A Slight Change of Plans

My berfday’s later this week. Since it falls on a weekday and everyone’s gotta work, Jen, Oni and I planned on a Saturday outing – a mini road trip. And then Charlottesville happened.

This Saturday here in Boston, there will be a march and demonstration – Fight Supremacy! Boston Counter-Protest & Resistance Rally. Why?

On that day, August 19th, White Nationalists are converging on Boston Common to reinforce their white supremacist ideology and attempt to intimidate queer and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, POC) communities.  
 
Organizers of the White Nationalist group are calling it a "Free Speech Rally.” Yeah, pardon me all to Hell and back for not buying the whiny butthurt, my Free Speech is being infringed BS.

nota bene: You boys have always had free speech. NO one is taking that away from your precious snowflake selves. Possibly, and mebbe you fellas ought to write this down, it might just feel like that because there's a lot of us who aren't keen on your I'm-white-so-I'm-king-of-the-mountain-and-all-toys-are-MINE horseshit and we're calling you out, loud and proud. Oh yes we are. That awesome free speech thing? It's a two way street, just FYI. 

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

The Declaration of Independence – oh swoon!

They (the “Free Speech Rally” folks) say they’re not connected to the organizers of the deadly Charlottesville armed power play, but some people who spoke there are also scheduled to speak here in Boston.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says his office is looking at legal options to try to stop the planned rally and says the group has not yet received a permit. (source)

Matthew Heimbach

James Alex Fields Jr.

Meanwhile outside the courthouse where James Alex Fields Jr., Heather Heyer’s alleged murderer was being booked:

…white nationalist Matthew Heimbach barged in on a gathering of reporters and accused them of being "liars" and insisted Fields was "scared for his life" and tried to portray him and the other white supremacists as the victims.

"The nationalist community defended ourselves against thugs," Heimbach insisted. "These radical leftists...they are the one who came to kill us."  (source)

Heimbach's scary "thugs."

Gosh, something tells me that Matty’s used to getting loads of special treatment and lots of participation trophies. Maybe his mommy can give him a second helping of ice cream today (vanilla, of course) and that’ll make it all better.

Yeah so, back at my birthday plans, if the counter-protest is on, that’s where we’ll be. As long as no one drives a car into us, we can always stop for birthday martinis on the way home. There WILL be cake!

Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.
~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer