Random Soapbox for Saturday 7/9/16

I don't mean to go off on a rant here, but ...

#nolivesmatter

Officers from A-Z:  Ahrens, Krol, Smith, Thompson and Zammaripi

African American citizens Alton, Akai, Eric, Freddie, Laquan, Michael, Philando, Tamir, Trayvon and Walter.

#nolivesmatter

3 in Boston on the finish line.
9 in Charleston during a prayer meeting.
14 in San Bernardino for the holiday.
49 in Pulse at closing time.
168 in Oklahoma starting a work day.
2977 in four planes and three buildings and one field.

#nolivesmatter

Newtown.  Virginia Tech.  NIU.  Columbine.

#nolivesmatter

Progeny of Susan Smith.  Children of Andrea Yates.

#nolivesmatter

Exes of OJ.  Girlfriends of blade runners.  Partners of NFL players.

#nolivesmatter

Milk, Shephard, King
And don't forget the T's:  Angie Zapata, Gwen Araujo, Brandon Teena

#nolivesmatter

Strange fruit.  Burned buses.  Til and Evers.
Has anybody here seen my old friend Abraham?  Martin?  John?

#nolivesmatter

Henry Harrison.  Lincoln.  Garfield.  McKinley.  Harding  Roosevelt.  Kennedy.
Thanks a hell of a lot Tecumseh for your curse.
Although ... to be fair to you and your kind ...
Have a smallpox blanket.  Meet us at Wounded Knee.  Walk to Oklahoma, won't ya?

#nolivesmatter

Kamikaze planes.  Genocides. Concentration camps.  Final solutions.
Just a few million Jews.

#nolivesmatter

Now it's all suicide vests and AlShabab and AlQaeda all the time.
Taliban.  ISIS.  ISIL.  Daesh.
Shia v Sunni.  Muslim v Muslim.

#nolivesmatter

We can't pretend that deathmatches are new.  It's always been ...
Cain v Abel.  Bible much?
Islam v Christian v Jew.  Crusade much?
Black v Black.  Inner city much?
Axis v Allied.  World war much?
Dentist v Cecil.  Social media much?
(Oh and let's not forget ... Dodos.  Auks.  Sabertooth Felines.  Wooly Mammoths.)

#nolivesmatter

Call of Duty.  Doom.  Halo.
Those games have come to life.
Mental illness plus easy access to guns.
That combination has come home to roost.
Copycats and constant media coverage.
That new normal has fed the cycle.
Bottom line:  anyone who represents THE OTHER must be annihilated.

#nolivesmatter

Well sweetie ... guess who is an OTHER to someone else by very definition.
You.
Me.

#nolivesmatter  
#nolivesmatter  
#nolivesmatter

CODA

#lovematters

#acceptancematters  #tolerancematters  #understandingmatters

#patiencematters  #kindnessmatters

#standingupmatters  #speakingoutmatters #sidingwithmatters

#Imatter  #youmatter  #wematter  #theymatter

For humanity's sake, take action today.

#makesomethingmatter