Things that make a difference.

Angie Zapata's killer was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison yesterday. I wonder if he understands what he did. I have a twelve year old daughter and when I think of her leaving this earth in 6 years ... well I don't want to think about it. There is a lot in this world that needs changing, but I want my children to have a chance to experience life. No matter how many years her killer spends behind bars, Angie won't get that chance. Her family will have to live without her. Every day.

I don't really have a lot of connection to the idea of locking people up, though. I'd rather see him spend the rest of his life doing good in the community. I know, we aren't really set up for the kind of supervision this kind of thing requires, but rather than have my taxes support him for 50-60 years of brooding, I'd rather he spend his time giving back to the community he took from. Maybe raising money for the transgender community to do education in Greely and Colorado?

I want to see some kind of sustainable change, some kind of movement, towards a better world. In some ways, this conviction was that. It sent a message, a strong message, that we value the lives of transgender people. Sadly, it's a message that needed to be sent.