WalMart and Jack-In-The-Box did not shoot Trayvon Martin
So if they weren't responsible for this tragedy, why were the protestors (who had been nonviolent for the first two days of protests) trying to destroy and loot those places? Does breaking into a jewelry case at WalMart accomplish anything other than theft?
Nonviolent protests have an effective message. People expressing outrage without causing the people they want to influence to fear them have a much better chance of being heard. That audience tunes out when small groups like last night's ruin the protest.
It isn't the fault of organizers. They can't control everyone at a protest. Police need to take action to rein in those who are going to engage in illegal acts; while preserving the right of the majority to protest peacefully.
That change is needed is a given. Sadly, it is so unlikely that the Justice Department will bring a civil rights violation case against Zimmerman; and worse yet, even more unlikely they'd win, ultimately the protestors won't get what they are shouting for. If you define "justice" for Trayvon Martin as the conviction and imprisonment of George Zimmerman, you will almost certainly wind up disappointed.
That isn't a statement of what I want to see happen. It's an opinion about what I think is going to happen.
* * *
Today's random ponderings:
Does Kris Jenner not know where North really is? Or is she just such a fame whore she'd use her grandchild as a tease to keep viewers tuned in to her debut talk show and then show the baby of a show employee? Yeah, she's a major fame whore. http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AvEvL2dYlvKubZwUh1mvnD.bvZx4?fr=yfp-t-900-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=kris%20jenner%20queen%20of%20everything If this were an attempt at humor it might be funny, but that she really believes it makes it frightening.
Is "Pelicans" really a good name for a professional sports franchise? It doesn't inspire ferocity or competitiveness, does it?
Why is it that the President can only serve two terms, in many states governors and other state-level elected officials can only serve two terms, but members of Congress can serve for as long as they can stay alive, and get reelected?
Why do people think that if a movie makes at least as much as the "production budget" at the box office, it will be a money maker.
Was TV series creator Donald P. Bellisario prescient? His shows "JAG" and "NCIS" didn't want to pay license fees to CNN, so they created a fictional cable news network called ZNN. Now CNN has become the Zimmerman News Network, so ZNN really seems to exist.
Did Michelle Bachman, soon to be former-member of Congress, say she wants to spank President Obama? I thought conservatives didn't go in for the kinky stuff.
If the Zimmerman case jurors really wanted anonymity, is going on TV to give interviews and making a book deal the best way to preserve it?
Will we hear outrage today from the Reverend Al Sharpton over the judge revoking Chris Brown's probation?
* * *
What a difference a few years makes.
"For people to suggest that you can break the rules to change the rules is un-American. The only way you can change the rule in this body is through a rule that now says, to change a rule in the Senate rules to break a filibuster still requires 67 votes. You can't do it with 60. You certainly cannot do it with 51. But now we are told the majority is going to do the so-called nuclear option."
Clearly that's someone who doesn't agree with that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to do in changing the Senate's rules on filibustering of presidential nominees, right? Some Republican unhappy that the majority is going to uses its power to strip the minority of its ability to use a process that's been part and parcel of our government since Congress was formed.
Wrong. Those are the words of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada in 2005 when the Republican majority was about to change the filibuster rules to stop Democrats from obstructing the nominees of the then-Republican president.
Oh, don't get me wrong. The hypocrisy is equal on both sides. Senator Mitch McConnell was just as firmly for a rules change in 2005 when Republicans were in power, as he is against a rules change now; since Republicans are in the minority.
No shame, no limit to what the career politicians in Washington D.C. will do to push their agenda.
* * *
Having said that, am I a hypocrite? I have, on several occasions, been critical of petitions on Change.org. Not the change.org system, but of specific petitions. Now I've just signed one such petition.
It calls on McDonald's to stop mandating the use of debit cards for payment of wages owed to employees. Now I'm fine with a company paying the employees via debit card; as long as the employee incurs ZERO costs in the process. When the employee has to pay any fees at all, it's not longer acceptable.
If a company issues a pay check and the employee incurs costs to cash that check, it may or may not be their fault. If they can't open a bank account because of prior overdrafts or the like, that's not the employer's issue. But the paper check doesn't mandate fees from a third-party that's making money on the transaction...and may or may not be sharing those fees with the employer.
It's a bad system.
* * *
This Date in History:
On this date in 622, the Muslim calendar comes into being.
On this date in 1661, the first banknotes in Europe are issued by a Swedish bank.
On this date in 1769, Father Junipero Serra founds the first mission in CA.
On this date in 1790, the Residence Act is signed, and the District of Columbia is established as the U.S. capital.
On this date in 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie signed the first Constitution of Ethiopia.
On this date in 1935, the first parking meter ever is installed in Oklahoma City, OK.
On this date in 1941, Joe DiMaggio hits in his 56th consecutive game.
