WHAT'S THE NEXT EXCUSE?

Too busy. Too frazzled. Conflicting commitments.

These excuses have kept me from posting a new blog for far too long — despite everything happening in our city and in our nation.

But how do I justify myself to Alex Jeffrey Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs hospital, killed by ICE while trying to help another protestor? What do I say to Liam Conejo Ramos, a 5-year-old boy held and traumatized after ICE used him as bait to detain his undocumented father?

Neither of them was a criminal. One was an American citizen. One is a child — like your child, your grandchild, or the kid who plays on your block.

No matter how much Trump supporters and other Republicans are willing to adjust facts to suit their anti-immigrant arguments, where do we draw the line?

We are witnessing the basest inhumanity broadcast on television and social media-- captured by courageous citizens who risk it all. It is true that horrors unfold around the world every day, and often we have no choice but to look away. But how do we look away when the horror is happening so close, and moving ever closer?

The argument is, of course, be involved and vote and speak out when you see injustice and inhumanity. Even when, sometimes, walking to the shoreline for a good scream seems like the best option, it definitely is more constructive to turn angst into positive action. For some suggestions, check out this post with actionable steps you can take today.

WE CAN’T AFFORD TO LOOK AWAY OR BE SILENT. SELFISHLY BECAUSE WE WON'T GIVE UP OUR PRINCIPLES. BECAUSE WE BELIEVE IN THE AMERICAN DREAM. BECAUSE WE LOVE OUR CONSTITUTION. BECAUSE WE CHERISH DEMOCRACY.