I have watched the video over and over—trying to understand how something so horrifying could happen. I watched so I could form my own opinion. Those in power have labeled Renee Nicole Good a domestic terrorist, as they have continually pushed their false narratives about the event. I am sickened at the murderer’s words—the last words Nicole perhaps heard if she was still alive at that point—“F*cking B*tch.”

She was shot and killed in cold blood. She was a 37-year-old mother of three. This could have been anyone I know.

Enough is enough. This charade—pretending that everything happening in America is normal—must stop. It is truly horrifying. American people, from journalists to politicians to the guy next door, must do what the administration and its loyalists demand or be labeled unAmerican, lawless, corrupt, or worse. 

This reminds me of when, as children, we would say, “What you say is what you are,” whenever we were called names. There is a chilling truth in what is happening now.

It feels hopeless. Those in power get a free pass on calling people all sorts of derogatory names and making up circumstances and events. To make it worse, many people never check to see if any of it is true. Certainly people do check and report the errors, but people simply refuse to believe. There are entire news networks based on only telling people what they want to hear. Truth and integrity don’t exist. Where it does exist, those people are threatened with losing their jobs—and worse. By labeling groups as vermin or any other moniker, it seeks to dehumanize them—to make them seem worthless. It is also why people can get away with killing others when they dehumanize them.

The end goal is to get rid of any person or group that does not conform—whether through skin color, religion, or anything else. In reality, we are all much alike. Most people want a stable life with enough to get by on. We all laugh and smile in the same way.

I Can’t Seem to Move Ahead

I have tried to move ahead . . . to read and be creative this week. It seems selfish when so many people are hurting and being hurt through these false narratives. I am sickened. My father was in WWII for four years. He often said those years took what should have been the best years of his life. He was an ambulance driver and saw things that he would never speak about. 

That generation gave up a lot for their children and those coming afterward. Their goal was to rid the world of Fascism and for future generations to be free from Fascism. You can do your own research, but briefly, Wikipedia provides the following description.

Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement that rose to prominence in early 20th century Europe. It is characterized by support for a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hierarchy, subordination of individual interests for the perceived interest of the nation or race, and strong regimentation of society and the economy.

Why Didn’t People Do Something

Something else that struck me this week was a meme on Facebook.

We are officially living out the part of history that makes school kids ask,
Why didn’t anyone do anything to stop them?

Another event that hit me hard recently was the raiding of a local Thai restaurant—a restaurant where my husband and I often ate lunch. According to the account, ICE came in wearing their usual attire and carrying guns. They took eighteen people. These were hard working, sweet people. Will they be given the chance to clear their name? Will they be able to provide information for a defense? I don’t know. I know that if we had been there at 12:20 on that Friday, we might have witnessed this horrendous event. I am sure I would have been traumatized by this brutality.

I was watching Hank Green the other day on his Vlogbrothers YouTube channel. Here’s what he said:

All lives are valuable. 
Are some lives more valuable than others?

Our goal should be to provide better lives for people.
All life is precious.
Life should be full, rich, and long—for everyone with no exceptions.

His brother, John Green has said, “Treat all human beings as equal.”

I agree that all lives are valuable. Every life is sacred and beautiful. I am deeply hurt by this violence and pure hatred for other people.

Art, Beauty, and Creativity

Some things that make us human are art, beauty, and creativity. Artists seek to share their humanity in an effort to promote the humanity of others. I recently watched a documentary about the painter, Bob Ross. His son offered the following reflection:

That was the whole idea behind Bob Ross and his painting is that he was going to teach people that they could be valuable. They could be important in this world.

— Steve Ross, son of Bob as quoted in the Bob Ross documentary

Earlier this week, I should have taken Bob’s advice.

We want happy paintings. Happy paintings. If you want sad things, watch the news.

— Bob Ross (1942-1995) American painter and art instructor who created and hosted The Joy of Painting on PBS television

The news is super depressing every day. I decided to write this blog post so that I would not give in to despair. I needed to express my thoughts.

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We should seek to minimize injustices wherever possible. This can only be done if we challenge injustices wherever they appear, especially when lives are unfairly valued.

— Howard Steven Friedman (b. 1972) American statistician, data scientist, health economist, and writer

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I decided to speak out about this injustice. I repeat: I believe that all lives are valuable.

I believe in the power of compassion and creativity. I write because silence is not an option. I hope others will use their voices, too—whether through art, protest, kindness, or truth-telling.