Thoughts on Ferguson, MO

I realize I'm a bit late hopping on the Ferguson outrage train, but retail hours can be a bit odd. In any case, I feel the need to comment in more than 140 characters, so here goes.

Firstly, I'm a bit uncertain as to how shocked I really am over the grand jury's decision. On the one hand, I'm astounded that, even after the uproar the killing itself caused, they still decided there was no need for a trial. That just seems crazy. On the other hand, we live in a culture of mindless fear and blind respect for authority. It's conceivable to me that the people on that jury thought, "Well, he is a police officer, so he knows what he's doing. It was an honest mistake. I mean, if the kid had been armed, he would've been perfectly justified, because who knows what he might've done? I'm sure it was just a mistake."

And to be perfectly honest, that mentality is terrifying. The idea that people in our society are capable and willing to excuse a blatant abuse of power that results in a death is appalling. This officer had no reason whatsoever to assume a teenager had a gun (despite the jumbled story he tells), but pulling out and using his own was his first instinct. And yet people in our society, quite possibly your own neighbors, could simply look the other way if what happened to Michael Brown happened to you, because the killer wears a uniform.

Now, I will grant, it's more than the uniform. It's the fact that officers are supposed to have been trained in guns and how and when to use them. They're supposed to be able to read a situation and determine the best course of actions. They're supposed to be leaders, and they're supposed to protect and serve.

But, just this week, an officer shot and killed another child. In this case, there was a gun involved, but it was "probably fake," and had been left sitting on a bench or table after the boy was playing with it on the playset. Now, with those things in mind, the odds that the child had brought the gun to the park intending to hurt anyone are slim to none. Yet, the officer, rather than ducking, using his taser, or even shooting once to incapacitate if he thought he was really in danger, shot the boy twice, and killed him. His first instinct was to kill.

And these aren't by any means the only two times in even the past two months that police officers have "accidentally" injured or killed innocent people. (Note: I put "accidentally" in quotation marks not because I think they intended to do innocents harm, but because they intended to use harmful methods.) This has become a pattern, of late. I understand that there have been some horrific occurrences in the world recently, too, but that still doesn't excuse how trigger-happy many of our police forces seem to have become.

Furthermore, police officers are just that: officers. We have a justice system for a reason. The job of a police officer is to catch the suspected criminal, not play judge, jury, and executioner, too. They are supposed to protect ALL citizens, suspected criminals or not, to the best of their abilities. Of course, there are times when lethal force is the only option, but it should always be a last resort.

But the issue goes even deeper, and is especially illustrated by the grand jury's decision to not bring the officer to trial in Ferguson. What this new phase compels me to wonder is this: at what point did we lose so much faith in ourselves? We appear to have reached a point at which members of our society are so dependent on authority that they can't possibly trust their own judgment. But why should that be? Many of us have the potential to become police officers. If we'd taken the same classes, done the same training, etc., then we'd be the ones with the badges and the guns. Are we infallible? Would we be then? The answer should be no in both cases. And it's no different for anyone else.

We are all only human. Now, I'm not saying this to excuse any wrongdoings, mind you. This is to remind us all that no amount of schooling, training, or power makes anyone any more than human, and we should all be treated, respected, and judged accordingly. We are responsible for our actions. We cannot simply take the easy way out to avoid whatever consequences may follow the decisions that we make. The grand jury should've been braver, as we all must be, especially when life and death hang in the balance.

While I certainly don't condone mindless burning and looting, I support wholeheartedly the protests the people of Ferguson are carrying out right now. They understand that we must act and make our voices heard. We must protect ourselves, and serve proper justice to those who deserve it, whoever or whatever they may be. We alone have the power to change the situation here in America (and beyond).

Actual Vent Session that morphed into General Critique and Examination of Generation Y

