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Love everyone. Be the best you can be. See the best in others. But mostly, love everyone.

It's not my aim with this blog to make any political statements.  It's my aim to showcase unique bits of history around Holland and West Michigan.  Fact is, we're living through tremendously historical times.  While I'm feeling conflicted over covering current events and news, I also feel like it's important to address events that have happened over the past week:

-On May 25, George Floyd was detained by Minneapolis, MN police and was held down with an officer kneeling on his neck until he died.  The officer and his 3 colleagues have been fired, and at least the offending officer has been charged.  This has led to protests and riots across the country, including right here in Grand Rapids, MI.  Most of the people arrested in Grand Rapids were non-residents, which lends credence to the rumor/theories that these protests across the nation were infiltrated by alt-right agent provocateurs with the explicit purpose of stirring up shit.  Journalistic note:  These are tidbits gleaned from various Twitter feeds, and I haven't actually verified this with a proper source (such as BBC, AP, or Reuters).

-This, once again, has stoked the fires of opposition between Black Lives Matter, All Lives Matter, and Blue Lives Matter.  Texas' Lt. Governor nullified the "All Lives Matter" argument when he argued that we should sacrifice our grandparents and elders to reopen the economy after the CoVid-19 lockdown.  When protestors in Lansing, MI spat in the faces of law enforcement and called for the lynching of Governor Whitmer, it further nullified the "All Lives Matter" and "Blue Lives Matter," movements.  Now, after the nationwide protests, there are rumblings of labelling "Black Lives Matter" as a terrorist organization.  People licking merchandise while infected with CoVid-19 have been charged with bioterrorism; attempting to further a global pandemic while knowingly infected.  The country was founded upon freedom of assembly and freedom of protest - while riots take it too far, especially when exacerbated by outside forces, protestors are most assuredly not terrorists.  That's a civil infraction, not a terrorism charge.  I can't factually speak to the rationale behind punishing or not punishing someone for a crime, but this feels an awful lot like the ingrained racial issues that Colin Kaepernick asked us to consider.

-If I may share a small anecdote regarding the ingrained racial issues:  I was brought up in a family where we regularly said things like "Oh, Van Noord?  You're Dutch.  The Dutch are hard working and thrifty," or "Oh, Mario, are you Italian?  Those Italians sure are good barbers," or the most bizarre one, "Oh, Kowalski, you're Polish.  Polish are good at bowling."  While these are distinctly positive things, they are still racially motivated.  By pointing out an attribute of another person, then immediately attributing it to their racial makeup, you're pointing out how that person is different than you.  It's entirely possible to point out positive things that you respect about a person without making it about nationality.

It is my aim to showcase the odd, the bizarre, the curious bits of history that exist outside the tourism industry in West Michigan.  It is my aim to do so using good, reliable, informational sources that'll allow me to tell the best story possible.  I encourage my readers to reach out with any questions, comments, or concerns, and I encourage my readers to check out my sources (that I try to cite at the bottom of every article).

I'll leave you with a passage from the Bible.  I was born and raised in the Church, and my faith has shaped many of my life's decisions thus far:

Matthew 22:36-40 King James Version (KJV)36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. 

Love everyone.  Be the best you can be.  See the best in others.  But mostly, love everyone.

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