Climate Change is Real

     Record high temperatures are being set every month, and this has been happen for years. It's just getting worse. This past week alone produced the following examples: Montreal hits 97.8F (and several people die), Taiwan hits 104.5F, Algeria hit 124.3F. This is climate change; no ifs ands or buts about it. It's affecting the movement of weather fronts, preventing them from moving around. This helped to lead to the immense rain in Japan and the flood killing hundreds. It's melting the glaciers at an astounding pace raising the ocean levels and flooding coastal cities and islands in the Pacific Ocean. I just cannot understand why Trump, Pruitt and the others refuse to acknowledge this. Probably because they would lose profits affecting their personal bottom line. Their pockets are more important than the thousands of lives being lost.

Responsibility of the U. S. Supreme Court

     The responsibility of the U.S. Supreme Court is to interpret the law, plain and simple. It is not to uphold the xenophobic and racist ideology of the President. The ruling in favor of the baker a week or so ago (upholding gender discrimination) and upholding the Muslim immigration ban against only certain countries (Freedom of Religion) are examples. Ethics and morality must come into play when making any determination in their cases, and it sure looks as if neither was considered. Determinations like these only fuel hatred and distrust throughout this country. If our mighty ideals and principles are not confirmed and supported by the highest court in the land, then we are truly lost as a nation.

Greatest President - NOT

In a poll by the political scientists from the American Political Scientist Association in January, (  https://qz.com/1210855/presidents-day-2018-donald-trump-debuts-in-last-place-in-political-scientists-presidential-greatness-rankings/ ) Donald Trump has been voted dead last in the list of the people who served as President of the United States. He said (from his over-inflated ego) that he would be a great president. He was right, that is if the list was inverted.

For all those non-Trump supporters, this is not so much of a surprise. He has done everything to harm the country, flouting every law and principle for his own gain, being extremely polarizing, racking up over 20 complaints of sexual harassment and cheating on his wives (including against Melania more than once just after gave birth), believing climate change was a hoax invented by the Chinese, ruining our standing on the world stage making the U.S. no longer the free world leader, and refusing to accept facts believing that everything with which he disagrees is fake. He was even two slots below William Henry Harrison who served only 1 month. (Tongue-in-cheek, there are times I feel William Henry Harrison was the greatest President we ever had, solely because he never had a chance to do this country any harm.)

And now the United Nations has declared Trump a “totalitarian leader”! This shows just how far even the rest of the world sees what’s happened to this country under Trump and the GOP. Just what is it that that will get the remaining Trump supporters to see what the rest of the country and the world sees? The sooner change is made, the better chance this country has of recovering.

SKYNET EXISTS !!!!

            In the Terminator movies, SKYNET is a computer program that literally takes over the world in 2017 so that humanity no longer has any control. The computers have control of everything. There is no way to turn it off. Any resistance is met with fatal results. John Connor and company have the mission to prevent SKYNET first from occurring then to destroy it.

            Would it surprise you to know that SKYNET exists now, in 2015? It does, just in a different form.

            How many of you own a cell phone? It does not matter if it is a Smartphone, an Android, an iPhone, or any similar device. If you answered yes, how often do you use it? Odds are that you use it much more often than you are aware.

            You check you mail? How many times a day? Same for texting. For games. How many apps do you have? How about Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and all the other social media? How often do you use them, and for what meaningless reason do you use them?

            When do you use them? In the home; at work, outside? Do you use it when you are standing still or sitting? Or do you use it when you are moving and are oblivious to where you are going? How many of you keep checking them when you are driving? How many have gotten seriously injured or died because they did not look where they were going?

            How many use them in places they should not be used? Do you use them in school? Do you use them in a theater while the movie is playing? (I went to see a movie [believe it or not, it was “Terminator: Genisys”] and several people had their cell phones on and were using them for one reason or another despite the notices)

            How many have had relationships break up because someone could not put down the phone?

            What is it with people that they cannot take time out from these devices, to put them down and turn them off, as if they have trouble living in the world that exists around them?

            This is what I mean that SKYNET exists now. The ever present internet and the communication satellites that connect our cell phones is the present form of SKYNET to which I refer. John Connor symbolically is the drive to get people to put them down and live their lives, to move around safely, to connect with each other face to face.

            Message to the people of the world: Don’t let your cell phones rule you, like SKYNET. Remember, you rule them.

Missing Half the Problem in Education

            For several years the state of education in the U.S. has been declining. At one time we were the world leader. Now we are sinking miserably in all major subjects. Graduation rates have dropped badly.

