Ferguson, Missouri…Burn This Bitch Down

Like many, I’ve watched the violence that has come to define Ferguson, Missouri these past few months.  This latest round of rioting came as no surprise to me once it was determined Officer Darren Wilson would not be indicted.  However…and rather sadly, I believe the outcome would have been the same had Officer Wilson been indicted.  Ferguson would have burned regardless.

To be fair, I know that not everyone in Ferguson is bad.  Not every protester is acting violently.  I know there are a lot of nameless heroes behind the scenes doing everything within their ability to help keep things peaceful.  I also understand it is likely that some of those perpetrating violence aren’t even Ferguson residents.  However, how a community collectively overcomes disaster is telling of its morality and character.  Sadly, Ferguson’s response has been less than telling.

Michael Brown Jr’s death has now become the rallying cry for white police brutality against blacks throughout the United States.  It has re-ignited racial tensions that have plagued this country from its very inception.  The sensationalism of Michael Brown Jr’s death has also accomplished another thing.  It has overshadowed Michael Brown Jr’s responsibility for his own death.

In a recent interview, Michael Brown Jr’s parents remembered their son as “humble, silly and soft spoken. He could fix almost anything and loved animals, his siblings and being a grandson” (Ford & Levs, 2014).  From day one, Michael Brown Jr. was presented as a “good” kid, college bound with great aspirations.   Yet the reality is, Michael Brown Jr. was anything but “humble, silly and soft spoken”.  On August 9, 2014, he physically assaulted a store clerk.  His actions were caught on camera.  After assaulting said store clerk, Michael Brown Jr. shoplifted from that store.  He then walked down the middle of a street like “what up I got a big…ego”.  When told to get out of the middle of the street by an officer of the law, Michael Brown Jr. refused to do so.  When directly confronted by that law officer, he verbally and physically assaulted that officer.  To add injury to insult, concentrations of marijuana were found during Michael Brown Jr’s autopsy.  Are these the actions of a good, “humble, silly and soft spoken” kid?  I think not.

Michael Brown Jr. may have been a “good” kid, but his actions on August 9, 2014 suggest otherwise.  On that day, Michael Brown Jr. walked down that road looking for a fight…and he found one.  Were Officer Wilson’s actions excessive…yes they were.  But the real question that should be asked is…why Michael Brown Jr. put himself in the position to become a victim.

Pure and simple, on August 9, 2014, Officer Wilson pulled the trigger.  However, Michael Brown Jr. is responsible for his own death.  His actions made him a target in an environment that seemingly doesn’t take much to make someone a target.  His death wasn’t an action of white police brutality against blacks.  It was an action of piss poor decision making on Michael Brown Jr’s part.  Or maybe the actions of the real Michael Brown Jr.?  The people of Ferguson seem to lack the ability to understand this.  It is what this latest spate of violence says about the morality and character of the people of Ferguson, Missouri.

This is how Ferguson pays tribute to Michael Brown Jr’s death.

Sources:

Ford, D., & Levs, J. (2014, November 27). Michael Brown’s mother: ‘This could be your child’. Retrieved from CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/justice/ferguson-grand-jury-reaction/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

Thank You Veterans!!

Thank You Veterans!!

I can’t think of a finer way to honor this country’s veterans then to exercise my 1^st Amendment right to unabridged freedom of speech.  It is because of the sacrifices of those that serve and have served this country’s Armed Forces that I am able to voice my opinion without fear of retribution and/or persecution.

Now that this country’s elections are over, I feel it’s important to reflect upon the outcome and lessons learned from the elections.  I am overjoyed that President Obama has been re-elected.  Despite my jubilation, I do not believe that Mr. Obama is the cure-all for what ails this nation.  In reality, what would “fix” this country’s woes has absolutely nothing to do with the Oval Office.  However, I believe this country is in better shape with President Obama at the helm than it ever could be with Mitt Romney in charge.

Much ado was made this election season about which presidential candidate would best steer this country towards prosperity.  This is especially true regarding economic recovery and job stimulation.  The reality is regardless of who was elected, economic prosperity will not occur as fast as everyone wants.  The average American forgets, or simply doesn’t realize, that the President’s ability to influence economic and job creation success is limited.  Congress enacts the laws which directly impact this country’s future, to include economic prosperity.  Capitalists, and not the President, decide whether or not to create more positions and hire more people.  As a result, it is Congress and Capitalists and not the President, which dictate the future prosperity of this country.

Despite the President’s ability to directly influence economic outcome, I believe we will be better served with Mr. Obama as president.  The reason for this is simple.  Mr. Romney is a businessman and businessmen have no business running this country.  Businessmen make decisions based on what is best for profit.  These decisions are devoid of morals, scruples, and what is best for the whole.  As a country, we cannot afford to have a President that lacks the morals and scruples necessary to ensure what is good for the entire country. 

Regardless of how one feels about the outcome of this year’s presidential elections, I feel most can agree on one thing. The GOP/Republican Tea Party is severely out of touch with the collective pulse of this country.  The reality is the “face” of this country is changing.  Rich, white men are no longer the majority.  Yet the GOP continues to run itself into the proverbial brick wall by catering to this minority facet of society.  Whether this is done out of fear or ignorance is a moot point.  This year’s presidential elections proved that money cannot guarantee the presidency and is a harbinger of the fact that the rich, white man can no longer “buy” the Oval Office.

It is because of this nation’s Veterans I am able to “pen” these words.  We as citizens are so fortunate that we live in a country that we are able to express our opinions with little in the way of fear of retribution and/or persecution.  This is only possible through the sacrifices of the few that have ensured, and continue to ensure, this liberty for all.  To my fellow Veterans, I thank you for this right….I salute you!     

Today’s Relevant Past

Now that Mitt Romney has been chosen to represent the GOP (aka Republican Tea Party) in the upcoming 2012 presidential elections, it’s only a matter of time before the political rhetoric and mudslinging begins in earnest.  Based on the past, it can be asserted with reasonable accuracy that some candidates will attempt to affirm the righteousness of their ideals in part by invoking the intent of this nation’s Forefathers.  In doing so, the United States Constitution will more than likely serve as the benchmark in determining our Forefather’s intentions,  as well as ammunition for advancing the ideals of today’s candidates.

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with using the Constitution as a means to determine our Forefathers’ intent, it’s not necessarily the best means.  There are other avenues available that provide a greater sense of understanding regarding our Forefathers’ intentions.  One such avenue includes the Federalist Papers

The Federalist Papers, also known as The Federalist, is a collection of 85 essays penned by notable forefathers Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay.  Writing under a common pen name of “Publius”, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay sought to present and champion to the general public the premise behind what would eventually become the United States Constitution.  The first of these essays was rather unremarkably titled “General Introduction” (The Federalist Papers).

In “General Introduction”, Alexander Hamilton highlights the deeper meaning and implication in adopting the “new” Constitution.  Not only did the fate of the Union hinge on its ratification, the Constitution would determine “whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force” (The Federalist Papers: Federalist No. 1).  It’s reasonable to infer at this point Hamilton wanted all to understand the gravity of the situation.  Not only would ratification of the Constitution ensure the continued existence of the Union in the short term, it would prove to the world this rule by the people “experiment” was legitimate and capable of standing the test of time.

Hamilton also touched upon the morality of the situation, elaborating upon the interests of those opposing the Constitution.  Hamilton specifically “called out” a “certain class of men in every State to resist all changes which may hazard a diminution of the power, emolument, and consequence of the offices they hold under the State establishments; and the perverted ambition of another class of men, who will either hope to aggrandize themselves by the confusions of their country, or will flatter themselves with fairer prospects of elevation from the subdivision of the empire into several partial confederacies than from its union under one government” (The Federalist Papers: Federalist No. 1).  In elaborating upon this opposition, it can be asserted Hamilton highlighted the inherent danger of those that put their own personal good (and greed) before the good of their country.

