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Things that Hurt.
Author: Raine
Date: 10/28/2019 13:03:51
Sometimes protest is far more personal than just to protest. You may think I am talking about the Boo heard around the country that occurred that last night.
I am not.
Thursday, at the Capitol Building, the nation said goodbye to a very good man, Representative Elijah Cumming of Maryland. We were fortunate enough to attend the public viewing. Prior to that, ther was a private service for family friends and colleagues. One woman watching on television noticed this:
Of, course it went viral. One question I asked was why, after shaking the hands of other republicans there, did he rebuff McConnel? This morning we learned why. The man's name is Bobby Raskin, a close friend to the late Mr. Cummings, was one of the pallbearers. He wasn't aware that people saw what happened.
Mr. Raskin was not protesting for attention - his conscience along with his personal moral code prevented him from shaking the hand of a person.
When people like Mika and Morning Joe tsk the country for the boo last night, perhaps they are forgetting that everyone has personal reasons for rejecting something that causes deep pain. It's okay to reject that which makes our moral compass coil in horror. It's okay to reject evil.
Small acts like not shaking a hand make as much of a difference as booing an authoritarian white nationalist.
It's not okay to make normal those that cause us pain.
and 
Raine
I am not.
Thursday, at the Capitol Building, the nation said goodbye to a very good man, Representative Elijah Cumming of Maryland. We were fortunate enough to attend the public viewing. Prior to that, ther was a private service for family friends and colleagues. One woman watching on television noticed this:
I think this brother right here walked right past McConnell and did NOT shake his hand!!! Wow! @DrJasonJohnson @Bakari_Sellers @angela_rye @CNN @rolandsmartin pic.twitter.com/dkSyeLjPtp
— Moni jay (@akajd31) October 24, 2019
Of, course it went viral. One question I asked was why, after shaking the hands of other republicans there, did he rebuff McConnel? This morning we learned why. The man's name is Bobby Raskin, a close friend to the late Mr. Cummings, was one of the pallbearers. He wasn't aware that people saw what happened.
Rankin’s brother, Jerry, died last October from cancer after being exposed to contaminated water while serving in the Marines at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. Jerry did not receive the veterans’ benefits he was owed before he died, Rankin said — and he blamed McConnell in part for that family tragedy.
“Elijah Cummings reached across party lines trying to help my brother get his military benefits, and Mitch McConnell was one of the persons he reached out to,†Rankin said.
(snip)
Rankin said his brother was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer that causes malignant cells to accumulate in a person’s bone marrow, more than a decade ago, after leaving the Marines. Multiple myeloma is one of 15 health conditions linked to Camp Lejeune’s tainted drinking water, which contained industrial solvents, benzene and other chemicals for roughly 30 years beginning in the 1950s, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Veterans who were exposed to the water and later developed any of the conditions can qualify for benefits, including free health care and disability compensation, VA said.
“I could not put my hands in the man’s hand who refused to help somebody who served his country,†Rankin said, later adding, “I couldn’t do it, because I was thinking about my brother.â€
Mr. Raskin was not protesting for attention - his conscience along with his personal moral code prevented him from shaking the hand of a person.
When people like Mika and Morning Joe tsk the country for the boo last night, perhaps they are forgetting that everyone has personal reasons for rejecting something that causes deep pain. It's okay to reject that which makes our moral compass coil in horror. It's okay to reject evil.
Small acts like not shaking a hand make as much of a difference as booing an authoritarian white nationalist.
It's not okay to make normal those that cause us pain.
and Raine