            For years the answer was to lower the requirements because all that mattered was that the students can pass the tests in order to graduate. The bar, instead of being raised, has been lowered. Dramatically. And it continues to decline.

            For the past few years teachers and principals have been graded on their proficiency and results they have with the students. If they don’t do well they can be fired, or the school would be deemed failing and risk closure. I can’t possibly understand what this would gain. My question is: why is all the pressure being put on the faculty?

            Doesn’t anyone in charge understand that once the child leaves the school at the end of the day the responsibility for the child’s learning falls to the parents or to older siblings (if there are any)?

This part of the equation has in essence been ignored.

            Teachers can try every possible way of teaching the students, as imaginary as it can be, to get the message across. But if there is little or no back-up at home, the lessons have difficulty in sinking in.

            Here are a few possibilities why students have trouble away from the school:

 

            Due to the economic conditions of the times, some parents work two or three jobs to try to keep the family financially viable, but this takes most if not all the time from monitoring the child’s education.

            Since, as I stated before, the bar had been much lowered to allow students to graduate, many parents don’t really have the level of knowledge to help their own children’s schooling.

            There could be peer pressure keeping the children out beyond when they should so there is less time to get the homework done.

            With all the technology, there is the question why they should learn when the information is already in their computers. Or, they can be so wrapped in their smartphones or iPads or other devices that they detract from their learning.

            The child can be in a broken home and the environment can make the child depressed, detracting him from his studies and everything else.

            Materials including books can be difficult to get or badly out of date. In some areas of the country, officials are foolish enough to change history and science texts as they like, either because they are deniers (e.g. climate change, evolution) or due to religious beliefs.

            There can also be any number of other reasons that keep students from continuing their education at home.

 

            What should be done is survey the situation after school. Is it something at home or outside? This could find the problems and they can be addressed and hopefully to respond to them so the children can learn. It is wrong to say that the teachers and principals are the sole reason the children aren’t learning. The children must also be open to getting up to date and correct information from every source available.

            In reality, the problem can be anywhere or in more than one place. It could be in the school or out. To improve the child’s chances of success, all possibilities must be investigated and addressed.

            Children can be very resilient and resourceful. It is up to everyone to give them every chance possible to allow them to reach their potential and improve this world despite all the various deniers in the sciences.

Traitorous GOP

Senator John Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to address Congress, clearly a foreign policy decision. Now 47 GOP senators have signed a letter telling Iran that any agreement they reach with Obama is good only until the end of this term and would be seen as no more than an executive decision between President Obama and the Ayatollah Khamenei; more foreign policy.

These are traitorous decisions. Under the Logan Act of 1799, last amended in 1994, executive power to engage in foreign policy is only vested with the President. It forbids and unauthorized citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. The intent is to prevent US citizens without authorization from interfering in relations between the US and foreign governments. A violation is punishable under Federal law is a felony and is punishable up to three years in prison. Therefore, by law, all the 47 GOP senators and Boehner should be impeached and thrown unceremoniously into jail.

It seems that Mr. Boehner and the rest of the GOP believe that since Mr. Obama cannot be re-elected, he is no longer a recognized president and that Mr. Boehner thinks he is taking control of the government. This again is treason. Nothing more, nothing less. This could be a dangerous precedent for the future. It is up to the Democrats to stand up and prevent this take-over. The quicker they act, the better for this country.

It’s Climate Change, Not Global Warming

            I, for one, am so tired of people who, when it gets extremely cold, complain that global warming is nonsense. Someone used this term initially and, unfortunately, it stuck, no matter how often it was corrected by scientists and meteorologists everywhere.

            There was another one of these fools in the ‘Voice of the People’ section in the New York Daily News on February 18. This is someone who does know the difference between climate and weather. The latter is in one specific location is short-lived. The latter is over a large area and is of a more permanent duration.

            Global warming indicates that the temperature around the world is rising and it cannot and does not get cold anywhere. This is absolute nonsense.

            Without espousing the entire theory, climate change indicates that the climate in large areas around the world changes over time. If it’s humid and temperate in a large area at a certain time, it can become more of a hot desert if the climate changes. Temperatures in some areas of the world will rise over time and in others it will decrease. Since records have been kept since the 1800’s, the average global temperature has steadily risen since the 1990’s, and it’s going higher every year.

