Charlottesville, Virginia will now forever be known for the violence that erupted there, and for the murder of a young American woman, Heather Heyer, who was bold enough to make her presence known by lending her light to the dark void of racism, gave the ultimate sacrifice of her life, on Saturday, August 13, 2017.

Thank you Heather. You will not be forgotten.

Ms. Heyer lived alone with her Chihuahua, Violet, who was named after her favorite color. For her, activism was about more than just “sitting behind your computer screen,” Ms. Blair said. “You gotta get out in your community and do things.”

• NY Times on Heather Heyer

There are so many people who are better able to articulate their feelings on the events of this past week, that I decided to post a few of their comments here. My own feelings continue to range from anger to dismay to depression over what is happening in this country.

I’ve heard some say that you can’t erase history, which is somehow their confused and nonsensical argument against removing monuments to America’s traitors, which high-light a shameful time in this country when some Americans thought it a fine thing to own other human beings. In fact, our misguided southern ancestors (I am a southerner) thought slavery was such a good idea that they started a war over states’ rights, just so they could continue to own other humans. And get this… many of them claim(ed) to be followers of the one known as Jesus the Christ.

How clueless can people be? 

For the record, as a southerner, I have ancestors who fought in the Civil War. It does not change the fact that they were wrong. States’ rights should never be allowed to strip other human beings of their own rights, one of which is freedom.

Fine People

Our president has claimed that “fine” people were at the Charlottesville rally.

Really?

Since when do fine people walk around with Nazi flags?

Since when do “fine” people devote time to defend monuments of America’s traitors, while not giving a second thought to those currently starving in America, or to those who cannot afford adequate health care?

Stephen Colbert expresses my own feelings about the ridiculousness of those claiming we are trying to erase history…

“Yes, taking down a statue is totally changing history. Because the main way anybody learns about history is through statue-based study. That’s how we know that Abraham Lincoln was 20-feet tall and loved sitting down.”

Stephen Colbert

James Corden was actually able to make me smile with the comment below… and smiles have been rare since last Saturday. This was in reference to Trump’s speech yesterday. Trump makes a fairly good speech denouncing white supremacy, the KKK, Nazis, etc., and then follows it up the next day with ignorant remarks about “fine” people.

“Apparently Trump went off-script and improvised all of these remarks during a press conference that was about infrastructure, which is terrible, because I’m pretty sure the first rule of infrastructure is whatever you do, don’t burn bridges.”

James Corden

Heather Heyer believed in activism. That’s why she was in harm’s way. She was there to defend the rights of those whom the alt-right Rally wished to squash.

There is so much more to be said.

Reference:

• Vanity Fair – comments on Trump’s press conference