Las Vegas, Nevada - Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC], has issued the following statement in the aftermath of what he described as "the madness in Las Vegas."
Take a pew in your house of worship this weekend and say a prayer for those who died and those who suffered injuries on Sunday in the madness in Las Vegas. Pray for the brave first responders who put themselves in harm's way to protect lives, those in uniform and those civilians who risked their own lives to help others.
This is no time for political rhetoric. It is a time to mourn and reach out for consolation, consolation for the loved ones of the 59 who were murdered in cold blood like the wife whose husband was shot and killed when he took a bullet for her and consolation for the nearly 500 who were wounded and their families.
Say a prayer, too, for ourselves so that we may come together as a nation. It was an horrific event, too gruesome to comprehend. Police found the killer, who in the end committed suicide, in his room on the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel. They also found his cache of weapons and ammunition. But, they have found no motive, as yet, for his appalling deed.
Thousands of ordinary citizens throughout the U.S. gave blood for the survivors of the senseless attack. And, tens of thousands of others in America and around the world have been posting kind words on social media to express their sorrow and sadness. The world's political and religious leaders, too, were moved to express their hopes that such madness as occurred in Las Vegas will wake us up.
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops put it this way: "At this time, we need to pray and to take care of those who are suffering. In the end, the only response is to do good, for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light."
Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, founder and president of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, said: "We pray for those most closely impacted by the horrific attack in Las Vegas, and we ask God to speak words of comfort and resolve in the mind of every child so that instead of fearing the world, they will be inspired to bring peace to the world. "
Pastor Robert Jeffress of the First Baptist Church of Dallas noted that the violent event in Las Vegas marked "a day where there are no Democrats or Republicans, there are no conservatives or liberals - we are all united as Americans."
