As I wrote last weekWe have recently witnessed disturbing hero worship of white vigilantes from both liberals and conservatives. And that trend continued throughout the weekend, as prominent Republicans doubled down on their praise for Daniel Penny, the white former Marine. acquitted last week in the strangulation death of Jordan Neely, a homeless black man, on a New York subway.

During a gala organized by the favorable to extremists Sunday at the New York Young Republican Club, Rep.-elect Brandon Gill of Texas said the country needs “a lot more Daniel Pennys” because there are “way too many Jordan Neelys,” in what appears to be an endorsement of vigilantism.

Gill’s alarming remark came a day after those from President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance. appeared in a stadium suite with Penny at the Army-Navy football game.

Certain images emerged from Saturday’s match that offered a powerful symbol that speaks to the current moment we are in as a country. On the field and in the stands Saturday, honoring and interacting with service members, were Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, both U.S. military veterans.

For someone with multiple family members who have served, these snapshots embody the diversity of the military, and the TRUE the strength that this diversity represents for the military at its best: not just physical might, but also technical genius and empathy, as well as cross-cultural camaraderie between different races and genders.