Im upset tonight. Im upset and Ive been sitting on this frustration and anger for days until I recognize the rattling lid and hissing steam of a pressure cooker about to boil over. Next week a bunch of freshmen will start their university careers. Theyll walk into my classroom, full of expectation, anticipation, and perhaps a bit of anxiety as they realize theyre not in high school anymore. But theres one seat in a freshman class that will be empty. 18 year old Michael Brown will not be in his seat. Because hes dead. Shot to death. By police. I have a close friend whos a police officer. And a damned fine man he is. Hes one of those kind of guys that epitomizes integrity and level-headedness. I have also many folks who have shifted roles from students to friends over the course of the years who happen to be young black men. Each and every one of them could have swapped places with Michael Brown. And the world would be a much poorer place as a result. Im angry about this. Im a middle aged, fat, bald, white guy...and Im pissed. Im enraged at how fearful and quaking and timid youve painted this country when its faced with the image of a young black man. Youve made us gutless...spineless...worthless. Youve seduced us into trading security for liberty, and convinced us that the different is *always* bad. This is the stem and root of conservatism. Nothing new is good. Everything different is to be treated with suspicion. Well...screw you. Seriously. Ive known these young men. Theyre honorable. Theyre virtuous. Hell...theyre better people that you could ever hope to be in your wildest dreams. Im proud of what theyve achieved, and what theyll go on to achieve as time goes by. And I consider it to be a hallmark of my life that I might have played the slightest, most minuscule role in their success. I feel honored to have taught them. These are *good* men. Theyll make this world a better place. Theyll make this country a place that might be viewed once again with respect. But they cant do it if you want to do nothing more than shoot them down and leave them dying like dogs in the street. So, I beg you...unfriend me. Spare me your idiotic, hate-filled conservative diatribes that extoll the virtues of a sniveling monkey like Ted Nugent or Rush Limbaugh. Ive had enough of hate, a bellyful of your final solutions. Im done with you. I have young men and women to teach. And I will commit myself to serving them and their futures with every fiber of my being. I will do my very best every single day. And I will sleep better at night knowing that with every success, every graduation, every contribution to our society they make, they shovel another pile of dirt on the grave of your twisted philosophy.
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 01:03:30 +0000
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