This whole thing with professor Gates and the Cop and Obama has me thinking about the whole race thing a lot. I have been thinking about the race thing for a long time and I think it would be a good idea to get a couple of the principal race related incidents that have helped shape my thinking about race issues to help me sort out my feelings. The next couple posts will be about them.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Sunday, July 26, 2009
tough issues
Censorship
I read in a blog where the blogger was upset about a commercial that was running promoting a new TV show. The spot showed a family of 'little people' taking self defense glasses. It seems that the video of the spot is showing the woman of the couple kicking and screaming "No" and punching the instructor with the appropriate pads and stuff while a upbeat voice over guy is saying Ben and Jen play hard to get. Her contention is that the phrase hard to get coupled with the video f kicking and screaming NO plants the idea that no does not mean no that it means fight longer then I will say yes. I can see her point and i agree that there is a subtle message being delivered. I wonder about the not so very subtle messages out there... like "Smack my Bitch up". This is not so very subtle. I wonder if that is ok because it isn't trying to sneak in under the radar. Its just in your face and offensive or not...
I read in a blog where the blogger was upset about a commercial that was running promoting a new TV show. The spot showed a family of 'little people' taking self defense glasses. It seems that the video of the spot is showing the woman of the couple kicking and screaming "No" and punching the instructor with the appropriate pads and stuff while a upbeat voice over guy is saying Ben and Jen play hard to get. Her contention is that the phrase hard to get coupled with the video f kicking and screaming NO plants the idea that no does not mean no that it means fight longer then I will say yes. I can see her point and i agree that there is a subtle message being delivered. I wonder about the not so very subtle messages out there... like "Smack my Bitch up". This is not so very subtle. I wonder if that is ok because it isn't trying to sneak in under the radar. Its just in your face and offensive or not...
tough issues
I was sort of trolling the teevee thing last night. I stumbled across the "48 Hours" show.
I don't know much about it and haven't really cared to find out about it either. That's not the point. This episode caught me just right. It was about Tim Masters of Colorado. He was accused, stalked, tried, convicted, incarcerated, and denied several appeals. On the face of it, the pretty glossy of it yippy chalk one up for the good guys. But it seems that the justice system got it wrong... WAY purposefully wrong. Imagine that. I don't have a great deal of faith in the Justice system any more. In a later installment I will run down my most recent run ins with the Justice system. But for now I talk about the Masters thing. Not so much the case itself but the implications. Tim Masters was convicted of Killing a woman in his community. I don't think I will run down the details though they are amazingly interesting. You can read up on it here if you find it even remotely interesting enough to read further.
I am typicaly a proponant of the death sentence. I believe in it not a deterant but as a measure if justice. I am not a criminal and as such I dont think like one. I tried that once in a goofy situation a long time ago... I got nothin'. But I did participate in the consumption and selling of drugs for a period of time which is a criminal activity. So as a used to be "criminal" I can say this about my activities. The punishment which I definitely understood should I get caught would be some protracted length of time in Prison. This really did not enter my mind while I went about my criminal activity. I was certain that I was below the radar. I believe that most criminals think that they are also. This said having watched this case it gives me serious pause to consider that "They" managed to cobble together a case that put Tim Masters away for life with out parole, with NO Physical evidence! It seems that with just a shred of concocted evidence Tim Masters might have been executed and we might not behaving this 'talk'. But he was Innocent! This really frightens me. As I said I am a believer in the death penalty. I see no reason for the State to protect he life of a person who violently took the life of another. Especialy if that killer is a psychopathic killer, a serial killer or the like. If the state could show me some reasonable purpose for keeping these people alive at the states/MY expense roughly $80,000 a year in most cases then ok. There are only a couple reasons that make sense to me. 1 If the criminal is working and earning a wage and that wage is then being given to the family of the person who was killed. 2 this psychopath is subjected to study and experimentation for the purposes of understanding and preventing this sort of behavior from developing. And since DNA stuff is 'proving' the existance of SAD genes and Fat genes GAY genes... why, then, can there not be psychopath genetic study. I can live with Sad Fat Gay people, Psychopaths... I personally would rather not. Bug again this really stopped me in my typically one track thinking tracks. What if? Mr. Masters served in the US Navy. He was a aircraft mechanic working on jet aircraft. He had a good solid life... now? And they haven't even cleared his name, so when he goes and applies for a job and that line comes up "have you ever been convicted of a crime?" what does he do? The Investegator Broderic 'stalked' Masters for years before he got him arrested. The state harassed Masters for years(wiretaps recorded conversations between Masters and his father, surveillance pictures and video then locked him up for 9 years. Some how I think the state owes Masters something. The prosecuting attornies are now Judges and I suspect ate beyond reach.
I suspect that this is why I believe that the 10 commandments belong in the court room. I have to pray that God is there and will see true justice done because it seems that men are not up to the task.
