They didn't lose

Ricky John Best
Taliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche.

Tragedies and acts of terrorism happen every day all over the world, and it feels... blinkered I guess to spend so many words on one just because it is local to me, but you know I think that there is more here to discuss, lessons to learn.

 I have read a number news articles as well as personal notes and comments about the events of the other night, one recurring phrase I see is that "The right side lost" or something to that effect. I would argue with that, dying and losing are not the same thing at all, though at times they overlap.

I am not going to claim to tell anyone how to feel about this, and obviously for those who knew and were related to the heroes this is nothing less than a terrible loss, but from a, I guess wider perspective this isn't anything except a victory in the fight against fascist extremism.

Go to Hollywood TC and tell me that Ricky and Taliesin lost when they were killed defending those in need. Look at the pictures from the memorial I posted yesterday, remember the literally thousands of people who came out to honor them. If literally one percent of those people are inspired to stand up in the way they did we didn't lose anything, we gained dozens of heroes.

I wish the situation was reversed, that those who died made it and the terrorist who did it died instead, but you know, that is the part of me that wants revenge, the point of heroes is not to take lives, even of criminals and fascists, but to put themselves in harms way so others don't have to, to say that they lost, that evil won in this situation is just not accurate. They did exactly what any of us should be proud to do in that situation, and that won't be forgotten.