At the moment it is extremely cold in the northeast of the United States where we have to deal with the Siberian Express, a weather pattern that originates in Siberia and comes through along with high winds, drastically dropping the wind chill. If you check the temperatures throughout the Northern Hemisphere for January 2015, you would discover that  the northeast United States, Greenland and north central Asia are the only places that are very cold. All other places are above normal and much of Asia is way above normal. This is a signal of a change in climate.

            Anyone can research this theory in more detail anywhere on the internet. I strongly suggest that everyone does research it.

A Week without Kim Kardashian

            Do you get the feeling that if all forms of the media in print and verbal were to stop printing or saying anything related to Kim Kardashian, the industries in question would collapse?

            Think of the multitude of people who are struggling to make a living and are just getting by. She doesn’t do anything but take pictures of herself and makes millions through publicity. It just makes me sick.

For the sake of my sanity and everyone who thinks like me, please give us a rest from Kim Kardashian.

Where the Maxim of the Law is in Reverse

            It is generally known that the adage when pertaining to the law when someone is accused or arrested is that the person is innocent until proven guilty. It is the fundamental principle that, no matter how guilty the person is, even though any obvious evidence, they are innocent until proven guilty when a court passes judgment. This goes for everything, except in matters of sex.

            In all instances regarding sex, the person is guilty unless proven innocent. The list is endless. Three examples come to mind immediately: President Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky, Prince Andrew with an underage girl, and Bill Cosby with numerous women.

            The ‘guilty until proven innocent’ belief is so pervasive in our society that periodicals don’t stop printing their opinions on the matter, every celebrity must give their view, every comic must make jokes at the accused’s expense, etc., etc., etc.

            But why is this stance taken on this subject?

            Is it the fascination about sex? Is it that a famous person could have done something against societal mores? Is it that sex is usually what people love to do, they don’t talk about out in the open, but to hear about it concerning a celebrity makes us feel uncomfortable?

            I really do not know. What I do know is that the axiom that the aphorism is backwards. It’s morally wrong. Anyone is in the place of being accused should not be held to ridicule until they are proven to have committed the crime.

The Blizzard that Wasn’t

            So many people are complaining that it was a waste of time to close the city for the snowstorm that hit the northeast on January 27.

            These people suffer from a common malady – 20/20 hindsight. These people do not understand what it takes to determine what the weather will be based on multiple sources of data. Anything can change a forecast.

            The National Weather Service, based on the information available, said that New York City would get 12 to 24 inches of snow. There were no exceptions of which I know.

            Following the predictions from the blizzard warning, and from past experience, the proper thing to do was close the city to traffic, get people to stay off the streets, and to shut down all trains and buses.

But something very interesting occurred. There was a ridge of drier air from about New York City to the west. All the bands of snow headed west hit the dry ridge and practically petered out. No forecaster saw this happening. Central Park got 9.8 inches. Just 30 miles to the east, Long Island got 2 feet or more. That was close.

            From all the indicators, Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio did the right thing. It is always better to play safe, especially when it comes to the lives of millions of people. The worst thing to do was leave everything running, have the storm hit as conjectured, and let millions get stranded in feet of snow with no way to get around.

            No one should be complaining that the city was closed down. They should be grateful that the governor and mayor did what had to be done to protect them.

Deflate-gate Nonsense

            This whole investigation into the many under inflated footballs in the AFC Conference Championship last week is absolutely ridiculous.

            All of the footballs were under-inflated except one. If only the New England Patriots used these balls, I can understand the problem. They were approved by the officials and both teams used the same balls. So neither teams had an advantage.

            So what difference does it make? Where’s the problem?

            This whole thing should be dropped. If they should not be deflated, the officials should not approve any that are.

            Now let’s get on with the Super Bowl.

Belief in Doing No Wrong

            In a review of the past few weeks’ events in relation to the NYPD, it seems that they are under the belief that they can do no wrong.

            We had the Eric Garner grand jury decision that the police were not wrong in performing the choke hold that killed him, even though that cop was brought to task for other instances.

            We had other police gunning down other unarmed black people in dark stairways or on the street and the police are still not held accountable.

            The police recently had the policy of stop and frisk. The number of black people stopped and frisked as compared to non-black was about 80% to 20%, if not greater. That is what finally led to the end of the policy instead of amending it.

            By appearances, the black populace was targeted by the police as the most dangerous people around. Could this be considered borderline racism? Perhaps.

            It was under this landscape the led Mayor De Blasio to give advice to his black son to be weary and be careful and act with caution in his behavior around the police. This was sound advice. To me, the mayor did nothing that any decent and responsible parent would do. He was 100% correct.

