An Unfortunate Step Back in Time...

          In response to a posting, titled "Equality for All?," written by Miss Amber Star, on her A Tale of a Political Nobody Blog she talks of the recent events of protests over the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown.  First off I would like to say that I agree with you and I love that you wrote on this!
        These events have taken place all over the world, not just nationally and I think that it is beautiful.  I agree with Amber in that peoples voices need to be heard and sometimes you have to be forceful to be heard.  I also know that the way that things were handled in St. Louis is NOT the way protesting should be handled!  That is NOT the way to get your voice heard!  Yes, maybe you will get heard for a short period of time when you act like that.  Yes, it will make people stop and look at you and wonder, "Well, what in the world is wrong?  What can we do to fix this?"  But not the majority of people.  All I have seen over all of this is friendships be torn apart that have lasted a lifetime, and the worst in some have been brought out.
          Let me explain the different perspectives I get to see this from.  I am a white woman married to a black man with whom I have 3 biracial children (boys), I was born and raised in St. Louis and the vast majority of my family, friends and loved ones are still up there.  My dearest, closest friend from high-school had to go through the agony of worrying about her husband all the nights of the rioting in Ferguson as her husband was in riot gear prepared to protect and serve.  I stayed up with her all night on the phone as she waited on the next update from him letting her know he was safe and moving locations as the chaos moved rapidly and violently through the city.  As she sat there trying to console their two precious little girls as they worry if and when daddy is going to come home because they accidentally overheard mommy worrying.  I had a friend who lives a couple blocks from there that told me of the smell of gas coming into her house and her kids freaking out and she went out on the porch to access the area and see if she needed to gather her family and EVACUATE!  When she went out there she saw the tactical team walking down her street with gas masks on and holding their weapons!  
          The Michael Brown case in particular is a tricky one in that there were no dash cams installed and the initial "witness" who could have been the very best one ever, turned out to be not even credible as his stories didn't even add up and continuously changed.  The city had just gotten all the dash cams for all the vehicles but did not have the money to get them all installed at once so they have been gradually getting them installed as funds allowed.  The autopsy reports have proved that his hands were not in fact up and that he was not shot in the back.  On top of that, there is a witness captured in the background of a video that "accidentally told the truth" of what happened just moments after the incident and it has been tossed all over the internet and little did he know, it has been dissected and the audio has been enhanced which also further proves Dorian Johnson's testimony was a lie.  There has been a lot of term-oil surrounding this case from the get-go and understandably so.  From everyone putting in their two cents and lies, opinions and hate to stereotypes to taking steps back in time with the racism over it all.  I have watched friends of different races fight over it due to ill choices of words because tensions are high and feelings are sensitive.
        From the beginning, this case was based on a lie and turned into what it shouldn't have been turned into.  It was quickly turned into a race issue instead of a police brutality issue which is what I think may have gotten more versatile attention and respect.  Now, am I saying that black males do not have to worry about being harassed by the cops more than whites?  Most definitely NOT!  I have been a first hand witness to this MANY times and for reasons completely uncalled for!  Due to all the havoc caused in Ferguson from the looting and violence, many business owners (black owned) are not only out of a way to support themselves and their lively hood, but they (the looters) just took from their own community.  The even saddest part is seeing the narrow minded people confirming their racism's and stereotypes and the looters and "protesters" just gave them a valid reason to do so (in their minds).  Do I agree with that?  No.  Only because I am able to understand that there is good and bad in every race, religion, nationality, etc and that the people that caused all the damage in Ferguson were not only black but of white and Mexican backgrounds as well but people are too close minded to see that.
        So, as far as them protesting the Michael Brown case, I am not too sure I agree with it.  Am I against it?  No, because they are exercising their right to freedom of speech.  However, violence is NEVER the answer!  What I find really infuriating and just disrespectful is that some of the people now are trying to justify these acts of violence and criminal intent they are calling "protesting" by comparing them to the great Dr Martin Luther King Jr.  However, his niece Dr. Alveda King begs to differ on that.
        The black population in America unfortunately have to worry about being harassed and bothered by the police far more than the white population does.  Regardless if you want to realize it or not, it is true.  Yes they may say that the statistics last year were 300 whites killed by cops vs. 100 blacks killed by cops, but you have to look at the census and look at the total number of blacks in the country vs the # of whites in the country.  That has to be looked at to give leverage and clarity.  I have been pulled over with my husband and had our car searched and kid woken up and taken out of the backseat in the middle of the night when we were on our way home from a friends house all because they said that they thought that we picked up a guy suspected of a burglary.  However, they knew we hadn't because that very same cop had just seen us pull out of that street.  That is just one of the MANY incidents.
        Moving on to the very tragic Eric Garner death.  When I first saw the full length video which was the day after it happened, and every time I watch still, it I just get sick to my stomach and with tears in my eyes!  This is the one that needs to be protested.  The bottom line in this one is that the man said he could not breath and they kept him in hand cuffs AFTER they slammed his head on the pavement and used a departmentally banned choke-hold on him.  There was no reason at all to put that much force and pressure on his head and to choke him out.  Once it was apparent that he was struggling to breath and even went into a seizure, they should have had the human decency to take the cuffs off of him.  If he already couldn't breath, the constriction and tightness of his chest from his hands being pulled back only made it even harder.  There are so many things wrong with this case that it is just baffling that there was no indictment and I completely understand why people are protesting this one! The coroners report should have been enough for not just an indictment on this one, but a full on conviction!
        Another thing that seems to happen all too much and need to STOP... The media needs to stop bringing out the past of the victims, and focus on what happened at the scene of the act between the victim and the officer.  I think that it needs to be mandatory for all cars to have cameras and also body cams on every officer.  I am so up in the air over all of this as I see all sides of this whole mess.  I also think that if people are going to protest senseless murders, they should also be protesting when innocent children are caught in the cross fire of a drive by over a drug deal gone bad or one that took place for no real reason at all.  Like this one case in St. Louis that happened to a 14 year old little girl who's mother I just happened to go to school with all while growing up.  She was caught in the crossfire of a drive by that had nothing to do with her.  There is a lot more to the story that is actually pretty ironic but there is no reason to get into it all.  However, the whole point I am trying to make is that yes, people need to protest but... protest with class and dignity and for reason.  If you do that then you may be heard and respected a lot more.  When you act crazy, people will treat you crazy!  People do not have to agree with you and how you feel but if you stick to your point and stand your ground and fight for equality and justice for all, you may find that your pleads and voices don't fall on so many blind eyes and deaf ears.  People may be much more willing to listen and work together. In closing, I wanted to include a link to Bill O'Reilly's response to the non indictment in the Eric Garner case.  

