February 5 began as one man’s response to yet another mass shooting and his fatigue with the outcry that followed. From a certain perspective we hear “don’t politicize this tragedy,” while just as predictable an opposing point of view will ask “when is the right time?”
February 5 is a response to this conundrum. February 5, 2017 is the halfway point between the Orlando night club shooting on June 12, 2016 and the Las Vegas shooting October 1, 2017. Two of the most deadly shootings in our nation’s history.
So while February 5 is a meaningless date on a calendar, can we talk about gun control on this day? Would another day be better? No, the time is always now to talk about important issues. But also, it matters how we talk about issues and engage others.
February 5 represents a sustained effort for change in our country and in our world by focusing on a few small things that we can agree on that can force the actions in government and the individual to fix the things that are broken.
February 5 is more than one topic or social issue, it is the striving for an ideal, and a metaphor for re-creating a broad middle ground. The middle is not the exact halfway point between two extremes, but where most people can meet and exist in harmony and balance.
We will identify and support positions that many can agree with regardless of affiliation, and address them without divisiveness and rhetoric. We need to move away from tribalism and identity politics. We need to follow through on the promise of America.
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February 5 