On this date in 1945, the U.S.S. Indianapolis set sail for Tinian Island with parts for the atomic bomb "Little Boy".
Also on this date in 1945, the first successful detonation of a plutonium-based nuclear weapons takes place in New Mexico.
On this date in 1950, 30 U.S. wounded and a chaplain attending to them were massacred by North Korean troops.
On this date in 1956, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus holds their last show in a "big-top tent." From this point forward their shows were in arenas.
On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 is launched.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Clare of Assisi
Samuel Huntington
Roald Amundsen
Kathleen Norris
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Percy Kilbride
Orville Redenbacher
Barbara Stanwyck
Ginger Rogers
Sonny Tufts
Bess Myerson
Dick Thornburgh
Richard Bryan (Happy Birthday, sir. Always appreciated how nice you were when interviewing you)
Margaret Court
Jimmy Johnson
Ruben Blades
Stewart Copeland
Tony Kushner
Michael Flatley
Phil Hellmuth (he is a brat)
Miguel Indurain
Will Farrell
Barry Sanders
Darryl Mitchell
Rain Pryer
Corey Feldman
Anna Smashnova (is that a great name for a tennis player or what?)
Movie quotes today come from "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" because it is Will Ferrell's birthday.
[on why Ricky should resume his racing career]
Susan: It's because it's what you love, Ricky. It is who you were born to be. And here you sit, thinking. Well, Ricky Bobby is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver. He is a doer. And that's what you need to do. You don't need to think. You need to drive. You need speed. You need to go out there, and you need to rev your engine. You need to fire it up. You need to grab a hold of that line between speed and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra! And then, when the fear rises up in your belly, you use it. And you know that fear is powerful, because it has been there for billions of years. And it is good. And you use it. And you ride it; you ride it like a skeleton horse through the gates of hell, and then you win, Ricky. You WIN! And you don't win for anybody else. You win for you, you know why? Because a man takes what he wants. He takes it all. And you're a man, aren't you? Aren't you?
Ricky Bobby: [pauses] Susan, I've never heard you talk like that... Are we about to get it on? Because I'm as hard as a diamond in an ice storm right now.
#2
Cal Naughton, Jr.: So when you say psychosomatic, you mean like he could start a fire with his thoughts?
#3
PA Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a new track record. As it stands now, Jean Girard is sitting on the pole, which is a statement of fact, and is in no way a comment on the driver's sexual orientation.
Nonviolent protests have an effective message. People expressing outrage without causing the people they want to influence to fear them have a much better chance of being heard. That audience tunes out when small groups like last night's ruin the protest.
It isn't the fault of organizers. They can't control everyone at a protest. Police need to take action to rein in those who are going to engage in illegal acts; while preserving the right of the majority to protest peacefully.
That change is needed is a given. Sadly, it is so unlikely that the Justice Department will bring a civil rights violation case against Zimmerman; and worse yet, even more unlikely they'd win, ultimately the protestors won't get what they are shouting for. If you define "justice" for Trayvon Martin as the conviction and imprisonment of George Zimmerman, you will almost certainly wind up disappointed.
That isn't a statement of what I want to see happen. It's an opinion about what I think is going to happen.
* * *
Today's random ponderings:
Does Kris Jenner not know where North really is? Or is she just such a fame whore she'd use her grandchild as a tease to keep viewers tuned in to her debut talk show and then show the baby of a show employee? Yeah, she's a major fame whore. http://search.yahoo.com/search;_ylt=AvEvL2dYlvKubZwUh1mvnD.bvZx4?fr=yfp-t-900-s&toggle=1&cop=mss&ei=UTF-8&p=kris%20jenner%20queen%20of%20everything If this were an attempt at humor it might be funny, but that she really believes it makes it frightening.
Is "Pelicans" really a good name for a professional sports franchise? It doesn't inspire ferocity or competitiveness, does it?
Why is it that the President can only serve two terms, in many states governors and other state-level elected officials can only serve two terms, but members of Congress can serve for as long as they can stay alive, and get reelected?
Why do people think that if a movie makes at least as much as the "production budget" at the box office, it will be a money maker.
Was TV series creator Donald P. Bellisario prescient? His shows "JAG" and "NCIS" didn't want to pay license fees to CNN, so they created a fictional cable news network called ZNN. Now CNN has become the Zimmerman News Network, so ZNN really seems to exist.
Did Michelle Bachman, soon to be former-member of Congress, say she wants to spank President Obama? I thought conservatives didn't go in for the kinky stuff.
If the Zimmerman case jurors really wanted anonymity, is going on TV to give interviews and making a book deal the best way to preserve it?
Will we hear outrage today from the Reverend Al Sharpton over the judge revoking Chris Brown's probation?
* * *
What a difference a few years makes.