The mess we call The Federal Prison System!

           The federal prisons are becoming more and more crowded as the years go by and has gotten especially out of control in the last 5 years.  This is concerning for many reasons and needs to be dealt with accordingly.  First, this is a safety issue for the inmates and the guards as they are all right on top of each other, tensions are high, and the guards are highly outnumbered even more-so than regularly.  This also leaves far less room for "personal space" which human nature naturally requires and causes for frustrations and feelings of invasions of space and privacy, thus leading to fights and often worse.  Not to mention the fire hazard this imposes on the whole facility if it is overcrowded, as many are putting 2&3 inmates in one man cells and common areas which were never meant or intended to be used for housing of inmates.

            If the prisons continue to increase the population overgrowth without an appropriate increase in budget to support and properly house, feed and care for the inmates there will be no funds left for reform.  This will soon cut into the budget for classes and education that is offered to offenders while incarcerated so that they can get out and have hope for a straight and promising life off the streets that got them there in the first place.  Prison is supposed to be used for reform and to help people to get their lives together and it can work because I have seen it personally!  As beautifully stated in the Huffington Post, “People are going to recidivate more when they get out of horrendous conditions without job training and development programs to get their lives back together.”  Which by the way, you should definitely check that article out because the funny thing is that they basically back up everything that I just said up until that point and I hadn't even found it until then.  It is a very interesting article as well. 

            We have to think of how to fix this problem and of course when dealing with the government; we have to think of the most cost effective way.  So… there are a few cost effective ways to fix it.  First, reintroduce parole back into the Federal system!  Second, for the love of meatballs!  LOWER THESE SENTENCES!  The sentences for the non-violent crimes is just ridiculous and uncalled for!  According to the Huffington Post, about 48% of the more than 218,000 inmates in Federally ran and privately ran prisons, are there for drug related charges.  Now, while I am not by any means saying that drug cases don’t need to be taken seriously or punished, I am just simply saying that when it comes to drugs, I see it as a slippery slope.  Yes, it is illegal.  Yes, drugs are bad.  No, chances are no one is making the addict take the drugs!  I am just saying that there is a half of that population that could be better used for the people who really need to be in there and not come out for a long time (if not ever).  Another cheaper alternative for the offenders with drug offences is Drug Court.  It has proven results, which can be found here on this page.  Also, since Americans are so damn financially driven and always worried about who is in their pocket and where their money is going… Let me hit you where it hurts!  Your ready for it?  LOL  Ok… So, On average, it costs almost $29,000 to keep ONE person in federal prison for one year!  So, earlier I mentioned that there are more than 218,000 inmates in the federal (and private) prisons, so, I did the math on just the 218,000 and for one year, that came out to be $6,322,000,000.  To break it down for you a bit more, I will do it for just the drug offenders.  Since 48% of that 218,000 is drug related offenders, I came up with a total cost of $3,034,560,000.  LOL.  And you guessed it!  That is coming out of the Americans tax dollars!  Go ahead and think about that for a while.  Again, I understand that there are even some drug cases that deserve severe drug sentences.  However, a HUGE majority of them do NOT!  I believe that they need to be severely reevaluated.   

            Anyway… lastly, I will end with this… yes, if you do the crime you must pay the time!  However, there is no need to destroy lives and give up hope in the process.  Instead of locking them up and throwing away the key, give them a chance to let the system work for them not against them. 

             

Took the Words Right Out of My Mouth!

     I gotta say there Mr Ace, you hit the nail spot on the head with your posting, "One Ebola death hardly counts as an epidemic!"  I loved it!  

     The truth is, Ebola has been affecting Africa for years and no one has gave two cares in the world about it until now since it has caused an "epidemic" in the US.  Now they have our troops over there "fighting the fight against Ebola" which will be putting our troops at unnecessary risk which also could potentially raise the number of unfortunate deaths from Ebola in the US.  However, the bottom line remains that Ebola is (should be) the least of our worries when it comes to infectious or fatal diseases/illnesses and Ebola in Africa most definitely needs to be of the least of our worries.  We need to worry about what is going on in our country now, and take care of our people.  Raise awareness for the illness affecting our citizens, help find cures, volunteer your free time, etc.  If you feel the need to grieve when something like Ebola happens in our country, O.K. ... fine!  So be it!  But... Move on and get over it because the truth is that it is NOT that serious!  When it comes to spending money on diseases and curing them and "fighting against them" we need to focus our energy, money and support on what is HERE and most predominant!  Not something that has just affected a hand full of US citizens and is not typically found here.  Don't get me wrong, I agree that we need to be sure that we have a plan in place and health professionals are trained how to PROPERLY and PROFESSIONALLY deal with, handle and treat Ebola patients but that does not mean to put all our eggs in one basket.  There is no need to invest all of anyone's time, money or interest in Ebola or the training for it!   Last but certainly not least, keep our troops out of it!  They have no business over there!  Which by the way... Just curious but in response to the headlines lately... How can you "fight" a disease?  LOL  I just can't wrap my head around that one!  Also, check out this interesting article on the NPR website from 10/2/14 titled, "No, Seriously, How Contagious is Ebola?" about how contagious Ebola REALLY is/isn't (yes I said "isn't) in comparison to Measles, Mumps, SARS, HIV and Hep C.  Also, an interesting fact mentioned in there is quoted as, "The World Health Organization now estimates that the virus has killed about 70 percent of people infected in West Africa."  The picture chart below is included in the article I mentioned as well but I also wanted to include it here for you to check out.

Enough Is ENOUGH!

          Why have borders if they are not going to be enforced?  What is the point?  Why call people who come here without citizenship, “illegals” and then act like it is no big deal?  Why even have INS anymore?  Hey…  I get it!  I understand that some of the people that come here are coming here to escape a bad situation, violence, drugs, poverty, and so on and so forth.  However…  as cold as this may sound, that is not our problem and we need to stop making it our problem.  As a mother of three amazing children and a person with a huge heart and giving hand, I feel bad for any child put in an undesirable situation but unfortunately, we can’t play caregiver or hero to every child in a bad situation in this world.  If you think otherwise, then get on the list to adopt a child from one of these situations and stop expecting the government and other US taxpayers to support these children, people, orphans, and illegals!  The government wants to be so stern on some issues and get us further into debt over certain things but… maybe if there weren't all these extra undocumented mouths to feed then that may help.  Just a suggestion.  Now I know that won’t fix it and by all means I know that  lack of border control is not what caused the National debt, but… it certainly isn't helping any. 

