Making it Personal

So, I'm quite moved by the death of 9-year-old Christina Green. I'm moved because no child should die because they are interested in government. My daughter died because she wasn't born healthy. No human-error or misjudgment can blamed. But Christina died because someone chose to target a political figure.

I used to ignore the rhetoric, thinking that it was extreme. But, in fact, I've decided to make it personal. I found this image,

and decided to put my face in the color that I best represent

I have family and close friends who would likely most identify with the other side, and I would (though because I didn't ask permission--I didn't) put one of their faces in the other. The image in abstraction is interesting, but when you make it personal it brings home the meaning of the extreme rhetoric. My siblings or parents would not actually shoot me because of my political leanings, but this image suggests they would.

What would it feel like if the image were reversed?

Not much better. The message. We must agree to disagree. We must agree to use our words and not violence to sway another to a point of view. We must embrace the difficult, challenging, and complex journey toward peace.

Peace, Please, Peace.

Take a look. Where would your image go? Are you comfortable with this rhetoric? How would you change this? Will you continue to participate? Is this an adequate expression of those you "hate"? Of those you love?

[For those who may ask . . . I am not a socialist. I reject the label applied to our president. One need only review High School civics to discover that our president is a centrist. There---full disclosure. But I don't deserve a gun to my head for those views. And if you disagree with me, neither do you!]

[Oh, by the way, that's a pic of me watching a release of balloons at my daughter's grave.]