2 Sided

     Take any two people regardless of race, age, religion, etc. and if they accidentally touch a hot iron or stove. What do you think they’d do? There are severe illnesses that affect the feeling in your extremities. But if both were considered normal, relatively healthy, human beings would one feel the pain from the heat, more or less due to their ethnicity. No. I am sure they both would undoubtedly agree that it was a rather unpleasant experience. Think about people from northern states like Minnesota and Michigan. Temperatures in the single digits aren't uncommon to them. But if they have a 50 degree day in February,  they'd put on shorts and sandals due to unseasonbly warm temperatures. Whereas people in South Florida exposed to those same temperatures would probably freak out because they are usually warmer. Why such a drastic difference in feelings? They come from two totally different environments. One is more tropical the other is more frigid. Proving our sense of normalcy isn't always the same. Based on what we've been exposed to majority of the time our interpretations of a particular variable, in this case temperature, can be viewed markedly different. I know its cliché,  but the phrase perception is reality is confirmed by this premise. We are all a products of our environment.  But like a chameleon we can change to blend in. So why is it so difficult for us as humans, especially Americans to coexist?
     We all have witnessed some of our loved ones go on to glory. No matter how it occurs it's always painful. It could be health related like cancer or heart disease, a car accident, or something malicious such as murder. Either way it's painful for those left behind to lose someone they whom they knew and loved.
     Some Americans are too rigid in their thoughts and opinions. Sure there are some issues that we may be unequivocally passionate about. I despise women and child abusers. But some people continue to lack objectivity, empathy, and overall self awareness in regards to how others in a different demographic or socioeconomic group might perceive the same thing. Issues like welfare assistance,  and  legalization of marijuana come to mind.
    I'm not dismissing the fact that groups like #blacklivesmatter aren't needed. They are.  I concur wholeheartedly that the way cops interact with us needs to change. Under no circumstances should a cop who kills an unarmed citizen who wasn't a legitimate threat to them, to still be able to get a job in law enforcement again, but it happens. Our lives are valuable too. But the results of Philando Castill's (black man killed by a Hispanic cop)death by an officer and Justine Damond's(white woman killed by a black Muslim cop) death by an officer in the same area only years apart, netted a far different result for each victim and the scary, incompetent, cops that killed them. The outcry for police protection was far less prevalent for one over the other as well as the pay outs for the families. Why? Was the prosecutor that much better? Blacklivesmatter is needed.
     #Blacklivesmatter also needs to address the issue of black lives, caring about black lives too. Control what we can control. This starts at home. If you see someone that looks like you and you call them a brother treat them like one. Jealousy and envy are the works of the devil. The fact is we just can't highlight incompetent cops and turn a blind eye to the black on black crime going on in America too. Everybody can't rhyme like Jay Z.  Shooting another man for stepping on your Jordans is foolish, but that's the world we live in. People competing to see who's the top thug, who has the most women, money,  clothes, and who has the fliest ride. I believe rectifying these issues will help us with some of these other societal problems. They need to put more of an emphasis on showing love to your neighbor. Having such an unstable footing in black communities makes it that more difficult to combat injustices that go against us. The animalistic approach we sometimes have towards one another leads to innocent people being judged unfairly.
    Lastly, why I don't have a flattering opinion about abortion. I recognize that God is the ultimate judge. So who am I to judge. Yet some are so vocal about this issue and use Christianity as a way to condemn those who have abortions calling it murder.  What if it was a situation where a mom could endanger her life by having the child, or if she was raped? Yet some of these very same people find ways to justify killings of unarmed people by cops and want to be cops over things as small as parking in a handicap spot. Why the difference? It's possible to feel mournful for an unborn child. I get it, but for people who were already established and were apart of, or even had their own families it is a much more meaningful loss for their loved ones. An unborn fetus hasn't created memories and hasn't had a chance to impact others with the exception of the mom they were carried by. No person, including me is above reproach. Modern day society allows us to be more expressive than ever,  but if somebody dares to push against the old guard, they are hit with ridicule. I can't give you the most poignant explanation, but is this God's best for us to always be at odds? I don't think so. Differences of opinion are natural,  but it shouldn't cause  such a toxic environment. I believe we all desire a blessed and prosperous livelihood. One were our families are safe and we can live our lives in a harmonious fashion. Let's put differences aside and work towards that common goal.

