(originally published September 30, 2010)
A friend has been accused of a crime. What do you do?
Someone I know has been charged with suspicion of a pretty bad offense. Not the crime itself - he was charged with suspicion so that police could search his home to look for evidence. His name and face have been publicly displayed and to judge from comments from the public, he has already been found guilty in people's hearts.
Even if cleared of all charges, his name is smeared. He will probably have to leave his home - move to another city. Maybe another state.
Saying anything in his favor most likely besmirches me in the minds of some, but I honestly don't think that he'd harm anyone. Can't say I care for his politics, but being a conservative doesn't automatically make everyone a demon. Nevertheless, I'm not mentioning specifics. I don't want to help spread stories before I know the truth. In the unlikely event that anyone comments here, I ask the same of you.
And I do want to know the truth. If I've been wrong about this man, if he's actually guilty, then I will no longer consider him a friend. Go ahead and vilify him then. I'll even bring the tar and feathers.
I'd just like to know: what happened to "innocent until proven guilty?" Why must the evening news turn police suspicion into national suspicion? Why prematurely destroy someone's life? Why turn public opinion so roundly against him that only cave-dwellers could possibly give him a fair trial?
A trial that can never truly exonerate him anyway.
No matter how this turns out, it's disturbing.
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
25 things about me
People are always doing this on FB. This time I got tagged. Only thing is I'm not sure I can come up with 25 things. At least not 25 interesting things. At any rate, I'm putting it here so that, if I do manage to finish the list, it will be saved for the next time I'm tagged.
1. I only cut my hair to play a part, although sometimes that part is "job applicant." No special reason, I just prefer it long. I look dorky either way so I might as well be happy about it.
2. While it was the most painful experience of my life, I still would not presume to compare passing a kidney stone to giving birth. Come on, guys. If it lasted for hours, hurt like that all the way to the end, and you couldn't have codeine, and when the stone had passed you then had to take care of it for 25 years, then maybe it would be comparable.
3. I know what your dreams mean.
4. I auditioned for "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" (season 2). I still want to be a superhero. Sometimes, though, I'd rather be an Evil Overlord. I practically memorized the handbook.
5. My job title should be "Computer Systems Babysitter."
6. When I was 10, a Ouija board told me that I would die at age 65. I don't believe it, but for some reason can't put it out of my mind. Maybe because that's how old my grandfather was when he went. So it's kind of like a contest for me - on my 66th birthday I'll yell "I win!" and then probably keel right over.
7. I've been known to wear strange costumes.
8. I killed a rabid possum with a Bowie knife. It was him or me.
9. I've grown to hate computers over the years. This probably means that I should change careers, but I'm getting to the age where this is just too scary a proposition. So I'll probably hang on till I'm a bitter old man, then end my days as a Wal-Mart greeter.
10. I don't exist when I sleep.
11. I am not photogenic. I mean, just look! I look at pictures of me and think, "I look better than that."
12. Completely addicted to coffee. I'm pretty sure that I've built up a strong immunity to caffeine by now.
13. You will probably not meet a lazier man than I. If you do, you'll have to wake him up to say hi.
14. I used to think that I was a Scotch drinker. Then I tried Laphroaig. I quickly decided that I only like some kinds of Scotch, and no kinds of turpentine.
15. In spite of the fact that I know how to calculate odds, I still buy an occasional lottery ticket. Because no matter how closely a number approaches zero, it's still more than zero.
16. I hate when a manager puts a hand on my shoulder. I used to think that this was a touch of homophobia, but one day I learned that I hate it just as much when a female boss does it. The gesture is condescending and indicates ownership. It makes me want to throw a punch.
17. I always look like I'm angry. That's just my default facial expression. I'm not angry. One of the quickest ways to get me angry is to constantly ask me what's wrong.
18. I prefer dogs, but I own cats. As much as anyone can own cats. Actually I get on well with most animals. But not bugs.
19. I can do most of the Muppet voices. I felt ripped off when Henson died and
there was no open casting. But now I can truthfully say that I sound more like Kermit than Kermit does. My talent for cartoon voices largely goes unappreciated, especially when my son and I do Beavis and Butthead.
20. I'm agnostic. I've tried looking into several different religions, but when it comes right down to it I just don't know what lies beyond this life. Furthermore, no one really knows. There's only one way to find out, and that's a one-way trip. I spent a long time hating on Christians, but anymore I only hate on people who bug me about religion. That's another way to get me angry.
21. I own stock in a company that makes flying cars, just because I feel cheated by the 21st century.
22. Despite appearances to the contrary, I'm not a liberal. I just believe that our government should be more concerned with individuals than profits. More about helping people and less about killing people. More regulation on corporations and less on copulation. And that doesn't make me a socialist nor does it make me any less a patriot. We have a very good Constitution and I never abandoned the oath I took as a soldier to defend it. Okay, rant over.
