Those of you who know me and my work in celebrating the human/animal bond know that I rarely play my political hand.
I personally know pet lovers — conservative, liberal, and everything in between — who unashamedly love their pets and treat them like family.
There has always been a place at my table for people who disagree with me, an avowed centrist, because the only way we grow is by acknowledging, containing and learning from our differences. No one holds a monopoly on compassion, common sense or patriotism. I have voted Red. I have voted Blue. To me, it has always been about the office, the candidate, the times, the issues at hand. My vote is mine only. Mine is hardly the “correct” vote simply because it is mine.
We are not — and should never — be defined by our policy stances or be made into a pariah over them. However, when “policy” is based on falsehood and its purveyor ignites violence against the very foundations of our ever-striving-to-be-more-perfect-union, that’s where I draw the line.
A thick, solid, red line.
On Wednesday — at the urging of our president and his unhinged cronies urging “trial by combat” — an unbridled throng stormed the capitol building, killed a police officer and nearly crushed another, occupied legislators’ offices, desecrated congressional chambers and attempted to derail the certification of our next president. Many ferried the call to arms across social media, one urging, “Bring a gun.” Another, “This is war!” The chant, “Hang [vice-president] Mike Pence,” erupted on the capitol steps.
These were not “peaceful” protestors upholding the sovereigns of our constitution. They were not Paul Revereian freedom riders heralding a modern-day “socialist” takeover. Rather, they were a gang of monstrous thugs culpable in multiple felonies, including murder.
I abhor these actions — even more than those of looters who destroy the building blocks of our communities or occupy neighborhoods under cover of social justice or collectivism — because they were incited by the office of the most high. I will not name the Instigator-In-Chief. I refuse to inflate his already bloated self-importance with more oxygen. It is that upon which he thrives.
I’m not arguing policy. I’m decrying the absence of humanity.
Let me be brief. To any followers of this page or personal friends who align with Wednesday’s insurrection: Get out. Unsubscribe. De-friend me on FB. Do not call, write or text me. You have no place in my life or my heart or any world of which I want to be a part. Though you probably would benefit most from the love of companion animals, you may only see them as a utilitarian defense of your right to bear arms against all enemies, real or imagined. In my mind, your endorsement of these acts is tantamount to your committing them.
Perhaps this sounds intolerant. But I can imagine fewer scenes more intolerant than the ones exhibited last Wednesday.
I guess you can say I’m intolerant of intolerance.
So be it.