            However, the police were alarmed. According to them, the Mayor blasted them, pretty much saying that they were dangerous and they might pick on his son for almost anything. They felt betrayed and in fear of their safety. With the actions that the police take toward the black people, the question is – who is afraid of whose safety?

Actually, they are very afraid of each other.

            Police union boss Patrick Lynch blasted the mayor and demanded an apology. Many police demanded the same. At many functions, many police turned their backs on the mayor. Regardless of the situation, this was extremely disrespectful. These police should have been reprimanded.

            Further, there was a tremendous work slowdown. Tickets and summonses for minor offences plummeted 92%. Traffic violations dropped 94%. Drug arrests dropped 84%. In New York there is the Taylor law which forbids public employees from going on strike. To me, this tremendous slowdown is tantamount to a strike. Therefore, every member of the Police Department who took part in this slowdown should be punished according to the Taylor Law’s rules.

            For all the calls for the mayor to apologize, he won’t and he should not.

            The bottom line here is that the police and the union head labor under the false assumption that they can do no wrong. They fear for their lives, mostly in the black community. Sometimes depending on the situation, it is as if they have itchy or nervous trigger fingers. I can certainly understand the need to use their guns when necessary, though at times they can be bit too ready. Also, the police may be under the belief that if they are taken to court, they will be found not guilty for one reason or another leading to their belief in infallibility.

 

 

            Perhaps if the police stop the seeming targeting of the black community, if the police responsible for breaking the law (shootings, choke holds, etc.), and police are taught better community relations and restraint, then we will have better respect in both directions.

War’s End – Really??

            A couple days ago marked the end of NATO’s involvement in the War in Afghanistan that had been raging for 13 long years. But is it really over?

            The United States is leaving 10,000 troops of about 13,000 troops overall in Afghanistan. These troops are supposed to act as teachers and assistants for the Afghan military.

            This continues long standing tradition of U. S. involvement is war for the past 70 years. The U. S. fights a war and leaves troops ad infinitum. Germany, South Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and now Afghanistan. We have left troops in all of them. I, for one, fail to understand the need to keep troops in these countries, especially after some of them become our allies. For a short while maybe, but for what amounts to forever?

            Aside from the perpetual presence of the troops, there is also the staggering cost of keeping them there throughout time. Stopping this would save money which could be put to better use at home.

 

            Message to the government: please don’t tell us the way is over when you maintain troops where the war was fought.

What Took So Long Reverend?

            After the senseless assassination of two policemen in Brooklyn, Rev. Al Sharpton finally spoke out against the violence connected to the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.

One quote from him said: “Any use of the names of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, in connection with any violence or killing of police, is reprehensible and against the pursuit of justice in both cases”.

I have one question for him. Where were you during the riots the occurred throughout this country in the wake of the two non-indictments? I may be wrong, but I do not recall you speaking out to end the violence.

Further, I do not see anything in his statements that refer to the officers not being black. This one admission would bring him into more positive feelings for Caucasians.

So Reverend, I ask you again, what took so long to come forward and state that the violence after the grand juries decisions that violence is the wrong way to go?

Poorly Planned Cinematic Idea

            When I first heard about the new Seth Rogan / James Franco movie, “The Interview”, on Real Time with Bill Maher a couple months ago, I thought it an interesting concept, but I could foresee the dangers in a movie of this type.

            The basic outline of the film is such that Rogan and Franco are journalists who are recruited by the CIA to post as reporters to get close enough to North Korea leader Kim Jong Un to assassinate him. Just hearing this set off bad vibes in my mind.

            Number 1, bad idea to use a real leader, especially one on the level of Kim Jong Un. A fictional leader would have made a better choice. Who knew at the time if North Korea might undertake and kind of reprisals for even suggesting slaying its ruler? The cyber hacking of Sony Pictures might be just such a reaction.

            Number 2, the idea of using reporters to get to be alone with a leader in order to assassinate him or her, could lead to the end of direct interviews. Interviews may soon be held by webcams.

 

            Number 3, the methods shown in the real world either in war, crimes, gadgets or terrorism are barbaric enough. Leave Hollywood script writers to devise new ways of fighting wars, create more violent crimes, design new contraptions to carry out their plans, or more brutal and sickening forms of terrorism. One example is in the movie “The Dark Night” when the Joker had a live bomb placed into living body. A few months later we started hearing that terrorist organizations might be using this very same method.

            Number 4, would it not be considered that we are the terrorists for wanting to kill another world leader. Does this mean that we our philosophy is “We can do something, but no one else is allowed to”? Poor philosophy, at least, one to which I am opposed.

