My plan for this post was to tell you about our wonderful family trip to Red River, New Mexico, but then El Paso and Dayton happened. In good conscience, I cannot ignore these devastating actions—the hurt and pain and loss.
I cannot ignore the despicable, hurtful actions taken against innocent people.
Who are we to be silent in the face of ignorant, racist, white supremacy statements and actions?
Except for the Native Americans, we are all immigrants or the descendants of immigrants.
As a white person, I feel a special responsibility to speak out against any and all discrimination. About a month ago, I read a post on Facebook written by a black woman named Lori explaining to her white friend what was meant by the term, “White Privilege.” Here’s the link: https://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/my-white-friend-asked-me-on-facebook-to-explain-white-privilege-i-decided-to-be-honest-20170809?fbclid=IwAR21uYVXVN_w5Z3oZOx-qQ4XNydtZNwllHiA3fojPM5NII3uZYVHilEDh7M
Please take time to read her post. I know I’m privileged, but this article made starkly clear all the things I take for granted.
As a beneficiary of white privilege, it’s incumbent on me to speak out for those who have to work harder, fight longer, struggle more just because of the color of their skin, their place of origin, their sexual orientation, or their religion.
In the United States of America, anyone is supposed to be able to get ahead if they give an honest day’s work. That is the American Dream. This concept is worked into the fabric and ethos of our country.
But, and there’s always a but. Some people are threatened by folks who look or think differently than they do. Some people have a scarcity belief rather than one of abundance. So, if one person gets ahead, for the person with the scarcity belief somehow, they feel diminished. The only way they can feel good about themselves is to put down others. Sometimes with words. Sometimes with acts of violence as we’ve seen this weekend and earlier. Now, we are all under attack. Minorities especially, but anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Common Sense Gun Laws are supported by 90 % of the public. There is a bipartisan bill that has passed the House and sits in the Senate where Senator McConnell refuses to let it come forward for debate. I don’t know if it will pass the Senate. Maybe not. But maybe now is the time. Maybe this was the “tipping point.” Why wasn’t Sandy Hook or any of the other domestic terrorist acts the tipping point? I don’t know, but maybe this is it. For McConnell to have so much power is wrong. The bill deserves to be debated.
Words have power. Unlike our old childhood rhyme: Sticks & stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me, they do hurt, and sometimes those words morph into violence that physically hurts and even kills. Repetitious words have even more power. Even if they are untrue.
I challenge you to learn more about the white supremacy movement. If you saw videos of the August 2017 march in Charlottesville, VA, you saw evidence of it in all its ugliness. These are people who believe America should only belong to whites. As a white person, I denounce that belief.
I challenge you to get involved in the upcoming elections. They do matter. I challenge you to speak up if you overhear a person you know making derogatory comments about a minority—or anyone. Silence condones that behavior. I challenge you to speak up if you have a friend or acquaintance whose behavior worries you. For most of the perpetrators, there was someone who was worried, but they never spoke up. What a heavy burden that must be.
Together, we can accomplish anything. Division will tear our country apart. Then we all lose.
We can do better. We must do better. For our children and grandchildren. God have mercy on those who’ve lost loved ones to these killings and forgive us for not doing more to stop them.
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I have a book signing Saturday August 17 at Monkey and Dog Books 3608 West 7th St. Fort Worth, TX from 1-3 pm. More about this next week. 
Amazon Kindle http://amzn.to/19TAB4B
Amazon Print http://amzn.to/1NiKvcb
B & N http://bit.ly/1YKCq8S
iTunes https://apple.co/2umRBiy
Marsha R. West, Author 
To answer your first question, “Will this ever end?” I don’t think so. The followers of Trump will still be here after Trump is gone (and in prison). The right to hate and take action on that hate has already been riled up. I’m a positive person, but a realist. I think there are going to be more mass killings.
There are too many guns. Same old, same old story. I personally would love to see a Fahrenheit 451 on all guns.
I would hate to be Hispanic, Indian, Black, Muslim, etc., anyone who looks darker than white right now. I would be afraid all of the time.
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Hey, Susan. Yes, it’s a really scary situation. I think when the current president is out of office (however that happens), those with hate in their heart will ultimately subside. They’ve always been around, but his words have emboldened them to take action.We will always have to guard against the hate flourishing again.Now they’re saying the El Paso terrorist’s mother reported him to the police because of the automatic weapon he had. The police said it was legal, and there wasn’t anything they could do. So I believe making it illegal to buy and possess automatic weapons and passing red flag laws will make a difference. Common sense gun laws is what we need. I’m clinging to my optimism. Voting has never been more important.Thanks for stopping by.
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And then there’s Chicago–every weekend, about 50 people are killed. BoB. Someone needs to worry about them too…
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Hey, Jacqui. Absolutely! And there was the tragic shooting at the garlic festival the week before. So very sad. More tragic if we fail to do something about all of the deaths by guns.Thanks for stopping by.
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So well said Marsha. I truly hope Americans are able to get some form of gun control through. The first amendment was never meant for weapons of mass destruction that can kill so many in such a short time,
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Hey, Pat. I agree. I think it will take new folks in Congress and the White House, but that’s possible. I shudder to think how many other people will die before we get the laws changed. This morning I walked in Walmart for the first time since the weekend events. I walk there all the time. I gotta tell you all saw all sorts of folks. African American, Hispanic, Asians, Muslims, whites, old, young, and middle aged, And I looked for hiding places. This has definitely impacted our country. Thanks for stopping by.
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I agree we need to get these guns who can mow people down off the market. Not only that but also better background checks and more help for mentally ill, isolated people. Support for schools and homes to help troubled children and teens. Most of these shooters don’t even care about Trump or politics. They are acting on their own because they want to kill people and become the center of attention by the media. As you said, there will always be haters no matter who is in office. This feeling of helplessness is so frustrating but we do have our votes not only for national but also state and local elections. And when voting, look beyond the color of the candidates’ skin.No identity politics. Find out what they really stand for. They can say anything to get your vote, so we must study their past actions and do our homework on each one. I will now step down from my soapbox and offer it to anyone else who needs to blow off some steam. Thanks for the opportunity, Marsha!
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Hey, JQ. So how do you really feel? LOL That’s our phrase for when someone in the family has a rant. But you know if you’re gonna rant, this is certainly the subject. It’s kind of why I wrote this. I couldn’t keep quiet in the face of the events taking place. It’s encouraging to me to find other like-minded folks. Sometimes, you can feel isolated. So we’ll keep up the good fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. Thanks so much for stopping by,
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