I Weep

There are times  when I cannot remain silent.

 

I don’t own a TV, I don’t watch the news but I do keep abreast of things that are happening on the world stage. Last night, as I was relaxing before bed, this:

US votes against UN resolution condemning gay sex death penalty,
joining Iraq and Saudi Arabia

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-gay-sex-death-penalty-un-same-sex-relations-human-rights-council-saudi-arabia-iraq-nikki-haley-a7980981.html

“America one of 13 countries on Human Rights Council to oppose historic vote.”

FOURTEEN countries think killing people because of their sexual orientation is OKAY. Think about that for a moment, just really stop and think about that. Killing people is OKAY. That’s what this vote says. I don’t like how you live, so it’s alright with me, for you to be killed.

And so I wept, and still today, I weep.

I grew up in the shadow of World War II. I say in the shadow of because 1955 was ten years past. I had family who lived through events in Europe that no one should ever experience. I was raised on the stories, stories of hatred, of atrocity, of evil.

My mother grew up in Montreal when Protestants and Catholics hated each other. I grew up there when English and French hated one another. I have seen hatred first hand. I know what happens when life, any life, is disrespected and considered unworthy of being allowed.  The world continues to be  a scary place for too many people who we consider “less than”.

I have three adult children, each of them, one through marriage, belong to a group of marginalized, disenfranchised members of North American society. Who are “they”, who are we, coming for next?

When we set aside the knowing that every life is precious and demands our protection, for any reason whatsoever, we are on the side of evil.

This is pure evil. There is no justification, no explanation that is worth one grain of salt for having voted against this resolution.

And this tells me, well along with events like transvestites being killed, and little news coverage of it, that too many people agree with this. It’s a slippery slope and too many nice looking, nicely dressed, nice whatever, people think this is okay in their heart of hearts.That’s what it looks like to me. We are embracing evil.

A part of me wants to say the canned “may God have mercy on their souls” but no god, of any kind, has mercy to spare for perpetrators of evil.

There is so much more I could say, and I have cut out bits and pieces over the three hours it took me to write this, but I’ll stop here.

For those who follow my blog and may be aghast that I wandered into this territory, I wish you well as you leave.

“The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others
and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us,
and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak,
the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton