tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post8657517323339442192..comments2024-03-26T14:30:49.660-05:00Comments on The Wifely Person Speaks: Who We Aren'tThe Wifely Personhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03255569339784573469noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-28304018540812092042014-12-17T20:29:51.524-06:002014-12-17T20:29:51.524-06:00Unfortunately, many things in this country current...Unfortunately, many things in this country currently seem to be deemed "wrong", "illegal", "heinous" or even "treasonous" just because someone doesn't agree with them. The nation was built upon disagreement just as much as agreement - The Federalist Papers weren't written to spread the common wisdom easily agreed upon by the Founding Fathers. <br />We all need to develop the ability to respect an opposing view without demonizing it. On a political level, that shouldn't be so difficult; we're talking about words and ideas (Senators on different sides of the aisle are friends; heck Justice Ginsberg is good friends with Justice Scalia (for some unknown reason)). Unfortunately, on a practical level, it seems much harder to develop respect and the stakes are much higher; we're talking about life and death in some cases. <br />Maybe Brown & Garner did not respect the laws the way they should have, but those officers did not respect their lives. Likewise, those who engaged in torture did not respect the lives of their VICTIMS, the laws of the nation, the morals of our culture, or the expectations of the entire world (see, e.g., the Geneva Convention and Senator McCain’s recent speech from the Senate floor). In all these cases, the GOVERNMENT AGENTS took it into their own hands to decide what is right and wrong. That wasn’t their place. <br />Police Officers and those interrogating terrorist suspects have difficult jobs and deserve our respect, but these individuals took advantage of the system, as well as the respect and deference they inherently receive. Sadly, that seems to be all too common.<br />How do we change this? I don’t know. How does a large portion of the population come to trust those in power? That will likely take time and effort from all involved. How do we get people to understand that morals aren’t something that you change because something bad happens? If they won’t listen to a right-wing Hawk like John McCain, there may not be hope. Perhaps some type of international prosecution make a point – but that would likely just harden the feelings of righteous indignation. <br />Maybe we need to just change things. POTUS is willing to step out and try new things. His immigration order isn’t a magic potion, but at least he’s trying to effect some change. Will today’s announcements about Cuba bring down the Castros? Maybe not, but it’s gotta have a better chance than the policy that hasn’t worked for 50+ years. Let’s get all the different sides of these issues together and ask a new question: how do we change, not how do we get by. <br />Lukenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-58983731174845855202014-12-17T12:38:05.990-06:002014-12-17T12:38:05.990-06:00I don't know who you are because you lack the ...I don't know who you are because you lack the courage to add your name, but due process is the law of this land. If you commit a crime you have the _right_ to a trial. Did he attack Wilson....or did Wilson instigate the altercation. If you know the actual answer to that, you are clairvoyant because there is no tape, no evidence, no reliable witness to provide conclusive information. That is not to say Michael Brown did not steal cigarillos from the convenience store, but what happened between Officer Wilson and Mr. Brown remains a matter of open to investigation. Had he been wounded, stood trial and found guilty of the robbery or assaulting an officer of the law, then that would be an entirely different matter. <br /><br />And just to be really clear, the issue discussed in the blog was the _reaction_ to the lack of indictment which was, without question, heinous.....I was not discussing Mr. Brown's innocence or guilt.The WPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-87239650936782705822014-12-17T12:18:25.799-06:002014-12-17T12:18:25.799-06:00"are you really saying that due process does ..."are you really saying that due process does not apply...or that it's okay they were summarily executed without trial?" Must be fun to set up a straw man and then knock it down. You missed the part about Brown attacking Wilson, evidence of which the grand jury took into consideration in reaching their decision.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-66673619618898279452014-12-16T20:08:28.386-06:002014-12-16T20:08:28.386-06:00As an Officer, you obviously know that "resis...As an Officer, you obviously know that "resisting arrest" is a crime. You also know that as an Officer, you don't get to decide guilt/innocence and you don't get to sentence those convicted. <br />Perhaps Michael Brown was a criminal who resisted arrest. That may be. But if the Officer did not act within the authorized use of force continuum, then he is a criminal as well. I don't agree with some of the protesters/media coverage when they suggest they KNOW what happened; no one knows (eyewitnesses are the WORST evidence, but that's a story for another day). The problem is that the way the case was handled all the way through makes it impossible to tell what happened or to trust the facts presented by the authorities. The handling of the case by the prosecutors is highly questionable - the way they presented the evidence, provided the WRONG LAW, questioned people, waited until it was dark and they had amassed a large crowd to announce the grand jury's findings, etc. <br />The Garner case is very different but also very similar. Maybe he was breaking the law, but DEADLY FORCE was used against him selling loose cigarettes. The man died because overzealous cops, in a large group, tried to arrest him by using force because he was committing a misdemeanor. They decided he was guilty and what he did was so bad that they had to use extreme force. Why – power trip? Racism? I don’t know, but the video didn't seem to justify their actions. <br />I'm not a person of color and I haven't had to walk in the world that people with darker skin walk every day. However, I'm willing to admit that I don't know what they've gone through and I can't dismiss their experience. We need to respect those around us, their experiences, and their feelings.