Remembering Those Who Died in Peace

Memorial to Heather Heyer 
Photo by  AgnosticPreachersKid,
Heather Heyer memorial 9, CC BY-SA 4.0

I'm remembering people who died in peace today.  Enough people are remembering those who went to war.

I'm remembering Heather Heyer, who died while demonstrating against neo-Nazis in Charlottesville, Virginia, two years ago this August 12.  

She gave her life to oppose racism.  She had never attended a demonstration before and was a little scared to go, but she went. 

I'm wearing a t-shirt in honor of her today.

I'm also remembering all the returned soldiers who have suffered from the sights and sounds and acts of killing--suffered so much, without enough help, that they have taken their own lives.

Here's a report by Billy Cox in today's Herald Tribune in Sarasota, Florida:

According to Brown University’s “Costs of War Project” released late last year, 6,951 troops have been killed in America’s wars since 2001. But that toll pales in comparison to what survivors of those conflicts are doing to themselves. Using the Department of Veterans Affairs formula of 20.6 suicides a day, some 7,519 uniformed and retired military personnel took their lives in 2018 alone.

And it's sad that less than 1 percent of federal funds earmarked for suicide prevention in 2018 had been spent — or $57,000 of a $6.2 million allotment.

May we all remember someone today, whether he or she died in war or in peace.

Charlottesville: Reflections Continue

In memory of Heather Heyer 1985-2017

The death of Heather Heyer in neo-Nazi violence in Charlottesville continues to weigh on my mind and on the country.

Well, dt said something at last, two days late, after tweeting angrily today against Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier the moment he announced his decision to leave the prez's American Manufacturing Council.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/346457-merck-stock-spike-after-ceo-leaves-trump-council-over-charlottesville

Thanks to my friend Sharon for sending me this quote:

“President Lyndon Baines Johnson once argued, ‘If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket.

Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.’”

Sharon points out that LBJ knew that in supporting civil rights he would lose the South for the Democrats--perhaps forever.  "And yes, he did both," she reminds us.

As a therapist, she then reflects on our apparent common need to find someone to look down upon.

She also sent me this link on the First Amendment protecting hateful speech but not death threats--and further distinctions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/07/no-theres-no-hate-speech-exception-to-the-first-amendment/?utm_term=.5969b100c28e

It's so good to have friends to share our grief and introspection over the white supremacist violence in Charlottesville and elsewhere.

Tragedy caused by neo-Nazis

Photo of neo-Nazid, Wikipedia

I turned on the television as usual this morning at 7:30 am.  MSNBC.

Vivid scenes of people fighting on a street under blue sky appeared instead of friendly faces of news anchors.  It turned out to be a "Unite the Right" march in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Police stood by and watched the melee.  Bottles were thrown, people were shoved and pushed down.  Many were wearing helmets and some kind of armor and shields.

On Twitter, many people were complaining about the inactivity of the police.

"If this were black people in Ferguson, the police would have wielded force."

I was caught up in it, tweeting and retweeting.

After two hours the permission to march was revoked.  It was too violent to be allowed to continue.

Many senators and other leaders spoke out on Twitter--but the POTUS was silent.

Then he spoke--a very vague and weak statement that spoke against violence 'on many sides.'

Then came news that a car had driven into the crowd in Charlottesville on purpose.

Then there was more news: a person had been killed.  I cried.  The loss of life was so needless.

I tried to carry on, but my heart was heavy.  This is life in the US, summer 2017.

In Memoriam: Heather Heyer 1985-2017

In memory of Heather Heyer - age 32

Today we know the identity of the young woman killed by the car attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, yesterday.

Her mother has spoken.  

“She always had a very strong sense of right and wrong. She always, even as a child, was very caught up in what she believed to be fair.”

Her friends have spoken:  She had never been to a protest before.  She was afraid of being killed there.  

"I don't want to die," she said.

But she felt she needed to stand up against white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

On NPR I heard these words from  Heather's friend Courtney Commander:  

"She said to us many times, like, I want go so bad, but I just don't want to die. I'm so scared because these people are so serious. And she was the only one that lost her life. I just feel so bad."

http://www.npr.org/2017/08/13/543259457/a-look-into-the-life-of-charlottesville-victim-heather-heyer

Her Facebook page now speaks for her too.  Her last post: "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/virginia-charlottesville-white-supremacist-heather-heyer-a7891531.html

http://heavy.com/news/2017/08/heather-heyer-victim-who-died-charlottesville-rally-car-crash-photos-age-bio/

She gave her life for righteousness sake--and God's presence beyond earth is hers now (Matthew 5: 10).