July 18, 2013
Why are you surprised? This is the same system that let's "law enforcement" destroy whole milk from locally owned dairy farms because its "not safe". This is the same system that makes it illegal to catch rain water because someone else needs to get paid. This is the same system that puts a patent on technology that could set us free from our fossil fuel addictions. This is the same system that would rather lock us all away rather than treat and rehabilitate. This is the same system that states Sandy Hook is a tragedy but little brown bodies killed by U.S. drones doesn't even make its way to the TV. This is the same system that says our country is obese and unhealthy but stocks our shelf with GMO's that Monsanto employees refuse to eat. This is the same system that runs terror as its biggest headline but runs ads for government sites about character and compassion. According to the news, people on the other side of the world, who don't know who I am, couldn't even possibly know I exist, want me dead because of my freedom. I believe if those people are ANYTHING like me, they're too busy trying to keep their heads above water like the rest of us instead of making a death wish every time they see a shooting missile across the sky. These are the same people rioting against their government because they are not acting in the best interest of the people. These are the same people who can't convict a bus load of rapist gang banging a single woman because the laws are made to protect serve the way things have always been. The same way we do things here. Preach support the troops but its Congress who gets life long benefits long after their "service" and we have to start non profits like Wounded Warriors Project just to take care of our own. I have vet friends and family and some of them struggle. A lot of them hurt. War doesn't stop when you leave the battle field. Its soaks in, something you can feel when you're awake or asleep. This is the complete opposite of the way money sleeps. People, organizations, government sanctions, that keep cures for cancer from being released to the general public but will gladly sell you more medications and treatments to battle symptoms. Racism, is the new rope-a-dope. Its the birdy to keep your eye off the fact if we came together despite our petty differences, we could actually make a difference. We are the same country that banned together against a tyrannical nation, rising up and establishing our own ways. This is the same country that took the power of the law away from racism through peaceful protest. This is the same country that impeached a president when he acted as if there are no consequences for his actions. This is the same country that sends aid to others despite our debt. This is the same country with millions of innovators trying to elevate humanity as a whole. Hundreds of thousands of churches all serving to help others across the world. Organizations trying to improve our streets, fighting poverty with food, and help just to keep the lights on. This is the same country that stands up and cracks its neck anytime its knocked off its feet. But with so many skirmishes, we lost sight of the war we need to fight. If we were more unified, maybe George would have given Trayvon a ride home that night. And we would have never heard of either one. It would have just been another night in the neighborhood just like anyone's.
-DCR
With the verdict of the Trayvon Martin murder still fresh, I have decided to voice my opinion as so many others have done or will do.
The USA (or URA considering my title) has yet again proven to the world just how hypocritical and unjust the court system is to almost anyone from a minority or poor social class.
The system is rigged. Pure and simple.
In this particular case the media bent over backwards not to mention race being the prime factor in motivating a murder but I believe it was THE major factor why it happened in the first place.
Group that with a coward who wanted to prove himself and the stupid laws that protected him.
The stand your ground law is a law that was conjured up by the American Legislative Exchange Council or ALEC. This supposed 501c company is a far right-wing agenda driven member organization funded by people like the infamous Koch brothers.
These people think up laws ( driven by politics, greed and their own agenda) and then use their influence to get them passed.
Such a law was the stand your ground law to feed the cowardice and greed of gun owners and the NRA (sales).
The Southern states (Florida is one) throughout the history of the country has had slave patrols that essentially did what happened to Trayvon Martin. They would patrol the areas (whether you owned a slave or not) to make sure slaves were where they were supposed to be. In the event that they were not, they were beaten, raped and killed depending on the circumstances.
The KKK carried on the tradition and now we see the neighborhood watch turn into legalized murder
because racist vigilantes are taking it upon themselves to take stupid laws into their own hands.
TDB.
As a teenager I was obsessed with the night, especially in summer. Far too pale to truly enjoy the bountiful pleasures of sun filled days, the heat made me feel like my brain was on fire, and without the proper protection my skin soon would start to look as though it was. At night this all changed, the air became just chilled enough to be enjoyable, the city became quiet, and the sun disappeared leaving only the radiant glow of the moon and the few stars bright enough to exceed the reach of the light pollution and their trillion mile journey. Like most good parents, mine did not approve of, and were notably concerned with my need to be outside in the middle of the night, and on a number of occasions my mom caught me either sneaking out of or into my bedroom window and I was on several occasions grounded and reprimanded.
On those nightly walks I would meander through the streets and alleyways that connected our neighbors, moderately carefree, avoiding all cars and most people, except for random friends who would occasionally join me for nocturnal adventures. One particular night I had found my way to the outer edge of my neighborhood, just as the sky opened up and unleashed a great deluge blocking out all other sights and sounds but the sounds, smells, and sensations of an epic summer rain storm. Not concerned with getting wet, I proceeded to walk even slower, doing my best to remember every foot step and how it displaced the water beneath my feet, the rhythmic pattern caused by the rain adjacent the different surfaces of the identical floor plans of the tropically named streets, and exactly how the rain felt against my skin. Completely lost in this moment I soon noticed that my arms had started to turn a very interesting shade of red, at which point I remembered that before leaving my house I had decided to change the color of my hair and in fact there was now magenta manic panic hair dye covering the greater portion of my body thanks to the rain. At this point any sane person would have made a B line for their home, but I was a teenager, and I had an unexplainable need to feel the rain and the night air, so I kept walking, and would later return to my home safe , sounds and magenta from head to toe. Another young man who enjoyed walking in the rain, would not be so lucky.
On the night Trayvon Martin was murdered , this was his supposed crime, according to the technically acquitted murderers 911 phone call, Trayvon was considered suspicious because “It's raining, and he's just walking around.” Ignoring words of the 911 operator to stop following Trayvon and to stay in his car, Zimmerman’s actions resulted in an altercation that could have been avoided, should have never escalated to the point that it required deadly force , and ultimately resulted in the unnecessary death of yet another youth in this country. Moreover the fact that he could be acquitted on all counts for the senseless death of Trayvon Martin indicates just how flawed our so called judicial system has become. Allowing entire generations to become criminalized for trivial behavior that should either be ignored or treated as a health issue, while murders are allowed to walk free; although some might question where our values have gone, others recognize that we have still yet to even find them.
As a teenager I never understood why my parent were so worried about me being out at night, it always felt so much more peaceful than the chaos of the days. Just trying to protect their kids from the dangers of the world, parent today barely let their children play outside anymore for fear of what could happen. After seeing how quickly simply walking in the rain can escalate into a senseless murder, I now realize how justified they were in their fears, and as a father of a teenager who currently lives in florida, I am now experiencing the other side of that fear as well. What happened to Trayvon Martin was a tragedy, and what followed in the courts was a travesty of justice.
Our deepest condolences go out to the family of Trayvon Martin, and their loved ones, and it is our sincerest hope that we will be able to continue to work together as a global community to help heal the wounds left by this and so many other tragedies.
-Joshua Genius
The United Racists of America
Walking in the rain
