Backing Away Slowly...

The Trayvon Martin case has been both heartbreaking and infuriating. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that a boy was killed for going to the store to buy Skittles, wearing a hoodie, for a culture infatuated with guns, and because of racist stereotypes (and mindsets). This can't be divorced from racism because when listening to people argue about this case, the underlying racial problems are obvious when 'somehow' Trayvon is being indicted for the POSSIBILITY that he MAY have tried to defend himself in the 1 minute gap between the phone call and his being killed... indicted by the same people 'defending' Zimmerman by arguing that Zimmerman was 'just defending himself' and therefore justified for following Martin and--according to the phone call--confronting Martin. Why is it that Zimmerman's defenders see no contradiction in their indicting a slaughtered boy for possibly/maybe defending himself from the guy who had just stalked him on a dark, rainy street with their saying that Zimmerman is 'justified' for feeling 'threatened' after he stalked the boy and brought about a confrontation while Zimmerman was armed?!.

That's where bias is very most definitely on full display.

Putting aside the ABC released video footage of Zimmerman in the police station (where he doesn't appear to have any injuries that match the desciption he and his defenders have given) my jaw dropped at Zimmerman's father's statement:

I never foresaw so much hate coming from the president, .

For the record the President said:

"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon Martin"

...which is the truth! It's called empathy.

Trayvon Martin was just a boy. He was someone's beloved son and brother. His life was violently ended and his parents left grieving. Expressing empathy for a child and his parents in no way whatsoever qualifies as 'hate. That it's interpreted as such says a hell of a lot more about the person reading his statement that way than the President showing empathy for the grieved in a human tragedy.

...and Zimmerman Sr. calls the President's statement hateful? WTF? Seriously, WTF.

Backing Away Slowly...

The Trayvon Martin case has been both heartbreaking and infuriating. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that a boy was killed for going to the store to buy Skittles, wearing a hoodie, for a culture infatuated with guns, and because of racist stereotypes (and mindsets). This can't be divorced from racism because when listening to people argue about this case, the underlying racial problems are obvious when 'somehow' Trayvon is being indicted for the POSSIBILITY that he MAY have tried to defend himself in the 1 minute gap between the phone call and his being killed... indicted by the same people 'defending' Zimmerman by arguing that Zimmerman was 'just defending himself' and therefore justified for following Martin and--according to the phone call--confronting Martin. Why is it that Zimmerman's defenders see no contradiction in their indicting a slaughtered boy for possibly/maybe defending himself from the guy who had just stalked him on a dark, rainy street with their saying that Zimmerman is 'justified' for feeling 'threatened' after he stalked the boy and brought about a confrontation while Zimmerman was armed?!.

That's where bias is very most definitely on full display.

Putting aside the ABC released video footage of Zimmerman in the police station (where he doesn't appear to have any injuries that match the desciption he and his defenders have given) my jaw dropped at Zimmerman's father's statement:

I never foresaw so much hate coming from the president, .

For the record the President said:

"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon Martin"

...which is the truth! It's called empathy.

Trayvon Martin was just a boy. He was someone's beloved son and brother. His life was violently ended and his parents left grieving. Expressing empathy for a child and his parents in no way whatsoever qualifies as 'hate. That it's interpreted as such says a hell of a lot more about the person reading his statement that way than the President showing empathy for the grieved in a human tragedy.

...and Zimmerman Sr. calls the President's statement hateful? WTF? Seriously, WTF.

Backing Away Slowly...

The Trayvon Martin case has been both heartbreaking and infuriating. Ultimately, it boils down to the fact that a boy was killed for going to the store to buy Skittles, wearing a hoodie, for a culture infatuated with guns, and because of racist stereotypes (and mindsets). This can't be divorced from racism because when listening to people argue about this case, the underlying racial problems are obvious when 'somehow' Trayvon is being indicted for the POSSIBILITY that he MAY have tried to defend himself in the 1 minute gap between the phone call and his being killed... indicted by the same people 'defending' Zimmerman by arguing that Zimmerman was 'just defending himself' and therefore justified for following Martin and--according to the phone call--confronting Martin. Why is it that Zimmerman's defenders see no contradiction in their indicting a slaughtered boy for possibly/maybe defending himself from the guy who had just stalked him on a dark, rainy street with their saying that Zimmerman is 'justified' for feeling 'threatened' after he stalked the boy and brought about a confrontation while Zimmerman was armed?!.

That's where bias is very most definitely on full display.

Putting aside the ABC released video footage of Zimmerman in the police station (where he doesn't appear to have any injuries that match the desciption he and his defenders have given) my jaw dropped at Zimmerman's father's statement:

I never foresaw so much hate coming from the president, .

For the record the President said:

"If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon Martin"

...which is the truth! It's called empathy.

Trayvon Martin was just a boy. He was someone's beloved son and brother. His life was violently ended and his parents left grieving. Expressing empathy for a child and his parents in no way whatsoever qualifies as 'hate. That it's interpreted as such says a hell of a lot more about the person reading his statement that way than the President showing empathy for the grieved in a human tragedy.

