A word

I am not turning comments on for this post because I am going to work today, and I most certainly do not have time to host a debate. I will be taking care of patients, which is what VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti should be doing today, too. Unfortunately, he is dead.

As a rule, I do not talk politics here, but I'm breaking my own rule on that for a moment.

Someone once emailed me, saying they were angry that I had voted for Trump, which is confusing because I have done no such thing.

So, to be clear: I have never voted for Trump. I do not support him. I have been actively horrified by him from day one, and the horror levels in my heart have only risen with the passage of time.

I am particularly horrified that the evangelical community, the people I grew up with, the people who told me Bill Clinton was disqualified due to his personal moral failings, are the same people who have voted for this man. More than once. And not even reluctantly; many have done so with enthusiasm.

Many still support him with enthusiasm.

We knew who he was before he got elected. We all heard the recording of him saying the, "When you're a celebrity...." bit, and I will not type the rest of it because it is disgusting. He has continued to be exactly who he is, and he will almost certainly be this way for the rest of his life.

I have heard Christians say, more than once, that this is the most godly president we have ever had, and I don't even know what to say in response to this. I am dizzyingly disillusioned. I don't know how anyone who says they love Jesus can cheer on who he is and what he and his administration have done/are doing.

There is too much to talk about. I couldn't possibly address it all. And I don't think it would probably be helpful even if I could.

But here is what I will say: people who work in hospitals deal with unruly, disruptive, angry, sometimes violent people on a routine basis, and they are able to restrain those people in ways that aren't harmful or lethal. There are options besides shooting people, a fact that seems to have escaped some armed government agents.

You can be in favor of a society characterized by law and order and ALSO be horrified by what is going on. This isn't normal. It is not ok. And that applies not just to Alex Pretti but to everyone of every race and every gender who has been wrongfully shot by the people who are supposed to be serving and protecting us.

I haven't watched the circulating videos of all the recent killings and other events; I just can't. I am heartbroken enough by the written descriptions. My head hurts from crying. The cruelty is too much. The disregard for human life is too much.

I am not going to make this a political blog, and anyone is welcome to keep reading and participating here, but I also know that some of you will unfollow me because of this post. I am saying it anyway.

I know I am only a small voice. I don't have a lot of power. I can't change all of this. I will likely not change a single mind with this post. But I can at least not be silently complicit.

And now I am going to go to work, where I will care for people, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or what they believe. I have been spit on, called names, and hit by patients. I regularly have patients who make it clear they politically support what I do not. And I still treat everyone with dignity, kindness, and compassion because that is who I am, and because it is what I want in the world.

P.S. If you have something you want to say to me about this post, you can always email me: thefrugalgirl@gmail.com