacerbate.
The days of arguments ending in bruised feelings or even a bloody nose would be warmly welcomed compared to what we might be facing in this transient but potentially explosive window exposing raw human elements of America.