Charlottesville

What began as a rally of “white nationalists” (aka neo-Nazis) in a city park yesterday spun way, way out of control. A 32-year-old woman died after a Nazi sympathizer drove a car into the crowd, injuring a dozen others. As the New York Times led its article, “Heather D. Heyer died standing up for what she believed in.” What she believed in should have been self-evident: that all people in this nation are created equal, that they are endowed by with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Indeed, that is enshrined in our nation’s Declaration of Independence. We are moving farther from those values today.

Today, I gave to a victim relief fund for the victims of the Charlottesville terrorist attack. It won’t be my last response to this tragedy. Heather Heyer’s Facebook cover photo read, “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.” I, for one, am paying attention.