We are in a civil war, only this time it is not about secession, it is about rights. It is about rights that our constitution supposedly guarantees. Funny how people choose to interpret that. Seems pretty clear to me. We have the right to free speech. We have the right to protest. We have the right to stand up or kneel down for what we believe to be right.
Standing, kneeling or laying down during the national anthem is a right. Just as standing and placing your hand over your heart is a right.
For the so-called President of the United States to incite civil war is wrong. It is inflammatory and just plain lunacy. Someone should put a muzzle on him, but no they let him go on and on.
Trace and I have been watching an amazing PBS show called The Vietnam War. That was the era I first learned about protest. Actually it coincided with the civil rights movement and both issues tore this country apart, opened many people's eyes to what protest can accomplish and finally changed the course of at least the Vietnam War.
Making people aware of issues, in whatever form you choose to take (I exclude violence) is a right. The players who are kneeling are making people aware of issues. They are not holding signs or berating people or calling people names, they are simply demonstrating their concern. It does not mean they disrespect the anthem or the flag. It means they know we are better than what is happening right now and they have chosen a means by which to demonstrate that. Wow, hats off to them. Thanks guys for peacefully demonstrating, rather than calling people names, belittling them, and inciting them to civil disobedience.
Right now we are a leaderless country, fighting among ourselves, and being egged on by someone who is supposed to be an example and a leader. It is absolutely disgusting that someone who is rude, racist, bigoted, and unfit for office is calling names and pointing fingers. In this instance, the old saying don't point fingers at others because you will have four pointing back at you is sooooooo true.
Maybe we should all take a look at what the protesters are really trying to say before we jump to conclusions and listen to someone who wouldn't know the meaning of peaceful protest, let alone practice it.
Let's end this civil war by having a dialogue, not a rock throwing contest.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Apologies are going to be the rule it seems.
First of all I did not realize how long it has been since I posted anything here. Wow, since May. Great summer though.
A conversation I had recently started out with a question. "Why does it take a disaster for people of all backgrounds and colors to come together?" She was referring to Hurricane Harvey. But, then the conversation took a detour. The person I was talking with is from Guam and works for Wal-Mart. She works in the grocery department. She is a bubbly, funny, and genuinely kind-hearted person. She had a customer who was looking for a certain brand/kind of cookie. My acqaintance told the woman she did not think they carried the cookie, but she would look anyway. The woman told her, how would she know, since she was not from here anyway. Hmm, why should that matter. So like the good employee my acquaintance is, she began searching for what the woman wanted. She even went to the back stockroom to look. When she came back the woman, obviously irritated, asked to see the manager. My acquaintance offered the department supervisor, but no she wanted the store manager. So, enters the manager. The manager listened to the woman complain about someone whom she did not know at all and how she was told the employee could not find what the woman was looking for and she was sure she had gotten the cookies at Wal-Mart and proceeded to go on about people from somewhere else coming and trying to do something they obviously did not know anything about. Like a good customer service person, the manager listened and then proceeded to tell the woman that Wal-Mart does not tolerate discrimination and that she could leave.
Wow, over stupid cookies. You have got to be kidding me that someone would insult someone over not finding the brand/kind of cookie they wanted. Good on the store manager for sticking up for the employee.
The point of this is that have we lost all of the ground that we have made over the past 50 years. Has it come back to the point where we privileged white folks think we are so high and mighty that we can insult and belittle someone who is just trying to do their job, all because of the color of their skin or the accent they have. My acquaintance made a very valid point. We all come from the same God and he does not care what color our skin is or whether we speak English well or not. He only cares what is in our heart and as for me I would rather have love, kindness, and compassion.
I apologized to my acquaintance for that woman's insulting behavior. I have a feeling at this time I will be doing a lot of apologizing for the white people who think they are so much better than any other human being. So I will begin here. I apologize to all of you hard working, family oriented, kind, generous people who have given up everything they have ever known to come to this country to make a new life for yourself, only to be treated like subhumans. Not all of us are like that and I hope you can forgive those of us who are and pray for them that their hearts can melt and find the compassion they need without there being a disaster to bring us together.
A conversation I had recently started out with a question. "Why does it take a disaster for people of all backgrounds and colors to come together?" She was referring to Hurricane Harvey. But, then the conversation took a detour. The person I was talking with is from Guam and works for Wal-Mart. She works in the grocery department. She is a bubbly, funny, and genuinely kind-hearted person. She had a customer who was looking for a certain brand/kind of cookie. My acqaintance told the woman she did not think they carried the cookie, but she would look anyway. The woman told her, how would she know, since she was not from here anyway. Hmm, why should that matter. So like the good employee my acquaintance is, she began searching for what the woman wanted. She even went to the back stockroom to look. When she came back the woman, obviously irritated, asked to see the manager. My acquaintance offered the department supervisor, but no she wanted the store manager. So, enters the manager. The manager listened to the woman complain about someone whom she did not know at all and how she was told the employee could not find what the woman was looking for and she was sure she had gotten the cookies at Wal-Mart and proceeded to go on about people from somewhere else coming and trying to do something they obviously did not know anything about. Like a good customer service person, the manager listened and then proceeded to tell the woman that Wal-Mart does not tolerate discrimination and that she could leave.
Wow, over stupid cookies. You have got to be kidding me that someone would insult someone over not finding the brand/kind of cookie they wanted. Good on the store manager for sticking up for the employee.
The point of this is that have we lost all of the ground that we have made over the past 50 years. Has it come back to the point where we privileged white folks think we are so high and mighty that we can insult and belittle someone who is just trying to do their job, all because of the color of their skin or the accent they have. My acquaintance made a very valid point. We all come from the same God and he does not care what color our skin is or whether we speak English well or not. He only cares what is in our heart and as for me I would rather have love, kindness, and compassion.
I apologized to my acquaintance for that woman's insulting behavior. I have a feeling at this time I will be doing a lot of apologizing for the white people who think they are so much better than any other human being. So I will begin here. I apologize to all of you hard working, family oriented, kind, generous people who have given up everything they have ever known to come to this country to make a new life for yourself, only to be treated like subhumans. Not all of us are like that and I hope you can forgive those of us who are and pray for them that their hearts can melt and find the compassion they need without there being a disaster to bring us together.
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