....and the View From Afar

I have a friend I met years ago while working at The Delaware Museum of Natural History. She moved to Japan many years ago for her husband's career and raised their two children abroad. She is educated, aware, involved and gave me permission to post her Facebook comments about what just happened in Dallas. It was her post that I saw first thing this morning.....the one that made me shut down the phone and just get outside to breathe the air.

As she said these are her "rough" thoughts.....not polished, but coming from the heart. Another country heard from.

"So this time, it is a bunch of dead police officers. It was inevitable. I don't mean to make excuses for cops killing black men or people killing cops. But when people are killed--murdered--by those in authority, and not held accountable, it is inevitable that some one will try to take things into their own hands. Hatred against and fear of immigrants leads to violence against immigrants. Hatred against and fear of black men, leads to violence against black men. Hatred against and fear of cops leads to violence against cops. But while Black Lives Matter protestors are called thugs and labeled problems, while legislation to try to end police violence and brutality is non-existent, blue lives matter legislation passes clean and free. All lives DO matter. I am as upset about the shooting of these police as I am about the killings of black civilians. Those officers were found guilty and killed because of their uniforms. Are we now living in the wild west where vigilante justice is the norm? Police across the country should be furious at the seemingly constant police violence against black lives. And civilians of all stripes should be incensed at the killings of these officers. 

I live in Japan. I don't have to worry about any of this. But I do. I tell my kids when they say they want to go to school in the US that they should choose Australia or Scotland or Europe or anywhere but the US. Imagine an American saying that. 

America is in a new civil war. It is us against them. Them is immigrants. Them is black people. Them is rich people. Them is the lazy poor. Them is the conservatives (and I have been guilty of this). Them is the treacherous liberal. Them is women. Them is men. Them is the crazy religious zealot. Them is the government coming to take your guns. Them is the government period. 

Will this civil war tear the country apart this time?"