Some will argue that our Forefathers’ musings no longer have relevance in today’s day and age.  However, one of the most amazing things about our Forefathers was their ability to understand the future.  Not only did they make decisions based on the needs of their immediate situation, they recognized their decisions would impact a future of which they had no idea of.  As a result, our Forefathers’ words still bear relevance today, perhaps more so than ever before.

The concerns Hamilton expressed in “General Introduction” can be applied to the political “cluster-f*&k” this country finds itself in today.  As our economy continues to stumble, we once again find ourselves having to prove to both ourselves and the world that we truly are capable of establishing a good government from reflection and choice.  As today’s “leaders” in Washington continue to resist the changes necessary to ensure the future success of this country, the morality of these leaders is once again questioned.  Personal, perverted agendas are being advanced which only serve to aggrandize and elevate today’s representatives at the expense of those they are supposed to be representing.

If today’s candidates are going to affirm the righteousness of their ideals by invoking the intent of this nation’s Forefathers, they would be wise to gain a better understanding of that intent.  As it stands now, it seems as if too few truly have this understanding.  As a result, the misinformed attempts by today’s “leaders” at tapping into the visionary prowess of our Forefathers only serve to illustrate and magnify the hypocrisy and ignorance of today’s elected officials.

Funny…yet eerily true!

 

The Federalist Papers. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2012, from The Library of Congress Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html

The Federalist Papers: Federalist No. 1. (n.d.). Retrieved May 20, 2012, from The Library of Congress Thomas: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fed_01.html

It’s a Bird…It’s a Plane…no…it’s The “Job Giver”

As the American economy continues to struggle, politicians and capitalists alike are scrambling to counter their noticeably tarnished public images.  Our political “leaders” in Washington continue to throw partisan-driven barbs across party lines in vain attempts to deflect attention off their own ineptness.  Business” leaders” attempt to convey their sincerity to America’s plight through slick and misleading advertising and commercials.  One of the more comical outcomes of these ineffective charades is the latest catchphrase to hit mainstream media…the “job giver”.

 

Move over Superman…put that web away Spidey…make way for the latest superhero to hit the streets.  I’m talking about none other than (cue the drum roll)…The “Job Giver”!  Stronger than Bill Clinton’s alibis, able to leap tall pillars of truth and reality in a single bound, The “Job Giver” is here to save the day!  According to our elected officials and business “experts”, it is the mighty “Job Giver” (and his trusty sidekick, The “Job Creator”) which will deliver us from evil and save us from its arch enemy…Economic Doom!!

 

While the holier-than-thou manner in which the “job giver” is being marketed is comical, the idea that today’s capitalist will lead this country out of economic ruin is anything but comical.  In all fairness, the “job givers” could theoretically turn things around.  Business growth overall would do much to stimulate our sluggish economy.  However, like many theories, the notion that today’s business “leaders” will solve our economic woes falls short when faced with practicality.

 

The reason for this is simple.  Today’s “job giver” lacks the morality necessary to lead this country out of dire straits.  In today’s greed-driven capitalism, business “leaders” base decisions on one thing…profit.  Decisions are made solely to increase the bottom line.  This is often at odds with what is good for this country.  There’s no money to be made in making morally responsible decisions.  There is no money to be made in making decisions that are good for this country.  This is why the notion that the “job giver” will solve this country’s economic woes is unrealistic.

 

Examples of this are abundant.  Corporate earnings are up, yet the “job givers” continue to lay off workers.  Rather than invest these increased earnings in additional human capital, the “job givers” invest in automation technology that replaces the jobs the “job givers” are supposed to be giving.  Or, they are simply not hiring additional workers and expecting existing workers to pick up the slack.  Rather than pay workers in this country their worth, today’s “job givers” move operations overseas where they can get away with paying foreign workers less.  Are these the actions of morally responsible “job givers”?  I think not.

 

Our political and business leaders’ attempts to exalt the “job giver” as a means to deflect responsibility for this country’s current economic situation on others are both comical and misleading.   To trust in those that got us into the situation we currently find ourselves in is equally as absurd.  This country’s economic woes will be overcome only when our “leaders” in Washington and business put aside their personal, greed-driven aspirations and make morally responsible decisions that are good for this country, not profits.