As the unremorseful Derek Chauvin was cuffed and led out of the courtroom to his potentially life-long imprisonment, I was overwhelmed by a deep, abject sadness when I had expected that such an outcome would bring, at least, momentary jubilation. Chauvin is unquestionably a murderer, proven by contemporaneous video as only Jack Ruby before him to my recollection. That a cop was held accountable is momentous, but the misdirection of focusing on this one, awful, can’t-look-away event, without accepting that the real guilt is of systemic, racist, intentional, parochial policy that has pulsed through our nation’s bloodline since the first European set foot on North American soil, will merely perpetuate its continuance. The United States is guilty! We are guilty of forever lying about who we are and what we stand for. “Liberty and justice for all” has been proven, time and time again, to be merely flowery, powder-wigged bullshit. Two hundred-forty-five years out from our Declaration and we are still pretending that better than most is compensatory to the blatant inequalities we seem unable or unwilling to address. The “Grand Experiment” has only been beneficial for some while an unattainably dangled carrot for far too many others. We are a big stick society, reveling in the might of our military industrial superiority and everyman gun culture and although, at what has been called our finest hour, we rose to take down global fascism, in the aftermath, we have crept steadily toward our own. Guilty, but not guilt-ridden America, where Republicans, in 47 states, in the clear light of day, have passed or proposed legislation that:
• makes it difficult or impossible for minorities to vote
• redistricts precincts to literally predetermine outcomes in their favor
• makes it illegal to provide assistance or show kindness to people in long voting lines
• criminalizes First Amendment rights to protest and decriminalizes plowing through protesters with vehicles if drivers feel inconvenienced
• immunizes police from over-zealous use of force
The contentious 2020 election was a significant victory, but only a battle in what has become the 21st Century version of Civil War. Fascist, white supremacist racism is not in our charter. The idea of who we are, a rag-tag mishmash of immigrants living harmoniously, accepting each other’s uniqueness, choosing kindness and cooperation over suspicion and hate, is, if polling is to be believed, embraced by most of uss. Allowing Republicans and their intolerant hate-filled base a seat at the table is not Democracy or free speech. They are GUILTY of insurrection and should not be tolerated. Off with their heads! Metaphorically, or course.