            As far as “pathway to citizenship” goes, oh don’t even get me started on that!  I think that is just absurd!  To me it is just like teaching my children that if you want something you can get it one of two ways.  The first and easiest way is that you can earn it the honest way by doing your chores and we go buy it with your allowance.  Or if you are too impatient and selfish then just steal what is not yours and then ultimately you can get it after you just do a few chores; never mind the fact that you stole it and it wasn't yours from the get go, we will just let that go.  That is just ridiculous and I think that by letting people that came here illegally gain citizenship (no matter how long they have been here) is just showing them that the US doesn't care and does not mean business like they say they do. 

            Rules and laws are set in place for a reason in this country and our citizens are expected to abide by them and are given consequences if not followed and I think that if you are not even a citizen here yet, that makes it even worse!  We already have so many US citizens in poverty and in bad situations that need our help and I think we need to focus on them before we start worrying about helping others, as I also feel that along with the intake of all the illegals comes all the problems from which they think that they are successfully escaping. 

            On the subject of the unaccompanied children that come here, I feel bad for them.  I still don’t think they should be allowed to stay here, but someone needs to hold their parents or guardians accountable for allowing them to do so.  Any adult that would allow a child to cross a border without them is a disgrace to the human race as far as I am concerned and that makes the government even worse for letting them by with it. 

            The government needs to look at putting a much higher concrete wall with razor wire and or barbed wire all over it and have it go 5-10 ft under ground all along the border (I really don’t care how expensive it is it will save in the end).  Until it gets built they need to put most of the man power on the US/ Mexico border and not as much on the US/Canada border.  Hell… pull our troops out of the “fight against Ebola” in Africa and get them there, and pull all the troops from overseas.  Make a base there for the active duty (not National Guard or Reserves) to be there at all times!  At least we know they will get the job done right!  I don’t know that I have the right, or sensible solution but darn-it… something needs to be done.  Let the Mexican Government deal with the problems they have going on there and stop trying to make their problems into our problems.  Please do not get me confused with a heartless individual.  I care very deeply and passionately about people, and helping them especially children!  However, I just know that we have an overwhelming amount of poverty here that needs to be tended to before we should even think about helping other countries!  

To Trust or Not to Trust?

In the USA Today, found in the Opinion section is an article, titled “Americans Short on Reasons to Trust: Column” written by Glenn Harlan Reynolds.  This article points out and backs up with valid reason why the citizens of America find it hard to trust our own government.  

When you look at it, Reynolds brings up some significantly strong points and reasons to show for a lack of trust from the American citizens for the government.  I think that I agree with everything he said in this article and when he talked about the CDC and Secret Service being in the top of the trusted areas of the government until recently, I was far from hesitant to agree.  I say this for a few reasons, some of which he discussed in his article as well; the security breaches in and at the white house, the prostitution mess that was going on with the Secret Service in 2012 and now with the Ebola outbreak.  There have been cover ups and lies and as always, we the people are only given what the news and or government wants us to know.  

As I discussed in a previous post about the security breach at the White House, if we can’t count on the Secret Service to thoroughly protect our president and tell him the truth of what is going on and when it is going on,  how can we trust the government to tell us “dumb citizens” the truth and keep us accurately informed?  Lastly, I have to agree when he quotes Matthew Continetti in saying, “It is not Ebola I am afraid of. It is our government's ability to deal with Ebola.

Lack of Communication

     Upon hearing that the security of the White House was breached, I didn't know rather to laugh, drop my jaw, or be mad!  I thought it only appropriate to write this post on the issue of interest.  Come to find out, someone with the Boston Globe feels the same way I do.  On 1 October, 2014 in the Editorial section of the Boston Globe, an article was published titled "Resignation Won’t Fix Secret Service Woes." If you can't tell from the title alone, you can see the way the author (and I) feels about this issue.  (I believe it was written by J. Scott Applewhite)
     So, on Sept 19th, a former war vet by the name of Omar Gonzalez not only scaled the fence, but made it all the way into the White House without a single bullet wound!  That is not the worst of it either.  Secret Service Director Julia Pierson is said to have resigned from her position (can't say that I blame her) since this all has happened.  The way I see it is that if she can't see to it that the security measures that have been proven to work for years, remain in place and are followed 100% of the time each and EVERY time, then there is no need for her anywhere near the White House.  She can just go work at McDonald's or mall security.
     Turns out they are adding extra layers of security to the security that was already in place.  However, like it even says in the article "What’s needed is a reexamination of an internal culture that permitted serious security breaches and a failure of communication with the members of Congress who are supposed to oversee the agency."  Which is a great point I think considering all the facts when you lay them all out on the table.
     1. Alarms that were supposed to go off once he scaled the fence were "muted" and never went off!
     2. Secret Service did not even communicate with the House Committee that the intruder had a
         knife.  In fact.  They told them the exact opposite!  That he in FACT did NOT have any
         weapon at all!!!
     3. Private (ARMED) Contractor Security Guard with 3 prior assault and battery convictions
         was allowed to ride in the elevator with the President and within arms reach of him just 3
         days prior to the intruder.  And you guessed it... Obama was not briefed on this direct breach of
         Secret Service protocol.
     There was a hyperlink in the article about the new security measures which I found to be a really important bit of information.  According to this one, Gonzalez "had been questioned in the past few months by Secret Service personnel outside the White House after they noticed him loitering. Mr. Gonzalez had not been arrested, nor was he told to stay away from the White House."
     I don't know... too much just isn't adding up here and something is smelling really fishy here and it seems to be screaming inside job to me! I am just not convinced that all of a sudden all the security measures that have been in place and worked for years just failed that one day for this one guy and for this one president.  Even more so... two separate incidents within three days of each other.  It just does not seem right.
     The guy really has hit it spot on in this editorial when he says, "The Homeland Security inquest may reveal a need to tweak the rules here or there. But above all, the Secret Service simply needs to carry out current policies — and own up to its failures, before both Congress and the general public."  I also agree with the fact that it is humiliating that a guy was able to scale the White House fence, but very troublesome that the whole truth and facts about the events and any security breaches is being withheld from the ones who have a right to know.  The ones who's lives are at risk.  The ones whos jobs it is to protect and serve the President, alongside him and the Country.  It is an utter disgrace.  The Secret service is NOT a job to take lightly and I think that everyone who was on duty the day of the breach and on that side of the mansion should be without a job.

Just for closing sake... I feel the need to post this last quote from this other article (non commentary) in the Washington Post on this issue about contact made Gonzalez before the incident.  This is just crazy.

"On Monday, federal prosecutors alleged that a man who jumped the fence and ran into the White House on Friday was keeping 800 rounds of ammunition, two hatchets and a machete in his car, which was parked blocks away.

A prosecutor also said that the man, Omar Jose Gonzalez, 42, had been arrested in Wythe County, Va., in July while carrying a sawed-off shotgun and several other firearms, as well as a map with a line pointing toward the White House. And in August, Secret Service officers saw Gonzalez near the south fence of the White House, carrying a hatchet in the back waistband of his pants. Gonzalez agreed to let the officers search his vehicle, where they found camping gear and two dogs, then released him, a prosecutor said."

The Unfortunate Reality of ISIS Hostages

This whole thing with ISIS has really had me on edge lately as well as with many others. It is really just bone chilling to think about and with the be-headings with the direct messages to Obama and the ransom requests for American hostages, it is all just crazy. All that can't help but make one wonder, why won't our government pay ransom for our hostages? Would they even pay ransom to prevent more be-headings of our innocent citizens? I have found myself in a few disputes over this topic lately and had just not gotten around to researching it to verify the truth without a doubt. This led me bound and determined to find an article related to this as I was sure that I remembered hearing at one point that the American Government does not pay ransom for hostages. Sure enough, I stumbled upon an article under the National Security subsection on "National Public Radio", titled "Should The U.S. Pay Ransom For ISIS Hostages?" that discusses this matter in a pretty direct and sensible way.  This article was written by Brian Naylor on September 19, 2014.  As it says on this page, "It is U.S. policy that the government does not pay ransom to gain the release of Americans held hostage by terrorist groups, nor does it negotiate with them." George Terwilliger says that, "Once you start down that road it's very difficult to turn back, for a long time we did pay money to the Barbary pirates, and they wound up taking an entire crew of a U.S. naval vessel hostage." As unfortunate as it is, that statement actually makes sense. It would be a never ending cycle and it would only add to our debt as a country. However, on the other hand, when you think about it, look at all the bailouts the government pays for with the banks and companies, and all the extra unnecessary money spent on sticking our noses in other countries business. Couldn't we use some of that money to keep our citizens safe? Or maybe we should just keep all of our people out of there entirely to prevent the loss of any more lives? Don't get me wrong, our no pay policy makes complete logical sense in the way they explain it. However, I guess I am just in the middle in the grey area. This is a pretty good article to check out as it points out a few different points and angles to think about when it comes to this situation regardless if you already knew about it or not. I would love to hear what you all have to say about this situation and the US no pay policy. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions for a better system to prevent so many innocent casualties?