Do we Matter?

      Picture it , Sicily 1948. Ok,  that's a little Golden Girls humor. But I figure, I might as well be a little light hearted because of so much contention and discord in modern day America. Even Shonda Rhimes couldn't come up with a script as entertaining as the real life scandals going on in the White House. We have a reality TV star as the President. Only in America , right. Everyday at town halls across the country in areas that 45 aka,  President Trump, won overwhelmingly.  Lawmakers are being taken to task over this healthcare reform bill that will supplant Obamacare.  But for as much drama this has caused. One of America's most heinous and darkest issues continues to rear it's ugly head.  Cops killing innocent citizens , most notably, black males without any repercussions. 
    Comedian Dave Chappell once told a joke referencing why do those Foreign terrorist  groups never capture Black Americans and use them for their intimidation tactics up to and including beheadings. Now personally I'm not one to volunteer for that type of assignment, but he does make a good point. Do they perceive us as Black Americans,  to be less valued in our country than other other ethnic groups?  Does it hurt Americans less to see a black person killed?  How about on June 12, 2016 the day of the Orlando, Florida,  Gay nightclub shooting. Two of the survivors  mentioned that the shooter ,Omar Matteen, shouted thru the locked bathroom door  "That if you are black I won't shoot you. You guys have suffered enough". Despite his "generosity" the two witnesses wisely stayed in place. The events of that night were horrifying, and ultimately Mateen was put down and justifiably so. But it does make you wonder about how we are perceived.
       Last fall, then San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick was ridiculed for not standing for the American flag prior to the start of NFL games.  His reasoning was due to lack of suitable punishment for cops who wrongfully assassinate innocent people, especially those of color. Also in regards to the Presidential election he felt neither candidate put much effort into pushing this agenda. Being in California, a staunch Democratic State.  His vote was largely irrelevant due to the antiquated system known as the Electoral College. But that's another issue. Unfortunately his message got lost because people conveniently ignored it. Instead they lambasted him for his approach. But tell me what effective protest doesn't make some people feel uncomfortable?
     Believing that no man should have a right to kill a person without repercussions when the victim  has done nothing wrong in that moment is blasphemous. Of course there is the ensuing character assassination,  to "somewhat" make some people feel the killing was justified.  But as witnessed on May 17th , 2017. America still accepts cop killings. The latest example,  Officer Betty Shelby was cleared of her manslaughter charge for killing Terrence Crutcher. The whole ordeal was caught on camera and still there was no conviction. All before, with the Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown cases , all we had was here say, nothing was a slam dunk,  no confirmed eyewitness accounts or concrete  evidence. So this one should have been a slam dunk, right. No. Fortunately there was a recent conviction of a cop killing in 2015.  An eyewitness taped N. Charleston cop, Michael Slager  shooting Walter Scott as Scott attempted to run away during a traffic stop. Yes he should not have ran, but he had a warrant for back child support and didn't want to go jail. Officer Slager ensured that mom won't get child ever again. Was the punishment worth the crime? If not for the video, Slager would almost certainly be free, since his account was a whole different story and was nothing like the evidence showed. Of course a jury of "his" peers would've let him off and he would go on with his life. Fabricating the truth just enough to stay out of trouble is taught on the first day of Police Academy .
     Seriously , lets not forget the fact that innocent human beings are being killed, families are being broken, lives are being altered. All some people care about is character assassination or justification for these murders.  My thought is, if someone is selling cigarettes illegally does that equate to being killed?  I don't care about their prior offenses. If nothing illegal is going on at that moment and it doesn't threaten your life. Why take their's? Don't slaughter us unnecessarily, we aren't like deer or any other wild game, are we? Or is that how some people portray us to be.  If someone of another ethnicity was suspected of doing the same act would cops react the same?
