So sad that this is where we are

Sometimes I hate living here.
Don’t get me wrong. I live in a beautiful, idyllic paradise town. It’s northern California. The scenery is stunning. We literally are in a gold town. A golden town. Not only single digit miles from where gold was discovered in 1848, but golden in light, in scenery, in natural beauty.
And the history here is strong and fantastic and lovely. This is a part of California where families of several generations have been here forever. It’s a part of California that people settled in long ago, at the beginning of “California” because of the bounty and beauty and that it’s an ideal spot to settle. The sense of community is awesome and the people who live here are supportive and helpful and people anyone would love to know.
I’ve been here since 2000. I’ve raised both my children here. There’s so much that’s great about this area. And my husband’s and children’s roots run deep here. Their families have been here for generations.
There’s so much great about being here.
But, still, as I said, sometimes I hate living here.
My views are so far apart from the local majority’s views. I tend to vote with my state, but not with my county. So I did not vote for President Trump, but my county (Placer) did even while my state (California) did not. I live and work and relate to people who were happy to vote for our president. And who think he’s doing a great job. Even now. No really. Even now on March 13, 2019 they are happy with the job he's been doing. Yeah, I know. It's so hard to relate to that sort of thinking...
And for my artist friends: those I know who are actors and writers who live in New York and LA and the Bay Area who don’t know people who are happy with our president. For you, let me fill you in. These people who like him, they are not monsters. I know them and see them and interact with them all the time. They don’t trust us. They think we are dangerous to America. They trust their “news” sources and don’t trust anything that challenges their world view that liberals and democrats are the worst people ever. 
As a liberal democrat this though process bothers and dismays me and makes me so sad. Because I love America and want the best for us all. My being demonized by so may hurts me tremendously and seems so unfair. 
But more than that, the fact that they can ignore and dismiss the incredible unconscionable wrongs that are being done to so many people right now: the list is so incredibly extensive, it's almost too much to comprehend. But they don't seem bothered by that in the slightest. Maybe because their "news" sources aren't informing them? So they don't know or accept all that's horrible that's happening to so many innocents.That's what I want to believe anyway. 
But what prompted me to write this? It was the statement from the Placer County Sheriff in response to the California governor’s stance against the death penalty. It was adversarial. It was against the state and the governor. It assumed that Placer County citizens agreed. It assumed that being opposed to the death penalty meant one was opposed to justice for victims of crimes and the families of those victims of crimes. Bold assumptions all around.
https://www.facebook.com/PlacerSheriff/videos/2380391665526104/
Newsflash: one can be against the death penalty and still be for justice for victims. And eye for an eye is not justice. We can and should be better than that. Say “thou shall not kill” but then kill in punishment? It’s wrong. It’s unjust. It’s not turning the other cheek. And from a cold, unemotional financial perspective? The death penalty is expensive. Taking it off the table will save us money.
Bottom line. I don’t support my county speaking out in opposition to my state. Do your job to enforce the law. You can speak out as if all of those who live here in Placer County support you, but that’s not accurate. Many are happy about what the governor has done. It’s elevated California to an ideal that we want to achieve. Those who commit despicable crimes should be punished. But sanctioned killing by the state? I’m not okay with it. We can rise above that and we should rise above it. And it embarrasses me that our Sheriff’s department is saying “yay death penalty. We are so happy to kill criminals who have killed” That’s not hypocritical at all! /end sarcasm
I wish we could work together. I wish we could try to empathize with each other. I’m tired of feeling so at odds to so many I know and deal with all the time. But that’s where we are now. We are at odds. We have a choice to make. Do we want to try to find common ground and make things better for us all? Or do we want to dig in our heels and be self righteous about our views and have such scorn for those who see things differently? I know what I want to do. 
Please open your hearts and minds and be willing to discuss all of this. It’s important and is the ideal for where we all want to be. Being against the death penalty does not mean one is all for heinous criminals and the terrible actions they take. It means we believe killing in opposition of killing is wrong. It’s being the bigger person. And our sherif having issue with that? So inappropriate. I love living here for so many reasons but this? I'm ashamed.
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Published on March 13, 2019 22:23
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