A Practical Response To Sanctuary Counties

In the last few weeks I’ve seen numerous social media posts soliciting online support for the creation of 2nd Amendment sanctuary counties. Many of these posts are shared out of sincere concern over potential restrictions to the right to bear arms. Some are purely partisan vitriol. Either way, this is another issue in which well intentioned people end up screaming past each other.

For the record, I support the right to bear arms; as Malcolm X once said, “A man with a rifle or a club can only be stopped by a person who defends himself with a rifle or a club. That's equality.”

However, I part ways with the idea of creating 2nd Amendment sanctuary counties. This isn’t personal and I don’t think people who support these petitions are bad. I have practical reasons for my opposition.

First, the Second Amendment already has limitations that have been codified into law. Fully automatic weapons haven’t been available in this country for over 30 years. We should move forward with this fact squarely in our minds. Any debate about future limitations should be rooted in the fact that the door to limitations has been open since the 1934 National Fire Arms Act.

Second, the creation of 2nd Amendment sanctuary counties does not protect businesses or citizens. This is a feel-good form of activism. There is nothing in any of these petitions that grants immunity to any of the signers. In essence, this is protest without action. You showed up said you were upset, but didn’t do anything to affect real change.

Lastly, the consequences for not following any legislation passed in Richmond would fall squarely on the shoulders of local elected officials. None of the signers of these petitions would be forced to make the decisions or face the consequences elected officials, Commonwealth Attorneys and/or Sheriffs would face.

Hypothetically speaking, imagine a piece of legislation is passed in Richmond calling for the ban of semiautomatic weapons in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Who honestly believes our political class would risk their livelihoods, pensions and/or freedom to oppose any law deemed Constitutional?

The next time you see your elected representative, sheriff or commonwealth attorney ask yourself: would this person risk their mortgage or go to jail for my right to bear arms?

The majority of candidates in local races run for office without declaring their political affiliations. We’re supposed to believe politicians too politically calculating (or afraid) to tell us their political beliefs would stand in the gap for us with something more important than their next election on the line?

I’m glad to see so many people engaging in the public square. I believe in protest. Successful protests have broken the back of some of the most egregious evils in our country’s history. However, every protest that’s ever bore fruit required sacrifice. Signing a petition without any practical or actionable plan isn’t sacrifice.   

I wish more of you were concerned about Constitutional Rights when the 4th Amendment Rights of your fellow citizens were being trampled by stop-and-frisk policies. I empathize with the distrust many of you now feel towards government and law enforcement. I stand in solidarity with you, but this isn’t the way.

How Should We Think About Impeachment?

Impeachment hearings are here whether we want them or not. The next few weeks, like all of the weeks before them, will be full of misinformation and half truths. 

There will be concerted efforts made by politicians and members of the media/entertainment complex to smear and attack people: most of whom none of us have ever heard of.

Some of you will feel a knee jerk reaction to defend politicians and/or public figures you identify with. This is a natural instinct; I'm not asking anyone to transcend their humanity. I'm asking each and everyone to use their commonsense. Think about all of this in a clear and simplified way.

Ask yourself: 

1. Who has more motivation to tell the truth: someone under oath- who potentially faces perjury or someone outside of the legal scope of this investigation- who doesn't face any consequences for their words?

2. Why would so many career civil servants risk their pensions and their family's economic future to come forward?

3. Would you feel differently about any of the sworn statements or testimony if it were given about a politician you didn't identify with?

4. What do all of the investigations, guilty pleas, and convictions say about this White House?

5. Who benefits from the way you feel?

There will be people trying to convince you not to believe what you are hearing and seeing. There will be people ascribing the most insidious motives to their fellow citizens. There will be people, with a history of lying, trying to convince you they are telling the truth. There will be people trying to convince you that loyalty to ideology and political affiliation are more important than loyalty to the principles of truth and justice.

Donald Trump's innocence and guilt has already been decided by a majority of the country. There are people on both sides of the aisle who won't be swayed by any evidence that challenges their beliefs. We know this, but it shouldn't stop us from thinking critically about this process.

The next few weeks will be a test of our collective integrity. We will either call a thing by its name or we will twist ourselves into knots to avoid speaking the truth. We will invest our intellectual horsepower into substantive dialogue or we will chase every distraction waved in front of us. We make this choice as individuals and collectively.

Our judgement won't come from our peers in this moment, but from the progeny we bequeath this country to. This thought should dictate how we move forward. 

I Apologize For My Role In Ruining Social Media

Facebook was my gateway drug into the world of social media. I opened my account on November 16, 2011. I was surrounded by family and friends who worked as Sherpas guiding me through the nuisances of Facebook etiquette.

1) Don't post about politics. 

2) Don't post about religion: unless you are posting about how awesome Jesus is. 

3) Don't post about racism. 

I was advised to avoid posting about anything other than cats, babies, and food. I was so eager to get reacquainted with my old friends that I indiscriminately started sending and accepting friend requests. Within a few days I had over 500 "friends". This was awesome! What I didn't account for was how much some of us had changed over the years. After a while it was obvious some of our lives were in completely different places. Life happened and we had different priorities. 

The overwhelming majority of my “friends” wanted Facebook to be a place where they could escape from the day to day grind of life. I didn’t know social media was supposed to be fun, and when I found out I didn’t care. All of this was happening so fast. 

I turned Facebook into my public diary and started journaling. It was cathartic! I wrote what I thought and didn’t care about the consequences. There were days I felt incredibly blessed to have a second chance at life; on those days, I wrote about my feelings. 

There were days when the world seemed like a flaming bag of crapsicles; on those days I wrote. I didn’t shy away from controversial issues. I was indifferent to the agreed upon rules that governed social media. This was seen, by some, as aggressive behavior. I lost a lot of those early "friends" as quickly as I found them.

We are encouraged to avoid “controversy”. Because of this we often ignore bigotry, hatred, and incivility. Too many of us believe society's ills can be fixed by ignoring them. There are people who believe their right to bliss shouldn’t be impeded by the raw nature of our world. They are wrong! They have every right to ingest or avoid any information they choose, but they don’t have a right to another’s silence. 

I don’t apologize for the (small) role I’ve played in ruining social media. I don’t apologize for writing about race, religion, class, culture, or politics. I don't apologize for my truth being abrasive against the skin of those who choose to avoid the issues I write about. 

However, I do apologize for not giving people the benefit of the doubt. I apologize for not allowing people the time and space to process ideas they maybe haven't thought about. I apologize for not showing Grace. I apologize for automatically assuming the worst. If we hadn’t avoided talking about these issues for so long we might understand each other and how they affect us better.