    Why do proponents of #bluelivesmatter try to justify the reason someone has loss their life. They feel that the cop is always right. Aren't  they are paid to protect and serve "all" citizens. If a crime was committed by me at least let me get my day in court, unless you unequivocally,  without a doubt, had to kill me. Surely if Dylan Roof can knowlingly kill 9 parishioners in a church, and get taken to Burger King afterwards, I can expect the same treatment too, except take me to Whataburger. My point is protect us, don't just kill us and concoct bogus stories to get out of being punished for your screwup. If I mess up on my job , depending on the severity of of the incident, I can be fired.
      This is mind boggling how in our,  "Christian" society,  some people care more about a police dog than a fellow human being. Kill a police dog, you get 40 years. By contrast a cop kills an unarmed black man and they get an endless amount of money in their Go Fund me account . To me there's something seriously wrong with that picture. The fact that an animal is held in higher regard than a person is really appalling.
    But I have faith in God that these atrocities will one day be an afterthought. That only happens if we truely do matter. I'm not talking about  LeBron James,  Beyonce,  or Denzel Washington.  You shouldn't just care about only those folks that entertain you. If you really cared for them,  when they voiced their opinion you would respect their thoughts and not say, "stick to playing  basketball",  you're no politician " so on and so forth. When folks got on social media complaining about Colin Kaepernick speaking out against social injustice. It showed their ignorance and what they view him as. He is a person first and foremost. Just like you he has an opinion and because of free speech and the fact he lives in the greatest country in the world he's entitled to it. After all the commotion started by Colin we still see the same results. So I ask this in closing , will we continue to die as martyrs? Or will "All Lives Matter" once and for all.

When Will We See an End?

  Here we are yet again America. In my home state of South Carolina another unwarranted death dealt out by the boys in blue has taken place. A routine traffic stop gone wrong. It sounds like a broken record but sadly no resolution has taken place.  What went wrong? Who's to blame?
     First off I'm glad to see the victim Walter Scott's family asked that media whores like Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson stay away.  They tend to stir up  a hornets nest instead helping find a resolution to the problem. Ferguson is still a mess today months after they were there. They need to put more emphasis on educating the people on how to interact professionally with cops. Not running might have prevented this incident and there would not be this world wide firestorm we have today about this N. Charleston incident but it shouldn't have led to death.
       Let's back track a little to last February when Ray Rice was seen pulling his then fiancee from an elevator in an Atlantic City casino. No one knew what went on inside, only that it wasn't good and that Ray Rice played a part in it. Ray told the local authorities what he did and  he was jailed, put on probation and entered into a first time offender program. What happened  next was the NFL and the Ravens levied a suspension on him for 3 games. But then TMZ released a video that would forever change how the NFL now deals with its players that are involved in domestic disputes and incidences. After viewing the horrible act committed by Mr Rice in the elevator he was indefinitely suspended from the NFL. Mind you the NFL and other sports as well have always had players that have committed such sinister acts but after seeing it on film it gives you a perspective that just makes you see just how awful the act really was. Consequently two other players Greg Hardy and Adrian Peterson who were awaiting trials about their domestic violence cases were put on the Commissioner's exempt list and missed the rest of their seasons.  The NFL has taken a hard line on this topic but only after turning a blind eye for so many years. It took that riveting video to give a better perspective on how heinous the act was.
      Now to the April 4th shooting of Walter Scott.  He was a man who committed some crimes but nothing of the extreme violent variety.  But when you make questionable decisions you open yourself up for trouble.  So he has a DUI, and back payment for child support for several of thousands of dollars but not armed robbery,  drug distribution, rape or anything of that nature. So I imagine his demeanor is not one of violent variety but one of a man who doesn't want to go behind bars knowing he has some pending warrants. So the threat of going back to jail scared him into literally running for his life.
