Though I am an atheist, I am a Jew by birth and by tradition - my mother, grandmother and great-grandmother were Jewish. I am deeply saddened at the rash of violence over the last week against Jews, African-Americans and political figures.

Yesterday we had our own scare in the store where I work. A couple came in with the intent of shoplifting. We know this because they have stolen from us before. But this time was different, the man was armed.

I was asked to watch them as they wandered through the store. His pistol was clearly visible, tucked into his pants, "imprinting" on his shirt. His "SS" tattoo was also clearly visible on the back of his head. This made me nervous, but scared one of the young women working with me last night. Our lost prevention person called the police to come to the store just in case. They left without taking anything (though they tried) and without incident.

We are a nation filled with hate. With three national incidents this week, two shootings and a series of mail-bombs, it is easy to forget that most of Americans are good, law abiding people. That the president is not an example of American morality. That there will always be people with an "us versus them" mentality. But we need to overcome these flaws in our nation's morals and work towards a unified front against the hatred and violence.