Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Our Supposed Role Models Are Failing Us


There can be no valid campaign against bullying
in America until the ultimate, empowered bullies in 
law enforcement are held accountable for their crimes 
and stopped from causing further harm.

No child will ever listen to a call to 'act more humanely'
or 'take responsibility' if the community members they
are told to honor and emulate are out of control and
beyond reproach.

***

Saturday, November 25, 2017

Power Corrupts

Giving the absolute authority
of a badge and a gun
to a human being
reveals parts of their soul
perhaps unknown even to them.

Without sufficient instruction
and regulation, there is nothing
keeping that sleeping giant 
from fully awakening.

***

To 'serve and protect' whom?


Every day across this nation and
around the world, police forces are
targeting regular citizens with excessive
force, dismissiveness, unwarranted brutality,
and unregulated anger.

These are not isolated incidents, but
rather the new norm. We know more and 
more about the regularity of this
criminal behavior by those sworn to serve and 
protect, but only because of social media.

Journalism has become a discarded
artifact. Even among those agencies
still doing some good work, law enforcement is 
off limits (except when it comes to puff 
pieces about rescuing kittens, or indoctrination
messages to keep up the notion of
'dutiful, stand-up civil servants who
are beyond reproach.')

That's what happens when all your outlets 
are owned by the same folks whose
special interests are being protected
by the men and women behind the badges.

***

Anger Management


If there is neither a 'carrot' or a 'stick'
being used to motivate change, there
will be no change.

Human beings will generally try to
get away with whatever they are
able to, so when here are no real
repercussions for bad behavior, the
stigma against such behavior 
ceases to exist.

***