<br />In the past few weeks, many have publicly claimed that they are denied due process on a regular basis; maybe so, I can't speak to their experiences. However, what I can speak to is my opinion based on what I’ve seen in these cases: it appears to me that due process was denied to these men.Lukenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-47638300224389316302014-12-16T12:45:54.318-06:002014-12-16T12:45:54.318-06:00I was an Officer for a long time. I made traffic s...I was an Officer for a long time. I made traffic stops based on probable cause. Most of the time I had no idea who was in the vehicle until I walked up on it. I also learned from my parents and from drivers ed in high school to keep my hands on the wheel if stopped by the police. Most cops have a much stricter personal use of force policy than what is written in laws, rules, and regulations. Nobody is "constantly harassed" by the police. Don't resist arrest. Its against the law. If you feel you were wronged complain or sue later.Majormarginalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136899223472155735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-15651974912919495792014-12-16T11:24:36.568-06:002014-12-16T11:24:36.568-06:00What exactly does 'We, The People' mean an...What exactly does 'We, The People' mean anymore? Let's face it, our country is a rogue nation. After 9/11 many countries gave us their sympthay. Today, we are the most hated country in the world. And for good reason. Our nation building and murderous acts are results of laws being interpreted to meet the demands of our rogue leaders. The worst part of killing with drones (for instance) is the 'acceptable collateral damage'. How does that stand up to agreements of Article 3 of the Geneva Convention? It doesn't. This is all about the will of business interests in the U.S. Or, better known at the 1%ers. We are a rogue nation worldwide, why would it be any different domestically? It isn't. Can you say.... post constitutional? <br /><br />-dougAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-75485425943056738362014-12-16T09:25:12.372-06:002014-12-16T09:25:12.372-06:00the problem in both of these cases is that a perso...the problem in both of these cases is that a person or persons under the badge of authority approached both incidents in fear of black men and therefore responded with actions far more forceful than required for the situation(s). Both men were involved in minor rule breaking (jaywalking and selling of cigarettes). But the white officers involved were arrogant and confrontational immediately, in the case of Michael Brown, profanity was used by the officer when he first addressed the rule breakers and in Eric Garner's case, a large group of officers converged on him and almost immediately began to hand-cuff him for arrest before listening to his explanation about what had occurred. Black men on the street are perceived as a threat by law enforcement - whether they are or not - and the reaction of many (certainly not all) of these white officers who are more than likely to be veterans of the Iraq or Afghan wars, is one where adrenaline is released as they approach black men as symbols, not people. Police officers react as if they are in a war zone with enemies everywhere, not their community with human beings everywhere.Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151347352054602839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-82709790239350264552014-12-16T09:09:43.446-06:002014-12-16T09:09:43.446-06:00Thank you for your well-thought out commentary. Y...Thank you for your well-thought out commentary. You point to the real issue at hand: Can we as a Nation survive as a democracy when such acts as you have descrbined (all of them) are done by authority or against authority? I have my doubts.Vickihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06151347352054602839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-7824791777223682212014-12-16T06:35:48.574-06:002014-12-16T06:35:48.574-06:00This was beautifully written. Thank you. Whether...This was beautifully written. Thank you. Whether or not the police acted in a justified manner can (I suppose) be debated, as it already has been in this comment section. That is exactly why it is such a travesty that the Grand Jury--not to be confused with a jury of one's peers in a trial where all available evidence is presented--failed to indict. It should have been for a court of law to make that determination.Megan Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10862913220879730493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-61201338302337299542014-12-16T02:39:50.307-06:002014-12-16T02:39:50.307-06:00The police unnecessarily using deadly force as the...The police unnecessarily using deadly force as the FIRST resort rather than the last IS summary execution. I suspect, Majormarginal, that you do not have a history of being constantly harassed by police. I don't either. But I work with black people who do. These are professionals with advanced degrees and six-figure jobs, and not a week goes by that one of them doesn't get pulled over for doing things that I do, as a middle-aged white woman, every day without ever getting a ticket -- going 5 mph over speed limit when everyone else is whizzing by. Driving for 50 feet on the shoulder to pull into a parking lot and getting a ticket for "driving on the shoulder." Proceeding with caution at a yellow light. I've been in cars driven by these people. They are not speed demons, nor do theydrive any differently from the way I do. But their pigmentation is deemed by the police to be unseemly. It is heartbreaking when a 50-year-old professional in a Mercedes-Benz who has a wife, a grown son who graduated college with honors, and two adorable young daughters, who is adored by everyone he works with, has to make sure to keep his hands on the wheel at all times when he is pulled over, lest he be summarily executed by police for going 60 in a 55 mph zone when everyone else is going 75 -- JUST because he is black. Or when a woman has to tell her 15-year-old son that he's not allowed to wear a hooded sweatshirt to go running and that he must keep his hands out of his pockets at all times -- just because he's black.Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03865082576641051315noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7465072391199760560.post-47752781037580080382014-12-16T00:42:06.601-06:002014-12-16T00:42:06.601-06:00The police making a legal arrest is not harassment...The police making a legal arrest is not harassment or summary execution. It is illegal to resist arrest. Both of these men would be alive had they obeyed the police.Majormarginalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12136899223472155735noreply@blogger.com