The State of the Union

Perhaps it would have been more apropos to title this post "The State of the Country".  We still have a country after all.  It sure doesn't feel like much of a union though.

This country is going through some growing pains.  Perhaps it would have been more apropos to say that the country is going through hard-to-define-type-of-pains.  It sure doesn't feel like much growing is happening though.

Seems I'm going in circles, and getting exhausted in the process, and I haven't even gotten to the meat of the bone, yet.

So, to set the table:

> A Minneapolis police officer put his body weight on the neck of a handcuffed suspect with his knee, while 3 of his partners watched, resulting in the death of the suspect, George Floyd.

> The police officer is Caucasian.

> Mr. Floyd is African American.

> Mr. Floyd was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill.

> The police officer was arrested 4 days after the death of Mr. Floyd.

> Community frustration in Minneapolis and several other major cities in the nation have increased and escalated from simple protests to full-on rioting and violence.

> In several cities, (particularly Minneapolis, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles) countless fires have been destroyed buildings and vehicles (police and private), stores have been looted, and cities have become, in some ways, unrecognizable.

> Last night, the crowd at the White House was testing the patience of the Secret Service.  Tonight, the barriers are providing for more distance between the crowd and the White House.

> The 3 other police officers involved have not (yet) been arrested.

I am an American citizen, from birth to parents who are American citizens from birth.  This country belongs to me just as much as it does to other citizens.  I love the freedoms I am provided and respect the parameters that, as a citizen, within which I am to live.

The 1^st Amendment was included in the Bill of Rights to protect my rights and the rights of all citizens.  It states:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

I *support* the right of citizens to assemble, speak freely, and protest.  The key phrase, at least considering recent events, is “…the right of the people to peaceably assemble…”.  Citizens have the right to speak their mind, meet with those who also speak their mind (or just listen, if they so choose), and to protest. 

I do *not* support assaulting others for any reason, including when they voice an opinion that differs from yours.  I do *not* support looting, rioting, or burning property that isn’t your own.  None of these actions are supported in the 1^st Amendment because they violate another’s rights.  I don’t have the right to assault you because you disagree with me.  And you don’t have the right to assault me when I disagree with you.  Committing crime when you are justified in anger and frustration doesn’t absolve you from the crime.  Wrong is wrong.  Are the actions helping your stated cause?  Sadly, the actions of many people are a distraction from conversation necessitated by the issues raised by the death of Mr. George Floyd.

The wheels of justice will move slow, likely too slow.  Sadly, that’s the nature of the justice system.  Nothing will bring Mr. Floyd back.  Even if there was no rioting or looting, Mr. Floyd’s live has ended.  Because of criminal actions, there are additional casualties, emotional wounds, and exorbitant monetary costs that will have to be dealt with.  Mr. Floyd’s death is a tragedy, certainly an unnecessary one.  The officers that are responsible for his death need to be held responsible criminally and civilly accountable.  Sadly, justice for the officers won’t bring Mr. Floyd back to life.  For his family, and many others, those wounds will never fully heal.

I don’t know what it will take for this country to heal.  So many problems to juggle, so much legitimate pain, so much regrettable history.  The problems are in multitude and the solutions don’t seem to come easily or quickly.  I think there are many reasons we are where we are today.  I think the big solution lies in God, in the peace only He can bring.  But so many people aren’t open to that notion.  One-by-one, we can choose to be kinder to each other, but that still involves an individual decision that many aren’t willing to make.  We can try to heal ourselves and help our families heal the wounds that have hampered them.  Some won’t take that step.  But I can.

I will.  And I will pray for God’s peace to guide me and my family.

Will you?

“Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.” 

Martin Luther King, Jr.