"For people to suggest that you can break the rules to change the rules is un-American. The only way you can change the rule in this body is through a rule that now says, to change a rule in the Senate rules to break a filibuster still requires 67 votes. You can't do it with 60. You certainly cannot do it with 51. But now we are told the majority is going to do the so-called nuclear option."
Clearly that's someone who doesn't agree with that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid plans to do in changing the Senate's rules on filibustering of presidential nominees, right? Some Republican unhappy that the majority is going to uses its power to strip the minority of its ability to use a process that's been part and parcel of our government since Congress was formed.
Wrong. Those are the words of Senator Harry Reid of Nevada in 2005 when the Republican majority was about to change the filibuster rules to stop Democrats from obstructing the nominees of the then-Republican president.
Oh, don't get me wrong. The hypocrisy is equal on both sides. Senator Mitch McConnell was just as firmly for a rules change in 2005 when Republicans were in power, as he is against a rules change now; since Republicans are in the minority.
No shame, no limit to what the career politicians in Washington D.C. will do to push their agenda.
* * *
Having said that, am I a hypocrite? I have, on several occasions, been critical of petitions on Change.org. Not the change.org system, but of specific petitions. Now I've just signed one such petition.
It calls on McDonald's to stop mandating the use of debit cards for payment of wages owed to employees. Now I'm fine with a company paying the employees via debit card; as long as the employee incurs ZERO costs in the process. When the employee has to pay any fees at all, it's not longer acceptable.
If a company issues a pay check and the employee incurs costs to cash that check, it may or may not be their fault. If they can't open a bank account because of prior overdrafts or the like, that's not the employer's issue. But the paper check doesn't mandate fees from a third-party that's making money on the transaction...and may or may not be sharing those fees with the employer.
It's a bad system.
* * *
This Date in History:
On this date in 622, the Muslim calendar comes into being.
On this date in 1661, the first banknotes in Europe are issued by a Swedish bank.
On this date in 1769, Father Junipero Serra founds the first mission in CA.
On this date in 1790, the Residence Act is signed, and the District of Columbia is established as the U.S. capital.
On this date in 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie signed the first Constitution of Ethiopia.
On this date in 1935, the first parking meter ever is installed in Oklahoma City, OK.
On this date in 1941, Joe DiMaggio hits in his 56th consecutive game.
On this date in 1945, the U.S.S. Indianapolis set sail for Tinian Island with parts for the atomic bomb "Little Boy".
Also on this date in 1945, the first successful detonation of a plutonium-based nuclear weapons takes place in New Mexico.
On this date in 1950, 30 U.S. wounded and a chaplain attending to them were massacred by North Korean troops.
On this date in 1956, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus holds their last show in a "big-top tent." From this point forward their shows were in arenas.
On this date in 1969, Apollo 11 is launched.
Famous Folk Born On This Date:
Clare of Assisi
Samuel Huntington
Roald Amundsen
Kathleen Norris
Shoeless Joe Jackson
Percy Kilbride
Orville Redenbacher
Barbara Stanwyck
Ginger Rogers
Sonny Tufts
Bess Myerson
Dick Thornburgh
Richard Bryan (Happy Birthday, sir. Always appreciated how nice you were when interviewing you)
Margaret Court
Jimmy Johnson
Ruben Blades
Stewart Copeland
Tony Kushner
Michael Flatley
Phil Hellmuth (he is a brat)
Miguel Indurain
Will Farrell
Barry Sanders
Darryl Mitchell
Rain Pryer
Corey Feldman
Anna Smashnova (is that a great name for a tennis player or what?)
Movie quotes today come from "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" because it is Will Ferrell's birthday.
[on why Ricky should resume his racing career]
Susan: It's because it's what you love, Ricky. It is who you were born to be. And here you sit, thinking. Well, Ricky Bobby is not a thinker. Ricky Bobby is a driver. He is a doer. And that's what you need to do. You don't need to think. You need to drive. You need speed. You need to go out there, and you need to rev your engine. You need to fire it up. You need to grab a hold of that line between speed and chaos, and you need to wrestle it to the ground like a demon cobra! And then, when the fear rises up in your belly, you use it. And you know that fear is powerful, because it has been there for billions of years. And it is good. And you use it. And you ride it; you ride it like a skeleton horse through the gates of hell, and then you win, Ricky. You WIN! And you don't win for anybody else. You win for you, you know why? Because a man takes what he wants. He takes it all. And you're a man, aren't you? Aren't you?
Ricky Bobby: [pauses] Susan, I've never heard you talk like that... Are we about to get it on? Because I'm as hard as a diamond in an ice storm right now.
#2
Cal Naughton, Jr.: So when you say psychosomatic, you mean like he could start a fire with his thoughts?
#3
PA Announcer: Ladies and Gentlemen, that is a new track record. As it stands now, Jean Girard is sitting on the pole, which is a statement of fact, and is in no way a comment on the driver's sexual orientation.
posted by me at 9:41 AM
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