God never waists a hurt so I believe that something good will come of this... in time. I hope that Mr. Masters is there to see that happen.
I am happy that I am not in a possition to have to figure this out. I dont calim to have the answers but this is a frightening thing indeed.
I don't know much about it and haven't really cared to find out about it either. That's not the point. This episode caught me just right. It was about Tim Masters of Colorado. He was accused, stalked, tried, convicted, incarcerated, and denied several appeals. On the face of it, the pretty glossy of it yippy chalk one up for the good guys. But it seems that the justice system got it wrong... WAY purposefully wrong. Imagine that. I don't have a great deal of faith in the Justice system any more. In a later installment I will run down my most recent run ins with the Justice system. But for now I talk about the Masters thing. Not so much the case itself but the implications. Tim Masters was convicted of Killing a woman in his community. I don't think I will run down the details though they are amazingly interesting. You can read up on it here if you find it even remotely interesting enough to read further.
I am typicaly a proponant of the death sentence. I believe in it not a deterant but as a measure if justice. I am not a criminal and as such I dont think like one. I tried that once in a goofy situation a long time ago... I got nothin'. But I did participate in the consumption and selling of drugs for a period of time which is a criminal activity. So as a used to be "criminal" I can say this about my activities. The punishment which I definitely understood should I get caught would be some protracted length of time in Prison. This really did not enter my mind while I went about my criminal activity. I was certain that I was below the radar. I believe that most criminals think that they are also. This said having watched this case it gives me serious pause to consider that "They" managed to cobble together a case that put Tim Masters away for life with out parole, with NO Physical evidence! It seems that with just a shred of concocted evidence Tim Masters might have been executed and we might not behaving this 'talk'. But he was Innocent! This really frightens me. As I said I am a believer in the death penalty. I see no reason for the State to protect he life of a person who violently took the life of another. Especialy if that killer is a psychopathic killer, a serial killer or the like. If the state could show me some reasonable purpose for keeping these people alive at the states/MY expense roughly $80,000 a year in most cases then ok. There are only a couple reasons that make sense to me. 1 If the criminal is working and earning a wage and that wage is then being given to the family of the person who was killed. 2 this psychopath is subjected to study and experimentation for the purposes of understanding and preventing this sort of behavior from developing. And since DNA stuff is 'proving' the existance of SAD genes and Fat genes GAY genes... why, then, can there not be psychopath genetic study. I can live with Sad Fat Gay people, Psychopaths... I personally would rather not. Bug again this really stopped me in my typically one track thinking tracks. What if? Mr. Masters served in the US Navy. He was a aircraft mechanic working on jet aircraft. He had a good solid life... now? And they haven't even cleared his name, so when he goes and applies for a job and that line comes up "have you ever been convicted of a crime?" what does he do? The Investegator Broderic 'stalked' Masters for years before he got him arrested. The state harassed Masters for years(wiretaps recorded conversations between Masters and his father, surveillance pictures and video then locked him up for 9 years. Some how I think the state owes Masters something. The prosecuting attornies are now Judges and I suspect ate beyond reach.
I suspect that this is why I believe that the 10 commandments belong in the court room. I have to pray that God is there and will see true justice done because it seems that men are not up to the task.
God never waists a hurt so I believe that something good will come of this... in time. I hope that Mr. Masters is there to see that happen.
I am happy that I am not in a possition to have to figure this out. I dont calim to have the answers but this is a frightening thing indeed.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
The woman who loves me...
She must be the strongest most patient, loving person, man or woman, ever to walk this planet, with the possible exception of Christ him self. She has tolerated my... "stuff" for YEARS. I love her. I hope she continues to love me, she is so wonderful. She is a blessing beyond measure and a curse. The blessing is easy to see.. the curse... she holds me to a higher standard. She makes me want to be a better man. I am, however, lazy, so its often times difficult. And lets be honest its tough to work along side Wonder Woman and keep up your end.
I read a blog today where in a woman was questioning her relationship with her long time love. It seems he is a sanitation engineer or something blue collar along those lines. His is a good job which pays well with benefits and security. She is an attorney or equal white collar. She has HIGH aspirations and wants more... he is happy. She is wondering if they are going to want the same things soon... At a certain level I wonder/worry the same thing.
I read a blog today where in a woman was questioning her relationship with her long time love. It seems he is a sanitation engineer or something blue collar along those lines. His is a good job which pays well with benefits and security. She is an attorney or equal white collar. She has HIGH aspirations and wants more... he is happy. She is wondering if they are going to want the same things soon... At a certain level I wonder/worry the same thing.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
the F word
I marvel at the utility of this word. You can use it any where in a sentence or as all or most of a sentence. I also marvel at it widely divergent level of acceptance. In some circles it rather frowned on in others it is revered and used often in others it tossed about like any other bit of trash in the wind. I fell in to using it a LONG time ago and it difficult in the extreme to give up. I think its tougher to give up that smoking.
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