We see corporations on the news, in the papers, and smeared across the media as they too often do stupid things with very little thought other than trying to get in their next sound bite and sell more products. Unfortunately, we rarely take a deeper look into what their occasional thoughtless actions can cost, that is to say the total cost, not just the tid bit we read in the morning paper. For instance, lets look at the recent Toyota announcement that they were suddenly moving out of Northern Kentucky and relocating to Texas and taking some 1,600 jobs with them.
Aside from the fact that Toyota gave no advance notice, didn’t give the state the opportunity to negotiate or even find out what, if any, problem was causing the move. Aside from the fact that Kentucky had provided them some pretty nice perks including other perks to the Georgetown assembly plant that employee’s another 7,000. Aside from the fact that in the early days people in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio went out of their way to support the new Japanese executives, inviting them into their homes, their lives and make them part of the community … Toyota simply felt they didn’t owe anyone anything.
“Oh What A Feeling” certainly has a much different meaning to the surrounding communities these days. It certainly makes you wonder how many more Toyota’s will be sold around that area in coming months or years? Oh don’t worry Toyota, if Americans know anything it’s how to quickly forgive, forget and keep buying those products, no matter how badly they treat us. How quickly Toyota has forgotten that while the world was beating them up concerning their flaws in automobiles, this area were staunch supporters, still buying cars that might not have been safe and working in those factories as well as working on the news media to get out the “other side” of the story.
Perhaps I’m a bit harsh. After all, during it’s 18 years in Northern Kentucky Toyota contributed countless millions of dollars to local school systems, the Kentucky Symphony Orchestra and countless non-profit agencies. They were one of the top 25 supporters of United Way and created the Toyota Born Learning Academies in local schools. In times like we have now to say that this loss will be devastating to the community is certainly an understatement, especially with so many corporations continuing to hoard their cash and refuse to put more investment into local communities with more jobs and more opportunities. The train of greed adds a few more cars and speeds down the track into the unknown.
Corporations continue to cry about the lack of qualified people to fill their ranks yet they continue to look past the many older workers who can do those jobs, are more loyal, and simply want a chance to show what they can do. They continue to play their games to keep salaries artificially low while raking in booming profits, yet not even paying dividends to their investors. They pay their senior executives disgusting salaries while charging their employees parking fees, union dues (Walmart), uniform costs, and all the while they cut medical support, retirement programs, and even the length of time the average worker gets for their lunch.
And still, we let them get away with it. No doubt the city of Plano Texas are overjoyed at their newest neighbor, but once again we fail to see the big picture. I can’t help but wonder what the reaction of the Toyota executives would be if they were met at the edge of town by those Texans who said “hey, you screwed all those school kids and community groups in Kentucky without so much as a goodbye – just turn around and get out, we don’t want anything like you for neighbors so you can do that to us in a few years”. Yep, that is a message I would love to see corporate America have to swallow ….
You know, when you’ve been shot, stabbed, beaten, officially dead on more than one occasion and generally abused every possible way you can think of … and survive it all, there just isn’t a lot to be afraid of any longer. That might sound like bragging, but believe me, it is anything but that. Probably the best description is a general lacking of good common sense or at least enough sense to know when to be afraid.
But there is that little period of time when we, like any animal are completely vulnerable … in our sleep. With our eyes open we can see and sense anything that is coming at or near us, but with our eyes closed or senses are diminished and when we sleep … well, you know this as well as anyone. We sleep when we choose or when our bodies and minds decide it’s time. As children we learned to fight sleep, using every possible means to stay awake for just a few more moments play or for the attention of our folks, but sooner or later we ended up slumped over our parents shoulder, being whisked away to bed and to that land we know so well as dreamland. With utterances of “sweet dreams” and “sleep tight, don’t fight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite” we are carried away to our own beds to dream of great conquests, adventures beyond imagination, into a world where anything is possible and nothing is impossible.
