Commentary: In the wake of Charlottesville, think back to the inspiring words of Kennedy and Reagan

The impact of what happened Aug. 12 in Charlottesville, Va., has not been lost on my Laguna Beach friends and yours truly.

Talk about your darker angels. It is beyond a crime when someone makes himself out to be judge, jury and executioner. That is exactly what a white supremacist did when, according to police, he drove his car into a crowd of protesters, killing one and injuring at least 19 others.

The KKK has been known to recruit followers, both here in Orange County and across the country, by leaving candy, hate messages and a toll-free telephone number in bags on driveways. In Virginia, they traded in their robes and hoods for slacks and white golf shirts.

But don’t be fooled. No matter how sweet the KKK tries to flavor its message or dress its members like they’re about to tee off at a country club, their message is the same: hateful and disgusting.

When President Kennedy delivered his inaugural address in 1961, he told the world, “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” I believe the same could be said today to those who hate their fellow Americans.

Many years after Kennedy, Ronald Reagan called America “a shining city on a hill.” Unlike the KKK, both Kennedy and Reagan were appealing to our better angels.

Their messages were hopeful and full of grace. My hope is no one in town forgets this as we move through the next few days and weeks.

DENNY FREIDENRICH lives in Laguna Beach.