...and Zimmerman Sr. calls the President's statement hateful? WTF? Seriously, WTF.

Today has kind of sucked

Please tell me that 6 months of age in puppy life is like the terrible twos? Zoe vascillates between perfect sweet angel and demon possessed hellion.

Last night she was full of energy and even after a very long walk and playtime she refused to calm down and started barking. Incessantly. For hours. At NOTHING.

So I finally, finally, finally got her calm and quiet and my mother calls. Her cat had walked across her computer keyboard doing... something... that turned everything sideways. Anyone who has tried to be tech help for a 69 year old parent understamds the hour that followed (all to no avail. I ended up with "just leave your laptop at my home tomorrow or come over and I'll fix it."

Then Zoe woke up at 5:30am. And, usually, after a pee and poop she's willing to calm back down and allow me a cat nap until 6:30.

Uh-huh. She was in full destructo-mode and there would be no peace.

By the time I actually had myself together to leave for work I 1) Forgot to leave a check for the lady who cleans my house. 2) Forgot my lunch. 3) Forgot my purse. I did not realize any of this until I pulled into the parking lot at work.

So I called mom and asked whether it was possible for her to either bring my purse or a lunch or both (she actually lives closer to my workplace than I do.)

She did bring me lunch... but got lost on the way over. And realized that she had ONLY gotten a sandwich and not a combo when she was in the parking lot... and that she had also forgotten my purse... which is fine as she also forgot her purse at MY house yesterday.

And my Sierra Mist tastes funny too! Like the carbonation and the syrup weren't proportioned properly.

*sigh*

Thank God tommorrow is Friday.

(And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.)

Today has kind of sucked

Please tell me that 6 months of age in puppy life is like the terrible twos? Zoe vascillates between perfect sweet angel and demon possessed hellion.

Last night she was full of energy and even after a very long walk and playtime she refused to calm down and started barking. Incessantly. For hours. At NOTHING.

So I finally, finally, finally got her calm and quiet and my mother calls. Her cat had walked across her computer keyboard doing... something... that turned everything sideways. Anyone who has tried to be tech help for a 69 year old parent understamds the hour that followed (all to no avail. I ended up with "just leave your laptop at my home tomorrow or come over and I'll fix it."

Then Zoe woke up at 5:30am. And, usually, after a pee and poop she's willing to calm back down and allow me a cat nap until 6:30.

Uh-huh. She was in full destructo-mode and there would be no peace.

By the time I actually had myself together to leave for work I 1) Forgot to leave a check for the lady who cleans my house. 2) Forgot my lunch. 3) Forgot my purse. I did not realize any of this until I pulled into the parking lot at work.

So I called mom and asked whether it was possible for her to either bring my purse or a lunch or both (she actually lives closer to my workplace than I do.)

She did bring me lunch... but got lost on the way over. And realized that she had ONLY gotten a sandwich and not a combo when she was in the parking lot... and that she had also forgotten my purse... which is fine as she also forgot her purse at MY house yesterday.

And my Sierra Mist tastes funny too! Like the carbonation and the syrup weren't proportioned properly.

*sigh*

Thank God tommorrow is Friday.

(And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.)

Today has kind of sucked

Please tell me that 6 months of age in puppy life is like the terrible twos? Zoe vascillates between perfect sweet angel and demon possessed hellion.

Last night she was full of energy and even after a very long walk and playtime she refused to calm down and started barking. Incessantly. For hours. At NOTHING.

So I finally, finally, finally got her calm and quiet and my mother calls. Her cat had walked across her computer keyboard doing... something... that turned everything sideways. Anyone who has tried to be tech help for a 69 year old parent understamds the hour that followed (all to no avail. I ended up with "just leave your laptop at my home tomorrow or come over and I'll fix it."

Then Zoe woke up at 5:30am. And, usually, after a pee and poop she's willing to calm back down and allow me a cat nap until 6:30.

Uh-huh. She was in full destructo-mode and there would be no peace.

By the time I actually had myself together to leave for work I 1) Forgot to leave a check for the lady who cleans my house. 2) Forgot my lunch. 3) Forgot my purse. I did not realize any of this until I pulled into the parking lot at work.

So I called mom and asked whether it was possible for her to either bring my purse or a lunch or both (she actually lives closer to my workplace than I do.)

She did bring me lunch... but got lost on the way over. And realized that she had ONLY gotten a sandwich and not a combo when she was in the parking lot... and that she had also forgotten my purse... which is fine as she also forgot her purse at MY house yesterday.

And my Sierra Mist tastes funny too! Like the carbonation and the syrup weren't proportioned properly.

*sigh*

Thank God tommorrow is Friday.

(And please, please say that 6mo old puppy is like the terrible 2s and that she will eventually learn how to calm herself down! Please. *wibble* I'm tired.)