When the Paris attack happened in November, I sat in front of the TV sobbing, wondering where this world was going. Questioning what vicious person and ideology could possibly come up with something so evil -- and why. However, this morning, my eight-year-old sister walked into my room and woke me up to tell me that there had been the biggest shooting massacre in American history. I began looking at my twitter and the news to see what happened. I got into my car to go to church and listened to the radio, as they were trying to figure out what happened. This is an attack on our American soil by someone pledging themselves to ISIS. An attack on people who were enjoying their night. This time, I did not cry, this time I screamed, yelled and cursed everything that there was to curse, because it is time to wake up, America.

We have become a nation that is sitting here arguing like a bunch of idiots about whether or not a gorilla should've been killed in order to save a child, and burning American flags as Americans, because we've decided we don't like one of the presidential candidates. Cut the crap and wake up. There is a specific group and army of people out there who want you and me, black, white, Hispanic, gay, straight, whatever you are -- they want you dead.

I live in the fear that I might not live to turn 20 next year. I live in sadness, seeing my eight-year-old sister have to witness such evil overpowering this world. I live in hope that in the public places I’m in, someone is carrying a weapon so that, if someone dangerous pulls another weapon, he can be stopped. I live in anxiety whenever I go to a big city or major event. This must stop.

I am livid at the president we have in office right now. I am livid because I have never felt so unsafe living in this country. And I am livid because I am seeing the country that has given me more than I could have even dreamed of lose its freedom because we can’t figure this out. This problem we call ISIS should have been solved a long time ago, instead our leader called them the JV team. Instead, our leader is afraid to blame these acts of terror on radical Islam. And instead we have a leader in office who decided to attend a global warming convention, in Paris, after one of the biggest terrorist attack had happened there days prior. If this does not disgust you and infuriate you as much as it does me, then we have bigger problems.

These terrorists do not care how they are going to kill you. Whether it is via guns, airplanes, knives, or bombs, they will kill you. So I’m literally sitting here writing this begging you all to unite. We share our differences and we forever will, but please put them aside for this fight. There is not a nation on Earth that cares for its people as much as America and its allies do. These terrorists must feel the power of America and its freedom.

I am furious because there are still people who do not understand how extreme this situation is. Because we are still fighting about dumb things rather than sitting together and deciding how to solve the problem quickly. Stop pushing your political agendas. This is not the time or place for that. This is a time and place to discuss those who want to kill us. We look weak because we continue to fight with each other and avoid the actual problem. We are vulnerable and this is why these attacks are becoming a new trend. Until we unite as a nation and as Americans, these tragedies will continue to happen. We will continue to live in fear.

My question is, what kind of tragedy has to occur for us to unite as a nation? Do we need another plane to hit one our buildings? Do we need another bombing at one of our events? When is it finally going to hit us that there are people who want us divided and dead and we are giving them just that?

I am not writing this as a Republican or Democrat, a straight or gay person, pro-gun or anti-gun, Muslim or Christian, I am writing this purely as an American who is scared of losing her freedom.

I pray and pray for the safety of this nation and world. And I pray to live in a world where we can freely be, without the fear of terrorism. May God be with those victims. America will never be defeated from the outside, so unite and stand together.