            Returning to the cyber hacking for a moment, if a warning was issued at attacking any cinema which showed the movie, does it make any sense to pull all of the screenings for fear of an attack on any one or more of the theaters? We were told rightly just thirteen years ago not to bow to terrorists’ demands in the wake of 9/11. But Sony Pictures caved in. Could you imagine that North Korea or any other foreign or domestic entity getting the scripts for new movies through hacking, hating them enough to decide to threaten the studios with reprisals if they are released?

 

            To me, this type of movie falls into the category or ‘could we’ or ‘should we’ produce it. The answer is the latter, and the answer is no, not the way it was designed. It was a decent enough idea, but with all the various parts, it was a dangerous script in today’s world.

Next Financial Bubble Responsibility

            In the aftermath of the financial meltdown a few years ago, everyone was clamoring for someone to be sent to prison. Everyone wanted those people in the big banks who created it to serve time.

            Unfortunately, I don’t see how anyone could pinpoint the guilty party. It was due to the types of investments being made. This was found in the research and investigation on what caused it.

            One big result was the creation of the Dodd-Frank law. In part it restricted certain types of investments. One item concerns derivatives trading by big banks that receive taxpayer backing, or bailouts, can use swaps which are high-risk financial instruments (swaps push-out rule).

            One big bank drew up a proposal a few years ago which was left for dead. The proposal was the elimination of the swaps push-out rule. But it was resurrected at the 11^th hour and included into the budget thanks to Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase.

            Should there be another financial meltdown thanks to the inclusion of this item, we know exactly who to blame and demand justice – all of the Congressmen and Senators who voted for the budget with its inclusion as well as the President who agreed with the CRomnibus.

Torture’s Misleading Results

           The torture report was released a few days ago. We had all been hearing what had been done to the prisoners for a long time, but we did not know the extent. The report showed that it was worse than we thought. But regardless, although torture may result in some results, by and large, it is unreliable.

            The Spanish Inquisition, which started in the late 15^th century, run initially by Tomas Torquemada, utilized brutal forms of torture. They used thumbscrews, boots, the rack, scourging, lashing, flogging, burning of the feet, the garrucha (binding the hands behind the back and lifting the person off the floor) and water torture. There were different reasons for the inquisition. They included religion (find the true Catholics), witchcraft, sodomy, and blasphemy. Torture continued and changed until either the person torture confessed or died. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabela allowed the Inquisition to commence and continue as did the papacy. The Spanish Inquisition continued until the middle of the 19^th century.

            Present day torture was the result of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. The goal was to get information on future terrorist attacks of any kind, anywhere. Methods included, sleep deprivation, rectal feeding, threats against the detainees’ families, operating power tools beside the detainees, forced nudity, extended periods of isolation, and waterboarding (same as the Spanish water torture). In addition, the entire program was badly mishandled on various levels, including a complete lack of oversight which allowed these tortures to continue unabated. More information on the Torture Report can be found here.

            In both cases, the torturers continue until they get the answer they want to hear, whether it is true or not. The tortured get to the point that they will say anything to get the torture to stop. This is what makes it unreliable. In both instances, some truth may come, but more will likely be false.

 

            One other point to make. Unlike during the Spanish Inquisition, in the 20^th and 21^st century, torture is a violation of international law. It was wondered how much President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney knew. It has been charged by various people, including Karl Rove, a staunch Republican supporter, that they both knew and approved it. Cheney even said that he would do it again in a heartbeat. The Bush administration even went so far as to say that they did not consider waterboarding as torture. In the five centuries since the Spanish inquisition it was considered torture. As this is a violation of international law, should they not be tried by the Hague for war crimes against humanity?

Questionable Accuser of Cosby

            The statements made by P. J. Masten, a former Playboy bunny, smell of inconsistencies. Not only is she using the same m. o. as the other women who accused Bill Cosby, but her allegations are sound contradictory.

            First she says that she was given liquor and does remember anything after that. That could be a sign of being drunk. (I’m not saying conclusively that she was drunk; I state it as a possibility.) When she woke up she said she was beside a naked man and that she did not remember anything after the drink. She claimed absolutely that she knew she was raped. That sounds conflicting. If she doesn’t remember anything after the drink, how can she be so definitive that it was rape? When someone is drunk, they do not remember what they did, and they are doing it of their own free will and may very well not be recalled.

            She is also the same woman who accused Marv Albert. If she was so definite about Cosby, how could she allow herself to get into the same situation with someone else?

            She decided to say speak about Cosby after 15 year old Judy Huth accused Cosby about a sexual assault at the Playboy Mansion in 1974. This one is really hard to believe because a 15 year old should be at the Playboy Mansion in the first place.

            Then she said that there are at least a dozen other former bunnies with similar stories. This could very well be a comment where the accuser just picked a number and made it large.

            This is one accusation that I cannot believe. Sounds like someone jumping on the bus trying get away with another copycat accusation. I’m not making an absolute conclusion. This is just an opinion based on the accuser’s comments and I am not making a judgment.

Refusal to Accept Grand Jury Decision

            It’s been a week or so since the grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri, decided not to indict the Officer Darren Wilson who killed Michael Brown.

            I mentioned in a previous post that I am not agreeing with either side because I was not there as a witness not was I privy to the evidence, or lack of evidence, given to the grand jury. It may be possible that there was too much contradictory evidence and testimony for the grand jury to believe that an indictment was possible. This is the way the court system works.

            Yet the fallout from the decision is continuing and it is getting worse instead of better.

            I had said that Brown’s mother wanting a country where all black people can live without the color being an issue. Sounds like someone who wanted calm. But his step-father may now be arrested and charged with incitement to riot.

            Then again, there is the hands’ up gesture saying “Don’t fire”. I believe this is a symbol indicating that the people are absolutely positive that the officer was wrong and Brown was trying to surrender. These people refuse to accept the grand jury’s decision. This gesture has been used by the public, by five members of the St. Louis Rams, and now, unbelievably, by members of Congress on the floor!!
 

            In my opinion, this is a gesture that thumbs its nose at the judicial system. The people are saying they know better than the grand jury. How many of these people actually saw the incident? Probably only a couple. Everyone else got their information from second, third, or fourth hand sources. So how can they know better? I find it disrespectful of the judicial system and the members of Congress should know better. I think this also borders on racism.

            It may be that the gesture is a sign that people are tired of police violence and believe that the criminal system is broken. But this is a case of a grand jury sifting through what they are given and coming to a conclusion based on what they are given. Is police violence getting out of hand? probably. But that is a discussion for another post.

            If you will remember the case of O. J. Simpson, the white populace did not riot or perform some kind of body language when he was acquitted. The judicial process continued and Simpson was eventually found guilty.

            Like it or not, these expressions are wrong. It is serving only to divide this country and it intensifies racial split in society. If there is to be another trial, and I strongly believe there will be one, let judicial process advance. Hopefully, at that time, the evidence will be more conclusive and definitive.

Old Habits Refuse to Die

            I will state right at the outset that I do not have the wisdom, the intelligence or the information to make an appropriate and legitimate decision in the case of Officer Darren Wilson’s shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.

I was not part of the grand jury and thereby did not hear the multitude of evidence given both pro and con to make any judgment in the case no matter what has been printed or discussed in the media. Nor can I begin to imagine the kind of pressure these people were under by the community in Ferguson and like communities around the country. To everyone, there was one and only one outcome that could be accepted – that the officer was guilty. This is the latest in a series of similar crises over the years.

In this passage I will not render any determination or opinion as to the grand jury’s finding. However, I will address the outcome that occurred away from the court.

            In a previous post, I indicated that the tone of racism has been an ongoing issue around the country and especially in the South since the Civil War. As an example, I’ve heard in clips of the way some white people in the South talk about President Obama. They hate him, not because of any policies, but because he is black. There can be only one reason to me, and that is the way that they are taught at home and perhaps in school. The kind of education that exists reflects the attitudes that people have toward each other.

            The family of Michael Brown indicated that they want a country where all black people can live in a nation without being impaired by their skin color. I absolutely agree with the sentiment. But someone needs to tell me how this is at all possible when we see the result being the jury’s decision going opposite of the community’s passion. As we have seen in similar episodes in the past, immediately after the issuance of the decision, we saw arson, gunfire and looting. People were stocking up on guns before the decision was made public. How can anyone looking in from the outside take any stance other than the negative picture of the black people? The nature of education indicated above must change if we are ever going to make any progress and put the heinous issue of racism behind us.

            I for one am passionate with the desire for a time when we can get past this. When I look at people of other colors and creeds, I do not see a black man, a white woman, an African child, an Australian individual, etc., etc., etc. I see a person. That is all we should see. I may be an idealist in this matter, but I’m a realist.

Racism is ugly, sickening, disgusting and revolting. We must, as a society, find ways of putting an end it.