The Trump administration has banned tax payer funded training on Critical Race Theory (CRT) for federal employees. Which begs the question, where were you when the world stopped turning? More on this later.

CRT is the view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race is a construct conceived and used by white people to further their economic, financial, social, and political interests at the expense of people of color.

Following this path, racial inequality emerges from the social, economic, and legal differences between “races” to maintain elite white interests, thus giving rise to poverty and criminality in many minority communities. …

“I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regard to fighting for racial equality and justice,” Brees said. “I also stand with my grandfathers, who risked their lives for this country, and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis.”

I believe that Drew Brees, quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, is a good guy and that he meant every word he said. I also believe that he is a naive danger to progress. It starts with him conflating military men and women fighting for this country and Blacks and African American’s fighting to be seen and heard in this country. There is a difference between a platoon fighting on foreign soil in order to protect the American way of life and a platoon fighting on our soil in order to ensure everyone can experience an equal way of life. Our military is not responsible for the latter nor do people blame them for inequality in this country. …

As America burns and peoples emotions range from annoyed to somber to angry to tired, there is an underlying question that each and every troubled soul should ask themselves.

What is the primary source of my pain?

This can seem like a simple enough question, particularly as a significant majority of American’s believe that the police murdered George Floyd. Even MSNBCFoxNewsCNN agree that the police committed murder and that is incredibly rare. Still, the aftermath of Floyd’s murder is going to paint a more accurate picture of where America stands in the face of justice. After all, we have been somber before. We have held candlelight vigils, ranted about the injustice on our social media platforms, and called for the bleeding to stop in reference to protests and riots. …

With every police killing of a black man. With every instance of a white man or woman calling the police on a black person for being black. With each of these things, there are people looking at their version of the bigger picture and reminding us that, in the scheme of things, the numbers are not bad. They don’t say, “it’s not that bad” in a literal sense of course. Instead, they call for perspective amid the protests that often follow these racist acts. …

“In 2000, while on SNL, I made a terrible decision to do an impersonation of Chris Rock while in blackface. There is no excuse for this,” Fallon wrote on Twitter. “I am very sorry for making this unquestionably offensive decision and thank all of you for holding me accountable.”

Today, the hashtag #JimmyFallonIsOverParty is being floated with social media users calling for him to be cancelled for his impersonation. Some are making parallels to Megyn Kelly being cancelled for defending blackface costumes during Halloween.

We’ve seen this movie before and we will certainly see it again. Such are certainties in a time when quotes and videos are never fully hidden from view even as people and organizations do their darndest to bury them. …

His is a picture you’ve seen a lot over these past several days.

Not months. Days. For while Ahmaud Arbery has been dead for three months, America is just now waking up to this reality. And as we weep again for a black life cut short, there are some who want us to remember that there are millions of white people who aren’t killing black people. As well, white America has become very good at being grief stricken in the moment and inactive in the long run.

Seeing people as statistics

“It’s not that I don’t think this is tragic. I want those fuckers to go to jail for killing him. But, most incidents like this always have us acting like it’s a massive epidemic. …

Forgiveness is the intentional and voluntary process by which a victim undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding an offense, lets go of negative emotions such as vengefulness, with an increased ability to wish the offender well. Forgiveness is different from condoning (failing to see the action as wrong and in need of forgiveness), excusing (not holding the offender as responsible for the action), or forgetting (removing awareness of the offense from consciousness), and reconciliation (restoration of a relationship).

I often hear and read about forgiveness being the ultimate sign of moving on. Other things I hear are that people cannot truly heal without forgiveness and being a forgiving person is a big part of being a truly loving person. I’m very curious about this. …

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are but 7 of the 1,337 words in the Declaration of Independence. There is no mention of healthcare in them and yet there is no life, liberty, or happiness without it. After all:

• Life is not just about breathing
• There is no liberty unless you are free of systemic tyranny
• Happiness is next to impossible if you are always sick or stressed about getting sick

Every time I have this discussion with someone, I begin by asking them what a responsible person would do to make our current healthcare system work for them. I ask this because I have had enough of these discussions to know that most people who reject the idea that healthcare is a right do so on the notion that responsible people could live within the constructs of the system. Because I am a facilitator in my bones, most of these conversations don’t make it past the sixth turn in the conversation. …