Yesterday, I was confronted by an individual I had friended a long time ago on Facebook. This individual told me that I essentially stood for nothing, so they were wondering where exactly I stood on the issues of the day. Frustrated, I wrote the following as a status on Facebook….

What I stand for….

* I prefer the world to see everyone as human beings…not whatever their skin color is. Yes, I believe that All Lives Matter, but that starts with Black Lives Matter because we need to fix that first. After that, everything else should be easy to get to fall under an umbrella of All Lives Matter. But we gotta do what’s needed first.
* I believe that all Confederate statues should be removed. Not destroyed. Removed. And placed in a museum where contextual markers can be created, placing the Confederate aspect of the war in the light it should be portrayed….as wrong.
* I would like to see the Designated Hitter rule abolished for both leagues in Major League Baseball. Not for a current season, but starting in 2021. I do not think Major League baseball should play a season this year.
* I hope to see an America where third parties begin to thrive and gain a foothold in the conversation regarding the governance of this country and the states. Having only two parties seated at the table does our country a dis-service, when it comes to new ideas and the handling of laws that need to be created or changed.
* I want term limits on Congressional members of both the House and the Senate. New faces mean new voices. New voices mean new ideas. New ideas mean that effective change has more than a silent whisper in either chamber.
* I would also like a term limit or perhaps even an age limit, for judges at every level of the Justice system. This includes the Supreme Court.
* I want police reform, now. The usage of choke-holds, kneeling on the throats of detained individuals, and the concept of Qualified Immunity has got to come to a stop. I realize that the first two are far more easily solved than the last one – but all three can be accomplished – even while respecting the very tough job that we have placed our police officers into. This needs to be done in a manner of decorum and respect, not under the auspices of mob rule. I can understand the frustration, but acting in a disrespectful manner does not win the day.

Lastly, if any of this offends you…save your breath. None of this is up for debate with me. These are my views. Don’t like them so much that you are offended…unfriend me, block me….whatever you want to do. That’s your choice. I promise, you’re not going to hurt my feelings.

Now I’m not going to out this particular individual, even going so far as to not using any gender related identifiers. Why? Because (a) I did not get permission from the individual to use their name, and (b) I don’t think it carries much relevance beyond this paragraph.

So why am I frustrated over all of this? Well, its rather simple. I have always felt that I wrote clearly as to where I stood on stuff like this. Apparently, I have danced around the topics enough that some folks are just not sure. So, I wrote this status to clarify. But as I read through it, I noticed a few other things that I have left out.

Kneeling for the US National Anthem. Nine Hells, you can class this for ANY Anthem of any type, National or otherwise. I see nothing wrong with people doing such. Back when all of this kicked up in the national Football League, I wasn’t of the mind that it was something that I would do. But I did (and still do) have my own protest for this. And for much the same reasons that Colin Kapernick stated. Here in the United States, the primary method of how to handle the moment of the National Anthem is to stand, face the American flag, and place your hand over your heart. If you choose to sing, that’s acceptable. For me? I do stand at the National anthem. I do not remove my hat. I place my hands behind my back. I stand quietly. And yes, I have had people approach me afterwards about how disrespectful I am being. That’s about the time that I remind them that I am a US military veteran. I raised my hand and swore an oath to protect the Constitution of this country against all aggressors, foreign and domestic. And so long as Donald John Trump remains President, I see a domestic aggressor against the Constitution. Whatever anyone says to me about that means absolutely nothing to me. My enlistment oath didn’t stop when I left the military. People that don’t like or agree with me on that…I’m perfectly fine with. Not everyone is going to see things as I do.

I know a lot of people are going to have issues with my stance on “All Lives Matter” – that it is something that is necessary. I also know that many of the ALM folks are going to have issues with me prioritizing the Black Lives Matter perspective as well. Look, All Lives do Matter. But to get there, we have to protect and stand up for the Black Lives Matter aspect. They are in danger, especially in encounters with law enforcement. It has to stop. Once we get past that point, it will be far easier to reach the aspect of where All Lives Matter. We can’t run first, we have to walk – one step at a time.

And one last thing. I am a Pagan. I do believe in many distinct Gods. I also believe that not everyone will be on the same Path as I am. Everyone makes their way through Life in the Spiritual perspective that makes the most sense to them. I have no desire to burn down churches, temples or whatever else you can dream up. I also have no desire to see iconography destroyed to make some point about all beliefs being equal. All beliefs are equal in my eyes, and I will defend the rights of anyone to practice whatever beliefs they want. Do we need to march in the streets for that? Well, if you do, I have my colander ready. I’ll be stepping proudly next to the Pastafarians that follow The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Again, I am frustrated. Frustrated because I thought everyone essentially got the idea of all people are equal. Equal in the eyes of the law. Equal in the eyes of the Gods. Able to practice their beliefs freely. Able to walk in their communities without the fear of an encounter with law enforcement becoming something deadly, simply because of the color of their skin. Paraphrasing the words of G’kar from Babylon 5 – We taught people this lesson before. We can and will teach it to them again. Though it take a thousand years or whatever number of lifetimes…everyone shall be equal and free. That I promise you.

–T /|\