And then comes a time when this blissful world is not so pleasant. We begin to discover fears we couldn’t possible imagine and often don’t understand. For some, the fear is so great they also fight to stay awake, a tremendous fight to avoid the sheer terror that dreams may bring. Reliving experiences in youth we don’t want to remember, remembering combat and all we just want to forget, coping with situations we don’t understand much less have a way to resolve … it’s all there plus plenty more, just to entertain our minds during those periods of necessary unconsciousness we proclaim as sleep.
It is snowing. The kind that brings flakes the size of half dollars and plenty of them. I see the figure just ahead of me in a drab overcoat and wearing a hat that went out of style 50 years before. He is trudging through the snow, not at any measureable gate; it’s more like wandering, occasionally stopping at a garbage can, lifting the lid, and peering inside, and occasionally reaching in, taking something out, sniffing it carefully … and occasionally bringing it up to his lips. And as I watch him wandering down this alley from one can to the next, I hear dogs barking, not so much in alarm; no, it’s more like recognition. He has been here before. I seem to be drawn closer, as thought his soul is pulling me in, as thought I were a part of him but not quite. Not quite yet. Then as he approaches the next can I feel I am inside him, feeling his hunger and an emptiness … more hollow than the largest empty container I can imagine, as thought trapped with no way out, just endless distance of nothing. I feel his cold hands, sore from the years of arthritis, without gloves, on this chilly night. I peer into his soul … empty, hollow, nothing there and I wonder why does he continue. As the world starts to come into focus I realize I am looking through his eyes and I peer downward, staring at the lid of the next can, dented inward with a gentle pool of water on top, and I stop. Looking in that pool I see the reflection. Clear, sharp, a cold and withered face of too many years and not enough of what always seemed important. He stares back at me in wonderment as I recognize him, as I recognize it is………me.
“Alas, poor shepherd, searching of thy wound,
I have by hard adventure found mine own.“
- William Shakespeare
The announcement earlier this week by the Pulitzer Prize Committee sent a vital message to the security services of the United States. With the Washington Post and Guardian US both receiving awards for their coverage of the NSA Secrets and Boston Bombing the gauntlet has been thrown down, clearly indicating that a free press will not be deterred by the facade of “national security” or any of the many agencies to hide the truth from the American people. If anything, they have made it clear that the ever increasing violations of our privacy rights will be met with the ever increasingly watchful eye of a free press to insure there is a balance between our right to know and the governments assumed right to hide information from us.
This has far surpassed issues of WIcki Leaks, NSA disclosures or the many other disclosures that causes the government to decry such activities. (don’t for those Pentagon Papers & Watergate investigation of last century) It is now clearly focused on the mission of the press to protect us from ourselves and a government that increasingly wants us to trust them while they routinely violate the law and the very constitution for which they are bound to obey. Our CIA now conducts activities within the boarders of the United States and our FBI does the same outside of the boarders. Both in conflict to their original missions and authorities. Our president says that our privacy shall be protected because our sensitive data is no longer held by the government but by private companies who contract with the government. Certainly they think us children that we cannot understand this slight of hand, and a reasonable explanation for the need of a FISA Court remains unfulfilled.
Over the course of history, a free press has served us well. Whether it is covering the brutality and accidents of war, a corrupt government that’s exposure was found in the Pentagon Papers, the misconduct of so many different government officials over the years, down to the basic dirty cop that gets caught with his hand in the till, it has always been in our best interest for us to know so we can judge for ourselves. That is, in fact why the proclamation starts with “We the People …. “. Despite the efforts of corporations to seize power through an unregulated vote, we have traveled that road before and through the power of our pocketbooks and our pencils at the polling places, we have again and again taken it right back. Our only crime was in failing to remember the last time and the time before that … and more the fact that we failed to teach our children the “what & why” so it could never happen again.
