This weekend, Alex Pretti lost his life in Minnesota. Sadly, this is not the first life list lost in the name of immigration enforcement. This time, something that was just below the surface for me, came ratcheting to the surface of consciousness.
Recently, I have watched conservativism in America become stripped of nearly every ideal I hold dear. Republicans removed any specific mention of abortion from their platform in the last election cycle, instead, watering it down to some sort of vague statement about life. I've cringed time and again while first amendment rights to assemble and to criticize the government have been criticized, ignored or straight out attacked. Leaders flaunt the system in their favor, redacting and redacting and redacting all actual meaning from the Epstein files. If confronted, the answer is always the same- "Those other guys are worse"
Let me say this loud and clear. Conservative America doesn't want you a tiny bit less terrible than someone else. We want Truth. We want moral, just leaders, not someone willing to paint an ICU nurse as a mass murderer without a shred of evidence. We want you to admit wrong when there is wrong. We want you to embrace humanity and mourn the loss of any life, not just the life of those on "your" side. It's disgusting to hear the justification, the pontificating, the "I respect law enforcement" BS that was used to frame this whole incident, analyzing every detail, saying all the things except, "It's terrible someone would lose their life in this way."
Last on the cutting room floor - the 2nd amendment. Kash Patel and Kristi Noem characterized Alex Pretti's choice to carry a weapon as illegal and foolhardy or sign of malfeasance. It was none of these. In a police state, a weapon is an equalizer, and argument elegantly made by the Libertarian Party. If you don't believe that carrying arms can make a difference and actually lead to a peaceful outcome, read "The Milagro Beanfield War."The current government has finally come for your guns, because they don't want you having power. Think about that for a minute. Then, say a prayer, because we're all going to need one.
