Boston and other News

Man, we are living in dangerous and scary times. The Boston Bombers are scary enough but not near as much as the State's reaction as well as the people's. Two idiots allegedly carry out a high profile attack killing three and injuring over 100 more and the terror response system goes into over drive. Nine thousand police are called in and large portions of the city and surrounding communities are put on "lock down" (a word that broke out of the prison industrial complex a few years back). The old American notion of innocent until proven guilty has also disappeared. The two suspects have already been found guilty by the police and the regurgitating press. The first one is dead already and the second one clinging to life has as of yet not been read any rights. I'm not defending the crime and if you are too dumb to understand that, get the hell off my blog. I am defending our imperfect justice system as it is supposed to work. The cops and press don't decide who is guilty. We tried this guy a few years back for a far more destructive act and the world did not end. We have a legal system for those who break the law. These guys are not warriors, just common thugs. And what's with all of those shouting USA USA? Did we win the world Cup and I missed it? I've been half sick the last week or so and could have missed it. If it was for the capture of the 19 year old suspect, we are truly sick and depraved far beyond redemption. Talking about how free we are (with cities on lock down) and waiving flags seems to be all we are good at anymore. Oh, we are still good at killing brown people! Then there are the gun toting Conservative idiots chiming in absurdities about cowering  Boston Liberals who now wish they had Ar-15's. From a safe distance of course. I can think of nothing more shameful than all these chicken-hawks trying to make political points from this tragedy. Is this what we have devolved into? So the mighty shall fall and all I can say is what a hard bloody fall it will be. And for you so called believers, please do a little reading before you dis those of other faiths. While your attention was glued on Boston by those with a story to sell what else happened?

A fertilizer plant in Texas blew up taking an unconfirmed number of lives 14+. The place was not inspected by OSHA since 1985! Nope nothing to see here, move along people. Oh but you don't want to miss the grand parade of Texas politicians talking about how well Texans pull together in a tragedy and they do as all Americans. (without actually discussing why the tragedy happened in the first place). Can you say deregulation and freedom from nosey inspectors? Cheers to the free market and the bought off politicians who bring it to us! And no one will go to jail for this so they can save money by not sending in nine or ten thousand cops to find those responsible. That question will never be asked in a court of law where someone will face a prison sentence. Our grand project for democracy in Iraq is collapsing under poor security and increasing violence. No worry, we are no longer there except for these guys and God only knows how many more. We are sending more "aid" to Syria to include advisors I'm sure. After all, we sure need to get ourselves involved in another Middle Eastern conflict. And don't forget those wild and crazy North Koreans. Who knows what they are going to do next. At least they make even us look like a democracy. Let's hope the Chinese don't drop the leash. It may be scary and dangerous but all is NOT lost.

Get educated and get active! The situation is far from hopeless. Powerlessness and hopelessness are exactly how those running the show want you to feel. We can change things. We've done it in the past and we WILL do it it in the not so distant future. There are many of us who now see clearly through the lies and soon a we'll hit a critical mass restoring real democracy and basic human rights for all. The current corporate power structure cannot last and they know it. Let's keep it peaceful. The state knows violence. Let's befuddle them with non-violence!


UPDATE. Thank somebody for small miracles. There is a small hope for civilization yet!

Labeling.

In addition to telling stories or as a part of telling stories, we also have a compulsion to label each other. The “politically correctness” crowd I believe has a point. Labels put others in boxes and with that, certain expectations or limitations. In grade school for example, what happens when a kid is labeled as “bad” or a “troublemaker” or even worse a “loser”? The label or role all too often becomes internalized and gets played out. The opposite can also hold true as well. “Honor Student” can keep expectations high. “Good student” same idea. “Student athlete” can go either way depending on how it is used. The words we use to describe others are important and it is not just in school. Let’s consider a few more labels.

“Felon” – somebody convicted of a serious crime. This is a label one can get and keep long after the jail time is done. Here in the USA, in my experience, we are pretty damn unforgiving. Getting this label can follow one to the grave. It translates into someone who is no longer trustworthy no matter how long it has been since the offence was committed or what they have done beneficial for others. This label often drives people back into the corrections system where they earn a new label, Repeat offender. The consequences are much the same and the cycle will often repeat itself. It is an extremely difficult stigma to overcome and right or wrong will likely never go away. I wish we would re-think this one. I agree with Jesus, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” I think we would do well to lighten up a little and give those who have made some poor decisions in the past a second chance. Here’s another ugly label.

“Illegals” – a person in the USA from another country (usually south of the border) without proper immigration paperwork. Somehow, without the right papers, they lack basic human rights. There are those who think they should be denied access to health care, education and protection under the law. NEWS FLASH it is only a misdemeanor to be here without documentation! They are often viewed as criminals involved in the drug trade or worse. With any large group of people, there are a small number doing bad things. People break laws but there is no such thing as an illegal human being. These people do some of the nastiest hardest work in the country often under slave-like conditions. They fear the police and have little recourse when crimes are committed against them. Solving the immigration problem will not be accomplished via labeling and stereotyping but rather clamping down on employers who routinely hire desperate people fleeing economic turmoil ad savage drug wars. We should be doing our part to help Mexico and other countries to our south end the ceaseless drug wars and build a viable economy. Here is another powerful label.

“Terrorists”- a person who employs terror or terrorism, esp as a political weapon. (From http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/terrorist). Being labeled this is a sure way to by pass any legal protections supposedly guaranteed under the Constitution! These are the true “Bad” guys and we all know there is only one way to deal with them- death! In movies, news, popular literature these are the psychopaths willing to kill innocents, blow up buildings and target baby seals. We relish our “Good” guys whack them in the end a la Bin Laden. The problem is we seldom look beyond the label and ask why there are terrorists in the first place. WARNING- understanding is not justification for cowardly acts like crashing planes into buildings or hosing down old handicapped people with an AK-47. Rather understanding is getting less and less people seeing these acts as a way of gaining justice. Dealing with root causes like supporting despotic regimes is a better way of solving the problem than hunting down individual “Bad” guys and in the process creating even more “Bad” guys. There is one more label I’d like to consider tonight. “The Bad Attitude.”

“Bad Attitude” – a person or people in the workplace who are seen as a troublemakers. This is the kiss of death for a career. He or she does not understand what we are trying to do or ‘see the big picture.” They often ask irrelevant questions about fairness, consistency and honesty. The “Bad Attitude” label is a quick trip to the ranks of the unemployed, especially in a tanking economy. Who needs people asking uncomfortable questions when the line to take his or her job is out the door and sown the street? Too many of us steer clear of this label at any cost, even if we have to sell our souls. What we get is a world run by fewer and fewer people and a quiet dread of Monday morning.

The Politically Correctness Crowd (there I go labeling) has a point, the terms we use to describe each other are important. Labeling is a way of taking away other people’s humanity. Dehumanization and objectification of other human beings contributes to very bad things like genocide, slavery and marginalization. Take away one’s humanity and suddenly anything can be done to them. We need to pick our terms carefully.