By Jim Townsend Republican National Committeeman New Mexico State Representative District 54

Note from your National Committeeman: When I arrived in Milwaukee earlier this week for the Republican National Committee’s summer meetings, the temperament of the group was dedicated and sincere. The meetings went methodically smooth. Each of the committee meetings went on queue. I serve you on the RNC Rules committee and was selected to serve the Convention Rules Committee too.

There will be about 50,000 people in attendance to the convention; 15,000 of those will be media personnel from all over the world. The Republican Party will have approximately 2,500 representatives including delegates, alternate delegates and National Committeewomen and Committeemen along with each State Party Chair. The balance will be guests and RNC personnel.

The tenor quickly changed Saturday afternoon with the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump. It was a surreal moment, as I watched while working from my hotel room. Luckily for America, on several fronts, the assassination attempt was unsuccessful.

I believe our country dodged a bullet; no pun intended. Chaos would have prevailed, and accusations would have traveled as fast as the bullet did toward President Trump, typically about 3,000 feet per second.

I was astonished that he rose so quickly, demanding the ability to address the crowd and relay to them that he was alive and well, and still ready to fight for our country. Whether you agree or disagree with his initiatives, we all must agree we all are better than assassination. We must be.

We have lost four Presidents in this manner: Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. Ronald Reagan and Teddy Roosevelt were shot, wounded and recovered. Roosevelt, knowing his wounds were not critical continued and gave an 84-minute speech before seeking medical care. I think he was tough too. Of the four presidents assassinated, three were Republican and one was a Democrat, but all were what I would call conservative presidents, and that brings me to my point.

Attempts were also made on Franklin Roosevelt and Gerald Ford.

Being a conservative today is as dangerous as it has ever been. There is a history to prove my point. Those who follow radical agendas typically are those who rely on harm and destruction to try to influence the populous and each was horribly unsuccessful and remembered for their horrific deeds. They rely on horrific deeds usually because they lack the ability to debate and satisfactorily support their political point of view. It’s typically a sign of weakness and lack of intellect.

America should be better than that. The cost to abolish slavery should not be death. James Garfield’s last words were “It is God’s will, His will be done.” The cost to invent the Peace Corps should not be fatal either.

I do believe our Country was founded and has been preserved by God’s hand, although we have often forgotten that. I do believe we have a purpose and are to be a “light for the world.” I understand that there are differences of opinion and that is good. We should vet our differences to promote a better society that allows our constituents to flourish. We should be able to promote civility in the face of differences. We are a society of immigrants, so we are not only a melting pot of race, but of beliefs. It is what makes America Great. We are a great country. We are the country that promotes freedom all over the world. We have our faults, but no other country offers more freedom and potential prosperity than America.

So, my report is this: Thomas Matthew Crooks is dead. His horrific actions were wrong and unsuccessful. He was misguided and very probably suffered from some type of mental illness. Somebody had to know he was volatile and suffering. Somebody had to know he was capable of craziness, and they did nothing. They should be ashamed and hang their heads low because they too are to blame.

Don’t let that ever be you.