When Charlottesville broke open on Saturday it was like any other national story. Sketchy details at the beginning and more, better reporting as the morning went along…and then the rancor and continued division. As it was apparent this was going to be THE topic for Monday’s BML, I searched stories and came up with some thoughts. I thought in this week’s INSIDER I would share for you how this happens (warts and telephone message typos & all).
As it continued I began considering the underlying cause and these thought and a story link came to be:
THIS AINT ABOUT US AND OUR PERSONAL FEELINGS. IT's ABOUT MANKIND AND HOW WE TREAT, RESPECT, LOVE EACH OTHER AND HANDLE OUR DIFFERENCES.
THERE ARE WRONGS ON ALL SIDES. MATURITY AND THOUGHTFULNESS MUST PREVAIL.
EXTREMISM IS NEVER RIGHT UNLESS IN THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH...BIBLICAL, FACTUAL, TRUTH AND THE JUSTICE THAT COMES FROM ONLY ONE SOURCE.
MAN CANT MAKE IT IR FORCE IT, BECAUSE MAN IS NOT THE AUTHOR. MAN CAN ONLY FOLLOW...
AND WE'VE LOST (IN MANY) THE WILLINGNESS TO FOLLOW BECAUSE OF OUR ARROGANCE AND BELIEF AND INTEREST IN SELF. PERSONAL GOALS AND SELFISH DESIRES.
WE HAVE NO SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND CARE FOR OTHERS. ONLY WHAT WE WANT AND HOW WE CAN ATTAIN IT. AT TIMES, NO MATTER THE COST.
SIT BACK, TAKE A MOMENT AND CONSIDER...
Yes, white lives matter..and black and brown and red and yellow...for if they did. Ot, none of us would be here. So why are they here? Why are you? And what, just what are you going to do with yours?
React in anger? Shout names and pejoratives at those not like you? Or is an effort at understanding possible? It's up to each of us.
I thought you might be interested in this article One dead, 19 injured after car plows into protesters during clashes at 'Unite the Right' rally.
At least one person was killed and 19 others were injured Saturday when a car rammed into a group of counter-protesters during the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.
And while the president was taking heat for not condemning specifically the “white nationalists’ for their incitement of hatred, this came up:
And again, President Trump gets it right.
I thought you might be interested in this article Trump condemns ‘egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence’ in Charlottesville.
President Trump on Saturday condemned the "violence" and "hate" in Charlottesville, Virginia where white nationalists clashed with counter-protesters.
And the more I thought, the more it became necessary to dig into the real cause of this all and I wrote this:
We've always had factions. Mostly they were small, irrelevant, small minded people banding in small groups where they gathered their strength to show their cowardly faces...or hide them with sheets or masks. Now even small groups have instant fame and relevance because of technology that allows them to take their message instantly to the world. We used to be able to ignore them. We used to be able to say- well, that's one small segment that really means nothing. Now, everyone sees them. And some are provoked to irrational action because of them. It even impacts our elected officials who in short sighted and small minded ways do. Ot have a clue how to react to violence or impending violence. We have asked our police forces to stand down and watch communities burn. And we wonder at the results afterward. We prosecute and persecute our police officers and watch them die while protecting those who protest against them. And we wonder how Virginia happened. This disrespect for authority, for life is a societal problem. It's bred of ignorance and hate. And self-interest with no sense of our obligations to our fellow man. And we lost it when we lost, as a society, God. Man was the ultimate authority now. Man knew what he wanted and how to get it. Man was in charge. Take a look at history and see how that worked out for the Israelites. And see the lengths God went to in order to bring them back. A loving parent corrects his child, even if seeming cruel at the moment. The child responds and lives the parent or rebels and goes adrift into himself. Where were these folks in Virginia in that regard?
And finally, it was clear we would talk nothing else on Monday’s show and this was our blog post just above the story links:
VIRGINIA-It's on everyone's mind and we'll devote extensive time to it today on BML. Oh, there are other stories out there, and we'll link up the attention grabbers below, but our focus today is just what's happened to us...or US, the United States. Are our words and actions helping or adding to the problem? There should be no controversy here, but I'm not betting on that. Links are below and the conversation begins in our 6am hour.
Sure, there were other stories, but Monday’s story was ALL Charlottesville and nothing else would have been right.
Now you see how it came together…hope you are having a more peaceful and reasonable week!