The intelligence agencies, the men of secrets, the men of war and so many others will continue to tell us again and again that it is all in interest of national secrecy and that we can trust them to guard the peace and protect the nation, but without a strong regiment of checks and balances, we have learned it is folly to believe them. We are a nation of educated people, mature enough to determine for ourselves what is real, what is valuable, and what needs to be protected. Never in the history of this nation has the government every even attempted to create a system by which any citizen in good standing could inquire about any private or secret matter & the government be obligated to answer.
It all starts with us. Each and every one of us. Until we learn to ignore the sound bites, PAC commercials, talk radio (& TV) demons; each with the intent of swaying our opinion without causing us to think, we will remain forever ignorant of the facts. Beware of those that would try to suppress institutions like our Public Broadcast System and National Public Radio, calling them radical and right wing. Take some time, your own time, and listen to what is being said. It will lead you to the uncomfortable truth; from which you can make your own mind.
I was watching one of those late night interview shows a few weeks back and the subject was, knowing your next meal would be your last supper, what would you have? I sort of scoffed at it at first, then I started thinking how difficult a decision that might be. Now, we know all the hollywood versions of the condemed prisioners last supper and all that, but this was a serious question and to watch some of the folks struggle with the question, I realized just how hard it would be.
Food has never been an enemy of mine and after I got past my picky eating stage (thanks to the mess halls of the US Army) I found that there were not that many different foods that I could not find a way to enjoy, but to narrow it down to the last meal I would ever have on the face of this earth ... wow, that is tough, but I finally figured it out. It really wasen't the food so much as it would be how it was served.
When I was a kid, growing up on a farm, we still had a few old country traditions that were still in play and I think I'd have to revert to my favorite breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, fried chicken, and mashed potato's with green beans too. Yeah, when you get up at 4:30am and go spend your first two hours of the day in a barn, shoveling our manure, feeding cattle, getting the tractors and farm impliments hooked up and ready, the food becomes a point of focus and seems to make you work a lot faster and a lot harder.
So why such a simple combination? Well, only my grandmother could fry chicken the way we all loved it and only my mother could make those eggs and bacon just right. And my dad, he would go out and pick a bunch of greenbeans fresh out of the garden and find the best potato's we had in the cold storage bins; so you see, that meal really isn't so much about the food as it would be to see those three very special folks, all together, doing what they loved, that one last time. Yeah, I couldn't top that meal if I tried.
So, aside all the mushy stuff ... tell us all what YOUR last meal would be like ...
It’s almost Memorial day again. My ghosts no longer haunt my dreams and the screams of battle are much quieter now, but as memorial day approaches each year my chest starts to hurt where that AK-47 found tried to pierce my heart and my old legs still tremble at the thought of so many times we carried the dead and wounded to safer places, somehow hoping to save them all.
There will be flags, and music, speeches and of course many “thanks for your service” through the day; all meant with the greatest of sincerity, but only those few kind words and the knowing glances of the other vets will really fill the void left empty by one less homecoming.
We who have felt the sting of battle and carry the memories of too many fallen comrades do appreciate your thanks and your appreciation, but forgive us if we are a bit preoccupied and don’t remember to always look up and smile. The weight and the guilt of having survived is often a heavier burden than we choose to reveal and there are so many to remember and to thank, for they are the real hero’s and we pay them homage by recalling many times that were divided by much laughter, and fear that none can truly describe … but mostly regret that we cannot change places with them.
They are the true hero’s that we will never forget and with the current times, more and more new hero’s enter the realm of memories every day and their young friends will bear the burden’s that we old vets know all too well. So if you want to help, truly help, don’t just “thank us for our service”, but take an active role to make sure that every vet gets what they deserve. The young need mending in body and in spirit. They need better education, consideration, and opportunities to get a job and make a living, no matter their condition.
So, as you celebrate this memorial weekend with the cookouts and family, auto races and other grand celebrations, also remember the many young men and women half way around the world, that are putting themselves in harms way just so we can continue our way of life.
God save the veteran and every person that puts their life on the line for that old tattered cloth and everything it stands for …..
As many know I am soon to be a resident of Clarksville TN so I’m in the frantic process of getting everything packed and ready for my move. As part of this grand tradition I’ve found a number of items in the way of furniture that I don’t need, so being the kind of person I am it would be great to donate them to some other poor soul that could use them and would appreciate them. So, I got on the telephone, eager to share my prosperity and help another person out and …..
Reality set in quickly. I could not find a single charitable organization that would accept, much less actually pick up furniture and a washer/dryer all that are in extremely good condition and less than 10 years old! One particular agency told me they would accept money, but nothing else, another asked if my furniture was new. I said, of course not, why would I donate brand new furniture??? She sarcastically said, we just don’t have time for trashy furniture! I curtly informed her that it wasn’t trashy, in fact if I had not told you as much, you’d swear it was new, but she was rude and told me they don’t care.
Don’t care??? Don’t care???? All the crying and begging I hear on the news about how they need things for all these poor people that are displaced or starting over or lost everything in the many disasters ….. but no, they want only new things. Can you believe that? I had one group that said they only accept money and nothing else. When I said no thank you, they called me back three times insisting I should make a cash donation! Totally outrageous. Apparently all have forgotten the old quote “baggers can’t be choosers”.
So, out of curiosity, I looked in my files and found that over the past 25 years I have donated over $30,000 in cash and quite a few things, including a car to a number of different agencies. I’m certainly not rich, but I think this is a pretty generous track record over the years.
Well friends, I must say that my donations have officially ended, at least to any of the national agencies. We lived through watching the American Red Cross and their dishonesty, watch the Vietnam Vets and AMVETS sink from once lofty goals, and now watch the Salvation Army also take on a very snooty outlook, despite their claims of following the religious foundations they came from. All have apparently abandoned the poorest of the poor. From now on, I’m giving spare change to the bums on the street. Yeah, I know what they are going to spend it on but at least they aren’t picky and they do appreciate every dime that comes their way.
What a world we live in!
As one who’s age is starting to become part of the daily ritual of excusing myself from many things I could easily do back when I was in my 30’s, I am forever thankful that modern medicine has now found it possible to tell me that I may be forever young and have no worries in later years. After all, this year alone there have been studies that tell me bacon isn’t that bad for me, nor are eggs and a few other former “no-no’s” but now, the single best news I’ve heard over all of them. They are telling us that skinny people are at higher risk than fat people. Wonderful!!!!!
Being diabetic I am waiting with baited breath for the study that says that I should eat all the sugar and carb’s that I want because it really dosen’t matter. Oh wow, that would be just great and I know that Krogers would be very happy if I could buy all the crap that I loved for so long.
Seriously, I’m not for a bunch of laws and regulations that are redundant and who’s value is questionable but one law I would like to see enacted would be for all these reports, studies, etc. To be passed through an independent board for review and publication. The public needs and deserves to be told the truth without any “spin” or re-interpitation, particularly in light of the skyrocketing health costs and need for better preventative health maintenance. This business of the all mighty dollar driving every facet of our life is beyond ridicule and is nothing less that reckless endangerment of so many lives. Blend this in with a stronger more powerful Consumer Protection Agency that is automaticly funded without the influence of congress or other PAC driven bodies and we might have a fighting chance. At the very least we should be told who underwrites these studies and if it’s some foundation, let’s see who the major contributors are. Following the money will tell the tale and the public deserves to know.
This latest report is really a slap in the face of any clear thinking person. Think about it, just how many obese centarians have you seen? How many obese people do you know that are free of any form of heart disease, blood pressure issues, or cholesterol problems? How many skinny people require knee replacements in early life? How many suffer from gout? Something tells me that the list probably wouldn’t be much longer than a page, if even that long.
