Desert Messenger

6 www.DesertMessenger.com May 17, 2023 DESERT MESSENGER Quartzsite's FREE Community Paper Proud to be a Quartzsite Licensed Business 928-916-4235 O� T��� - E���� T���! Founded by Walt Akin October 1, 2004 P�������� �� P���� R��� P��������� C�. P.O. Box 3185 Quartzsite, AZ 85359 NOW PUBLISHED ONCE/MONTH on the 3rd Wednesday of each month OWNER/EDITOR/PUBLISHER GRAPHIC DESIGN/ AP AR MARKETING EXECUTIVE/CLASSIFIEDS Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER Starr BearCat NAME PLATE DESIGN Paul Winer www.DesertMessenger.com www.DesertMessengerOnline.com E-mail: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 2022-23© Copyright All Rights Reserved Copyright 2013 Opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the Desert Messenger. LIKE US on Facebook.com/ DesertMessengerNews FOLLOW US on Twitter @QuartzsiteRain By Shanana "Rain" Golden-Bear QUARTZSITE ROCKS! EDITORIAL The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members. ~ Coretta Scott King LETTERS TO EDITOR POLICY Desert Messenger encourages letters from its readers. Letters should be no longer than 300 words, and may be edited for grammar, content and length. OPINIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THOSE OF THE DESERT MESSENGER. We invite you to not only see a problem, but search for the solution to share with the community, keeping the benefit of all in mind. Letters considered libelous, in poor taste, on a personal issue, mean spirited or dominated by Scripture quotes will not be published. Third party letters will not be accepted. To avoid confusion over people with common or similar names, writers must provide a full name and indicate the name they are known by. Writers must provide a full street address and phone number. Rvers can provide the location of park/BLM land, etc. Street addresses will not be published. Phone numbers are for verification only and will not be printed. Send letters to: Desert Messenger, P.O. Box 3185, Quartzsite, AZ 85359 or E-mail to: Editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 It's been a tough month, witness- ing so much violence in the news. Angry people all over the country are losing their composure and harming others with their weapon of choice; maybe it's a gun, baseball bat and even their words. Words really do matter and are powerful. Spreading hate is ev- eryone's problem. Often we don't realize we are adding to the "us vs them" dialogue. It can be as simple as unconciously using language that separates us. "You're either with us or against us!" "My church is better than yours." All major religions teach us to love one another. One's religious affi lia- tion, or lack thereof, should be ir- relevant to one's standing in the community. Whether we worship at a church, mosque, synagogue, temple, or tree, America has no sec- ond-class faiths. All are equal under the U.S. Constitution. But recently, there have been more public displays of White Supremacy marches and anger towards mar- ginalized groups. Some politicians are fueling the national anger to- wards the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. It's like they don't realize the power of their words. "Compassion is about how to see the world from someone else's per- spective – it's empathy plus action – and this is sometimes lacking, or missed as a cornerstone of efforts, when we talk about DEI nowadays," said Jesse Bridges, Senior Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at EVERFI. A poll released in January by The Trevor Project fi nds that recent de- bate over state laws restricting the rights of LGBTQ young people is having a huge negative impact on their mental health, their ability to seek health care and their exposure to in-school discrimination. In the survey, 71% of 716 LGBTQ respon- dents ages 13 to 24 said rhetoric surrounding the legislation has had a negative or very negative affect on their mental health, as did 86% of transgender and nonbinary young people. Three-fourths of LGBTQ youth, and 82% of gender-non- conforming respondents, reported stress and anxiety over threats of violence at LGBTQ community cen- ters or events. What can we do to help folks feel welcomed? Here's one example: I attended the dedication of fallen La Paz County Sheriff Sgt. Michael Rudd Tuesday. Witnessing the hard work that folks from multiple agen- cies and differing political beliefs all came together to accomplish this amazing goal was a true blessing. Cars had packed the narrow dirt and rocky road. It was quite a sight! However, as people were leav- ing, a few vehicles got stuck in the sand. But these folks actually put their words into action by helping each other to leave safely. This is the magic I love to see in this com- munity. They were just folks help- ing folks, opening their hearts with compassion to someone in need. Words can heal or words can harm. It's up to us to choose wisely. We all know how to speak gently with a dying grandmother. What if we choose to speak with compassion to a stranger on the street? What if we choose to speak with compas- sion to those of a different political party? What if we choose to speak with compassion when we become angry? What would our world be like if we didn't think of our enemy as an "other?" What if we chose to speak compassionately each and ev- ery day? What if we choose to read compassionate books or listen to soothing music? We all make choices every day. Let us choose to help each other with our words, deeds and actions. Remember to be grateful for this day! DEADLINE : WED. JUNE 14 TH for June 21 st edition Desert Messenger News Email: editor@DesertMessenger.com 928-916-4235 www.DesertMessenger.com

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