I always call these rough drafts, but honestly, unless I get some really insightful feedback, this is what it'll be, ha. It does not yet have a title, though, so I'm open to suggestions on that front.

~~~
I feel like I'm on a middle ground
That no one else can just quite reach.
Stuck in Limbo, my own personal Hell.
Too serious to be silly; too silly to be serious.
I don't quite fit in anywhere.

The others named me "Generation Y"...
...if only they'd known how fitting that was.
"Y" is my favorite word.
"Y do I have to go to college?"
"Y do I need a 'real job'?"
"Y can't I travel the world?"
"Y can't I get a date?"
"Y do I feel so alone?"

I'm constantly connected.
I've grown up in a world when I can contact
Anyone, at any time, anywhere.
I surround myself with people,
Measuring my own self-worth by their standards.
If I don't quite fit, I just adjust.
I can learn how with the stroke of a key
And the click of a button.

And then it clicks:
I don't know who I am.
These interactions are hollow,
Just people trying to be whoever they must
To gain the most approval.

So I decide to rebel.
I'll be myself, approval be damned!
But wait, I still don't know:
Who am I?

I ask the internet through articles and quizzes,
Examining personality types
And finding out which character I am from my favorite show/book/etc.
(it's easier than making my own evaluation).

I think these are valid methods for
Determining my personality because
I've grown up in a world of
Sound bytes and video clips.
Small, bite-sized information is all you need
To understand something, right?

Armed with my newfound
Knowledge of self,
I enter the "real world" with gusto.
But it's not all I'd hoped.
Things are big and complicated.
I have to be myself instead of
Who I've made the internet think
I am.

But I persevere.
The games I played growing up taught me that.
I keep pushing, trying different groups
In hopes of finding one to call my own.
None quite fit.

I'm older now, stuck between
Child, with culture references and a free spirit; and
Adult, with big ideas and a sense of responsibility.

For all my planning,
My plans have fallen through.

Or, perhaps, have I?

Trial of First Amendment Rights: Aftermath

So, the Presentencing Report for my mom came today. The officer recommended a minimum of 12-18 months, but there was some appearance that it may be satisfied by only spending half the time actually in prison, and the rest under house arrest.

Of course, we can (and will) respond to this, especially since it appears that the officer didn't read anything we wrote. We're not sure how things will go from here, but sentencing is in mid-December, so I'll update after that.

Thank you all for your continued support. <3

Note: For background, start here, and read through the rest of the "Trial" series, as well as this.

Government Shenanigans (cont.)

So, the prosecuting attorney in my mom's case, in the Pre-Sentencing Report, has made the FALSE statement that, in another courtroom back in the 90's, my mom turned to the jury and said she wanted to stab someone, and also called that someone twice leaving threatening messages.

The attorney, who wasn't even there, says, "We're still looking for the transcript."

This lie is such an obvious attempt to throw us off while we're trying to write another motion, as well as to give my mom either a higher fine or more time in jail, it's disgusting.

Come on, government, have some tact.

How many more must die? - reaction to James Foley video

Following the release of the video depicting the alleged beheading of American journalist James Foley by ISIS, I’ve seen many governments and corporations advocate the banning of said video.  This is to be expected; such violence “encourages more violence,” “gives the terrorists what they want,” and is “too disturbing and disrespectful for the public eye” (not actual quotes, but similar sentiments to those given).  It makes sense that a video in which the victim seems to accuse the US government of being responsible for his death would not be one of the US’ favorites.

However, while the banning of the video by governments and corporations should be no surprise, I’ve also seen, disturbingly enough, outcries by members of the public for disallowing posts such as this.  Of course, it is graphic, and it could be said to be disrespectful to Foley’s family to view it, but no one is being forced to watch it.  The decision of whether or not to do so should be made on an individual basis, not enforced by some outside party.

Furthermore, are we so isolated and pretentious as to think that the words and demonstrations of clearly dangerous people ought to be disregarded?  Of course, by no means do I advocate allowing ourselves to be swept into the fray on the chariot of rash actions and mere retaliation, but should we not at least take in the information?  Unless we do, how are we to properly address it?

By the way, according to the video, the way to address it is to leave the Middle East.  Shockingly enough, they want to be left alone.  Naturally, if they brought the fight here, we would respond accordingly, but, just as I doubt many Americans would appreciate foreign interference in one of our conflicts, they do not appreciate our involvement in theirs.

Now, before you accuse me of not having a heart, let me say: of course I mourn the innocent lives being lost in this conflict.  I don’t like it any more than you do.  However, this war, in one form or another, has been waged for centuries.  How long will we stay involved?  How many of our own people must die in this never-ending conflict before we bring them home?

Thomas Jefferson said it best: “Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations; entangling alliances with none.”

A Eulogy for Justice (poem)

A Eulogy for Justice

Let us pray.

O, Justice, you beauteous creature, lost to us at the hands of those who swore to protect you!

Your fathers warned us, told us to take care, to keep our minds sharp and our senses keen,

But did we listen?  No.  For a time, we watched and listened and thought and remembered…

But soon, like sands upon the beach, our memories were washed away in waves of new events and fine distractions.

Justice, meantime, was locked away in a gilded rusty tower, a distant gleam on a dreary horizon.

Too soon, the tower was all we remembered, forgetting what great beauty lived inside.

And the protectors we’d assigned, in their long dark robes, realizing that the tower was so much easier than the beauty to tame and corrupt, did so, blood-stained quills scratching furiously to seal her fate, etching wall after wall of leather-bound chains, so that shortly, even the tower fell out of our minds.

And they, the black-robed traitors, with every pound of their hammers, raped and ravaged what was left of darling Justice until she was torn and trembling on the floor of her crumbling keep.

She may not yet be dead, but who can tell?

And so, this day, let us bow our heads, and think of Justice, the light of civilization.

May she rest in peace until she finds her way back home.