I had a little trouble accepting the fact that multivitamins really did little to nothing for us until I did my own research and grudgingly I have to admit the facts do support that conclusions and perhaps this new study has merit, after all, what is “fat”? We still don’t have a conclusive guide as to what is “normal” weight so the determination of fat or thin is speculative.
But, for the makers of Twinkies, ding-dongs, and potato chips, this is the best possible news, in fact I expect that we’ll see some new marketing campaigns from all of these. Just watch out for the ones that tell you they are vitamin enriched, we know there may be something fishy about that ..... Oh my, don’t even get me started on that darn fish oil !
My thanks to so many for their recommendations concerning my problem of finding anyone that would accept my donation. After giving up on the “big boys” I took a look at the homeless shelter system in Hamilton, OH and sure enough I found Service City. This organization takes anything, and I mean ANYTHING. No BS, no unrealistic expectations; just an agency that is happy for anything they can get because it helps make a home for those that would otherwise not have one.
They will come by next week and pick up a lot of my furniture. I used the simply philosophy that if I don’t “love” it, I loose it and that will make it possible for somebody to get a fresh start on life. Tax write off’s? Well, I suppose, but frankly, most of this stuff is rather old. In great shape, but just not of significant value and besides, the point was not to get myself a fat write-off … it’s about helping out some other poor soul that needs a break and a chance to start again.
And when I get to my new place I’ll live with what I have for awhile. A good idea to humble myself with simple possessions to remind me of my roots and just how fortunate I really am. With any luck I’m going to find some other nice person in TN and get a new lease on life again. Seems like I’m about ready for a nice change in my fortunes so we’ll just see what happens …
So, if you are trying to donate, give those little, tiny, local folks a good look … they could use the help and they could do a lot to help you out too!
Emulation is a strong word, suggesting that a person has such extraordinary characteristics that everyone should strive to be exactly as they are. The attribute is rarely, if ever, proclaimed by the person but is used more often to describe that person along with their many attributes. It was a word that was very popular when I was in the military about a zillion years ago (yes that WOULD be before King Solomon). But the point is well taken; a person that should be emulated is certainly one that is exceptional in many, if not all, regards.
During my travels through the years I have had the opportunity to travel to many corners of the globe including one short stint on the 7th continent. One of my fascinations has been the practice of religious expressions including all the trappings that differentiate one religion from another. While all but a few have a common theme, the appearance to the casual observer is drastically different and unfortunately, as with many things, there are those that would abuse the intentions of their particular religion to make it fit their own beliefs. I can’t really say that any one stands out as the worst abuser because I have seen plenty of examples which simple reaffirms to me that people are people and despite the many different features you can attribute to them, they remain to have similar traits and practices.
For the past year I have been particularly watching the Catholic Church. Racked by financial scams, a priesthood that probably seems to many to be simply a bunch of depraved, self serving people, and leadership that simply wasn’t there. Then came along a man who simple calls himself Francis.
Hearing that Francis is a Jesuit priest was the first hint of what was to come. The fact that he came from a 3rd world country was certainly another but the first hint was how simply he dressed at the announcement he had been elected Pope. No highly ornate robes, no giant gold cross, just the simple dress that a Jesuit would wear and very little has changed since that time, one year ago. He continues to live a very simple life and practices in the Jesuit style that anyone and everyone can admire. He makes it very clear that he serves his God by serving everyone, particularly the poor. He makes it very clear that this service, his service, is more than just an act of faith but an act of obligation and his actions have not gone unnoticed. Remarkably, he not only cares for the poor, he embraces them and each and every person that he can. In the words of my son “he gets it”. Yes he does and he’s spreading the word far and wide. If ever there was a single man that could rescue the Catholic religion, he is certainly the one.
The fact is that he acts, sounds, and conducts himself as most would and should expect a holy man to act. He not only leads by example but practices what he preaches each and every day, the same way for Presidents & Kings as he does for the poor and misfortunate. The man embraces anyone and everyone, a true believer in the humanity of mankind.
If only more religious leaders and practitioners would embrace this philosophy; if our leaders around the world would work so selflessly, imagine the kind of world we would live in.
OK, OK. I know it’s just a dream, but what a dream …. Oh to sleep, and dream …..
Bravo for the South Euclid, Ohio judge that required a convicted bully to sit on a street corner for five hours on Sunday morning with a sign declaring him to be a bully. The Municipal Court Judge ordered 62 year old Edmond Aviv to serve the punishment as part of his sentence for picking on a neighbor and her disabled children for the past 15 years. Unfortunately the sentence didn’t require him to remove his hat and dark sunglasses so he could be more clearly identified to passer by’s.
I applaud the judge for using a fair measured act, not so different that the use of the old public stocks for punishment (see Wikipedia “stocks”) and public ridicule for their actions. Fortunately for Mr. Aviv, the judge did not make the sentence for several days in terrible weather conditions as was the practice in the 18 hundreds. Nor was he shackled or bound, submitted to torture, insults, kicking, spitting or public urination & defecating or any other physical abuse as were the previous occupants of the stocks, so he should certainly count himself lucky. He was, submitted to every passing citizen so each could see the face of a bully. An appropriate notice to his neighbors, friends, and anyone else that choose to be acquainted with him.
My reasons to applaud this action? Our jails and prisons are overrun with all sorts of characters and we often take offenders of lesser crimes like this and mix them in with more vicious, harden prisoners; which certainly does them no good other than make them more vicious and hateful against a system that inflicted it upon them. Such crimes and punishments like this can make a very good point and the criminal isn’t likely to forget their short incarceration as well as will be subject of public scorn and humiliation for some time to come. Cruel & Unusual you might ask? Well, it hasn’t been practiced for a long time but was certainly not unusual in earlier times. And cruel? Well, perhaps but not nearly as cruel as sticking him in a jail cell where he will be subject to beatings, rape and possibly be the victim of something more grotesque. Let’s not forget that peer pressure is often a VERY effective means of changing bad habits and public humiliation certainly provides a good dose of peer pressure!
Our courts have, for the most part, forgotten the purpose of laws, conviction, and punishment. All too often they choose to levy heavy monetary penalties that can ruin a persons life. The purpose is supposed to teach a lesson, wake the person up, and try to get them to change their behavior. This is proven by a look at simple traffic offences. In many if now most states a simple moving violation will carry fines of hundreds of dollars. With so many people unemployed or under employed, this can be the difference between learning a lesson or made homeless. Certainly NOT what the framers intended but a very convenient ways and means for local governments to enhance their coffers. If it were intended to be fair, the various fines and penalties would be prorated based upon a persons financial status. A $200 speeding ticket impacts a family of four living on just $25,000 a year a lot different than a man earning ten times that much and since we have supposedly proven the fairness of taxation based upon a percentage, why not local fines and penalties as well?
Regardless of your own opinion or mine, I must applaud a judge that used her judgment and sense of fair play on this character and only hope he learned his lesson and will make the effort to turn over a new leaf.
Tonight’s news showed a story about a Rancher who’s family has grazed their cattle across government land for over one hundred years. Certainly not uncommon unless you consider that the government has never bothered to collect grazing fee’s until recently and has based their calculations on the 100+ year debt which puts the money owed at over $1,000,000. Not exactly pocket change for most and certainly not for ranchers that have been fighting drought, loss of cattle, etc. Now, I’m not suggesting that this fellow doesn’t owe the government money, after all, he is using the peoples land to make a profit so he certainly should pay his fair share, but the question is for exactly how long a time should he pay?
I also have a much more simple question. Has the Govt. BLM collected all the oil leases that have been unpaid for the past 100+ years from all the oil producers? And if not, why not? I mean after all, we are now allowing those same corporations to contribute everything they want to political campaigns, so shouldn’t we require them to settle up all their debts to the government BEFORE they give their money away to someone else? Certainly, if they have money to give away they have money to pay up to all of us! Another good example of the GAO needing to post a regular balance sheet of each corporation that shows their outstanding debts to the citizens in the form of taxes and fees.
