Bullets & Bricklayers

I must say that I am encouraged by the political climate we are in right now. Some people love the direction the country is moving while others believe the nation is being taken over by the government, and now, some are taking action on their beliefs. Yesterday, as reported, several Democratic legislators’ offices had bricks thrown through their windows. Today, the GOP’s second-in-command, Eric Cantor, had a bullet shot through his office window in Richmond, VA.

While I am strictly against advocating violence, I am glad people are getting there asses off their couch and participating in the political process, of which protest is included. I succumb to the notion that their are more reasonable and legal avenues to express one’s dissent without vandalism and intimidation, however we are witnessing what happens when people get back into a corner and exhibit their fight-or-flight response. Often times, people feel as though the only way to garner attention or have their voice heard is to make a scene. Unfortunately, such actions generally isolate these actors as “crazies” or extremists among an increasingly sympathetic public.

With that said, I would rather be known for being an extremist than be known for doing nothing at all. There is a line from the first Boondocks Saints film which echoes this principle: “Now we must all fear evil men, but there is another kind of evil that we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men.”