Editors Note: This post was written the day after Robin Williams death. Unfortunately, after it was posted my site went kaboom. After three days of work often with the great tech guys at Bluehost the site was working. However, this post had not been backed up and it was lost until I found a cached version on Google. Hence the late timing of this post.
Comedian and actor Robin Williams died yesterday by committing suicide. Like many, I am shocked, saddened, and mystified. I did not personally know Robin, but I’m pretty certain we had a mutual friend in Bill W. I could tell by the words he used and the emotions he described, he was one of me. Thankfully, I have yet to succumb to the disease of addiction and my fight continues. It’s one that Robin could not live with. There is no shame in that, many people die each year from diseases. Robin was what is called dual diagnosed. Meaning he had a substance abuse disorder with a mental health issue. It’s hard enough to get sober, but when you add a mental health issue the problem becomes more severe. Robin’s death certificate will read that he died of asphyxiation, but in fact he died from his disease.
As a blogger I try not to let my political views intrude when there is a tragedy. I feel it’s out of place. Most sane people in America are mourning the death of Robin Williams. Many are talking about how he became a great actor which I did not believe. He was a good actor. His gift was himself. The minute he appeared on a movie screen I would instantly light up. Not because of his acting ability, but because I could not help but like the guy. That is why America is in mourning, we lost one of our best friends.
A few in America are so cold they cannot understand what all of the fuss is about. Here is where I violate my oath not to bring politics into a tragedy. Republicans are viewed by many as mean. Mean to women, immigrants, gays, the poor, the middle class, and often mean to one another. Robin would’t have acted this way and neither would Bill W. Not all republicans are like this, but the ones who seem to get elected are.
Case in point.
Ellen Anderson, the director of digital media and social organizing for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party wrote this nice tweet about Robin:
A man I can only describe as a turd on a lawn, Chris Fields, the deputy chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, tweeted her back. He said, “Want an economy like we had in the 80′s under Reagan…Vote @Jeff4Gov tomorrow in the primary.”
Was that really necessary? He followed with many more tweets.
Evidently, it wasn’t necessary and the republican gubernatorial candidate Fields tweeted about, Jeff Johnson, decided to pick up the turd and put it in a bag.
Not that Mr. Johnson was necessarily being righteous, it was the only politically astute position he could take. This is not a moral issue. Alcoholics, addicts, and the mentally ill are not bad people who need to get good, they are sick people who need to get well.
Fields deleted his tweets. Hat tip to Andrew Kaczynski at BuzzFeed for saving them before they went missing.
I look forward to the day Chris Fields writes his disingenuous tweet apologizing for the whole episode. I suspect that soon after the furor dies down, Fields will quietly clean out his office.
Meanwhile, America will continue to mourn the death of a valued treasure like Robin Williams, republicans will go on making mean comments, and I will continue fighting this horrible disease with the help of Bill W. A disease that afflicts far too many in our country. Sadly, often those who are sick will pay the ultimate price for their disease. May a God of their understanding bless Robin Williams and Bill W.
Bloggers note:
If anyone you know, is struggling with thoughts of suicide, please immediately seek help. You can speak with a skilled, trained counselor at a national Suicide Prevention Lifeline crisis center in your area, anytime 24/7 — call 1-800-273-TALK (8255). You can find a local Alcoholics Anonymous meeting at the Alcoholics Anonymous website.