Speaking at a press conference today, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) described the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando earlier Sunday as an act Islamic terrorism. He then further elaborated that the terrorists "will not win" and that Americans will stand united against them, in spite of our differences.
Marco Rubio: "They won't terrorize America" https://t.co/Vztw9FvIga https://t.co/Io7RwusRZi
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) June 12, 2016
"[...]they seek to terrorize us. And I hope they see today they won't terrorize America, they won't terrorize Floridians, that we stand for, and with, all Americans. [...] They will not win. Islamic terrorists need to know that they will not win. That America will stand strong and together..."
Well said. In contrast to President Obama's remarks earlier, Rubio wasn't afraid to shy away from calling the attack what it was: Islamic terrorism.
And Rubio is correct--terrorists won't win, and Americans will use this time of grief and mourning to unite against a common enemy. Already in Orlando, blood banks are overflowing with people who want to help the victims. (And the same thing happened in Boston following the attack at the Boston Marathon in 2013.) Americans are good people who may disagree on a whole multitude of issues--but condemning terrorism and proving that there is some kind of good in the world is something everyone can agree with.