The government has gotten very good about going after the private citizen for all sorts of things. We learned tonight that the IRS has garnished a woman’s wages for mistaken Social Security payments that were made to her parents when she was five years old. We are talking about money that was paid over thirty years ago and it wasn’t her debt, it was her parents! Fortunately there are a few Congressmen that are demanding an explanation from the Social Security Administration and the IRS. Certainly a shame that rancher isn’t getting that kind of support from his elected representative.
Seems to be just another validation for all those nuts that want to overthrow the government. Of course, right now some of them aren’t looking quite so nutty and it reminds me of one of the best quotes of Ronald Regan, "I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts." As well as his other quote "Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives." The present administration would be wise to remember that, especially in these times when the recovery could be stifled by such foolish missteps as we are seeing out of these Federal Agencies.
Our government spends an exhaustive amount of time criticizing other countries on humanity issues, among many others. I can think of few actions more inhumane that steeling a person’s hard earned money or trying to destroy a business built by a family and successfully operated for over 100 years. I am reminded of one last Regan quote, "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free."
Please take the time to explain that to your children; our combined future will certainly depend upon it!
For the majority of my life I have been a supporter of the law, the judicial system and the death penalty without question. Police officers were to be trusted, judges were to respected and when the final decision was made, a rite of the execution was unquestionable. Some would refer to that as “the good old days” but now we find, more and more, that the good old days were far from good.
The case of Jonathan Fleming, arrested in NYC in 1989 and accused of murder despite significant documentation that showed he was over 1,000 miles away, is a perfect example of a system gone wrong and nobody is being held responsible for taking away 25 years from this mans life. Judges cannot be sued, prosecutors (according to our Supreme Court) cannot be held accountable and police officers … well, the level of corruption in law enforcement is so wide spread it’s no wonder so many states have opted for more relaxed conceal/carry laws. With so many problems throughout the system and a body of legislatures to lazy, ignorant, or perhaps fearful to make the logical changes to the system, it’s just another unfortunate brick in the wall that will eventually lead to civil insurrection and possible war within the very boundaries of our country. With so many death penalty cases being overturned due to DNA evidence, recanting of sworn testimony, and faulty if not completely inaccurate evidence it is a wonder that we can justify a death penalty in any case where the defendant has not given a full, written, uncontested statement.
Adding insult to injury, in a number of cases the state has forced the falsely imprisoned defendant to sign a complete waver before the state will release them and to date, few if any state governors have issued a full pardon with a written apology for wrongful prosecution & incarceration. If ever there was a good reason to hold the entire system accountable, this is certainly a perfect example.
Far too many people have been convicted on the word of cell mates and other questionable sources that, through the manipulation of the police, prosecutors and courts by way of bribery, receive false testimony in order to support their false claims. These are often given greater weight than family members or others that can testify as to the incorrectness of the testimony. Bottom line; the word of a jailbird carries greater weight than another law abiding citizen.
Yes, we have seen our elected officials, our law enforcement & and our judicial system corrupted to the point that respect of the everyday citizen is all but gone. Our military continues to erode to the point that soldiers occasionally take up arms against their leaders and the captains of industry have free rein to conduct business any way they please just as long as they make a buck. And the medical community … oh, don’t get me started. Even our intelligence agencies rudimentarily break ever rule considering the treatment of suspects up to and beyond interrogation tactics the surpass even the worst tactics used by the Nazi’s, and there is no punishment while all the time they pry and violate every citizens even most basic right of privacy without fear of prosecution.
America remains one of the greatest nations on earth, but I fear that, like the dollar, it’s value continues to erode and one must wonder if the time will come when it has no value. If there were a “bit coin” of government, an investment may be in order.
injuneer Blog (226)