      So if he had stayed in his car would he be alive today?  Almost assuredly yes. But we also have seen cops mow down 12 year old Tamir Rice for holding a toy gun at a local park in Cleveland.  Or John Crawford in Beavercreek, Ohio who was just playing with an airsoft rifle in Walmart and was shot before he could respond to the command to get down. Some cops are too cowardly and never try to diffuse the situation even when no real threat exists. Talk first. He was believed to have a bench warrant out on him for child support. Unless he has a good life insurance policy there's little chance that he'll be able to catch up on his  back payments thanks to the killer cop. I feel some sorrow for the cop's family as well the stress of the situation and the fact his wife is expecting in the next few months. But trying to take a shortcut often gets in you in a into tight situations you can't get out of. This wasn't a split second decision, just a I'm too lazy to run or call for backup so I'll just shoot him. Forget about those people this suspect is  leaving behind. Mr Scott was a father, a son, an uncle among other roles,  but all Officer Slager could see was he's making me run too much.
    I know, I know more blacks kill blacks than cops do, but aren't they supposed to be held to a higher standard. In some cases deadly force is needed. Such was the case in January of this year in nearby Freeport,TX with Ronald Sneed who held his girlfriend at gunpoint. In this instance there was a chance he could seriously harm her so one of the responding officers shot him. But the cop was protecting the interest of a fellow human being and the story was corroborated with the girlfriend. Funny thing is once the blacks are caught they are convicted and sent to jail and are often given hard time in most instances.  Some even get the nasty needle. George Zimmerman didn't even get convicted for his obvious disregard of instruction from the 911 operator. We now see what kind of low life he is. Just like OJ he'll mess up again and get what's due to him. But these cops are repeatedly getting off with the same lines,  I was threatened.  I feared for my life. He reached for my gun. It happened so fast. 
      Oh, but now we have a video. Show of hands, who has ever seen an episode of Cops the TV show. There are countless episodes where someone evades the police officer and tries to run and usually they get caught by the initial officer or help from a backup officer.  In those instances the cops never fire a weapon unless the perpetrator has fired a weapon at them. It would be easier to take the shortcut and shoot the individual.  But these cops use integrity and apprehend their perps in a more sensible manner. Or maybe is it that the video is rolling so they know what not to do on camera.
       Mr Scott left the car he was in and ran to a park where the officer followed him and attempted to tase him. After that failed attempt Mr Scott and his apparent Usain Bolt like speed were too much for the officer. He ran again but this time instead of chasing him on foot he fired eight rounds at Mr Scott fatally wounding him and cuffing his hands on his then dead body.  He then goes to retrieve the taser and plants it beside the dead corpse. To set up his blatant lie, which had ran in the local paper as a struggle with Scott who reached for his taser and he then responded with deadly force. But unknowingly he was caught on video by an eyewitnes, who wanted to show the world the truth.                                                                     Every case is unique in some way but one can't help but wonder what if we had a video of Darren Wilson shooting Michael Brown or Trayvon's fight for his life. Would things be different? Unfortunately those in the grave can't defend themselves against public opinion. They are rendered speechless by being murdered. They themselves unarmed.

       But even with this video and blatant cover up is this enough to finally convict one of these guys ? The Eric Garner incident was on video and still there was  no conviction. If this doesn't get it done what will?  It just amazes me how James Holmes the Colorado movie theater killer and Jared Loughner the Arizona man who shot a US senator and killed 6 others ,are here still wasting tax dollars when they easily and justifiably should have been shot on sight by law enforcement for the mass shooting events they were involved in. But playing with a toy gun in Walmart gets you shot down like you're big game. Something is wrong and it's time to call on the one who knows all the answers. Jesus. We must treat each other with respect and live a life pleasing to God. No this may not end all that troubles this nation immediately, but the word says all things are possible thru Christ. Love thy neighbor and forgive. Let's move forward before there's more civil unrest. Let's not assume someone's exterior makes them any less human than another man. All lives matter, let God be the final judge.