23. Sometimes I appear on-stage. Once in a while I've been paid for it.
24. I owned a hang glider for three years and never used it once. How sad is that? I ended up selling it for about $30 more than I bought it for. I hope the guy who bought it, used it.
25. If I bleed on a repair project, that project is a guaranteed success. No I don't think that I have magic blood - it's mostly because I'll be damned if I let some machine taste my blood and then not work for me.
Huh, what do you know? I finished.
1. I only cut my hair to play a part, although sometimes that part is "job applicant." No special reason, I just prefer it long. I look dorky either way so I might as well be happy about it.2. While it was the most painful experience of my life, I still would not presume to compare passing a kidney stone to giving birth. Come on, guys. If it lasted for hours, hurt like that all the way to the end, and you couldn't have codeine, and when the stone had passed you then had to take care of it for 25 years, then maybe it would be comparable.
3. I know what your dreams mean.
4. I auditioned for "Who Wants To Be A Superhero" (season 2). I still want to be a superhero. Sometimes, though, I'd rather be an Evil Overlord. I practically memorized the handbook.5. My job title should be "Computer Systems Babysitter."
6. When I was 10, a Ouija board told me that I would die at age 65. I don't believe it, but for some reason can't put it out of my mind. Maybe because that's how old my grandfather was when he went. So it's kind of like a contest for me - on my 66th birthday I'll yell "I win!" and then probably keel right over.
7. I've been known to wear strange costumes.
8. I killed a rabid possum with a Bowie knife. It was him or me.
9. I've grown to hate computers over the years. This probably means that I should change careers, but I'm getting to the age where this is just too scary a proposition. So I'll probably hang on till I'm a bitter old man, then end my days as a Wal-Mart greeter.
10. I don't exist when I sleep.
11. I am not photogenic. I mean, just look! I look at pictures of me and think, "I look better than that."
12. Completely addicted to coffee. I'm pretty sure that I've built up a strong immunity to caffeine by now.
13. You will probably not meet a lazier man than I. If you do, you'll have to wake him up to say hi.
14. I used to think that I was a Scotch drinker. Then I tried Laphroaig. I quickly decided that I only like some kinds of Scotch, and no kinds of turpentine.
15. In spite of the fact that I know how to calculate odds, I still buy an occasional lottery ticket. Because no matter how closely a number approaches zero, it's still more than zero.
16. I hate when a manager puts a hand on my shoulder. I used to think that this was a touch of homophobia, but one day I learned that I hate it just as much when a female boss does it. The gesture is condescending and indicates ownership. It makes me want to throw a punch.
17. I always look like I'm angry. That's just my default facial expression. I'm not angry. One of the quickest ways to get me angry is to constantly ask me what's wrong.
18. I prefer dogs, but I own cats. As much as anyone can own cats. Actually I get on well with most animals. But not bugs.
19. I can do most of the Muppet voices. I felt ripped off when Henson died and
there was no open casting. But now I can truthfully say that I sound more like Kermit than Kermit does. My talent for cartoon voices largely goes unappreciated, especially when my son and I do Beavis and Butthead.20. I'm agnostic. I've tried looking into several different religions, but when it comes right down to it I just don't know what lies beyond this life. Furthermore, no one really knows. There's only one way to find out, and that's a one-way trip. I spent a long time hating on Christians, but anymore I only hate on people who bug me about religion. That's another way to get me angry.
21. I own stock in a company that makes flying cars, just because I feel cheated by the 21st century.
22. Despite appearances to the contrary, I'm not a liberal. I just believe that our government should be more concerned with individuals than profits. More about helping people and less about killing people. More regulation on corporations and less on copulation. And that doesn't make me a socialist nor does it make me any less a patriot. We have a very good Constitution and I never abandoned the oath I took as a soldier to defend it. Okay, rant over.
23. Sometimes I appear on-stage. Once in a while I've been paid for it.
24. I owned a hang glider for three years and never used it once. How sad is that? I ended up selling it for about $30 more than I bought it for. I hope the guy who bought it, used it.
25. If I bleed on a repair project, that project is a guaranteed success. No I don't think that I have magic blood - it's mostly because I'll be damned if I let some machine taste my blood and then not work for me.
Huh, what do you know? I finished.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Hope for the future
Originally published August 13, 2007
When we moved to Omaha from St. Peters three years ago, my girl had limited exposure to races other than her own. Not nonexistent, but never before had she felt that she was in a minority group. Her first couple of weeks in the new school were a little scary for her. What I learned from talking (but mostly listening) with her was that it was not the skin color that scared her, but the different way that people behaved around her: confrontational, as if daring her to be racist, all the while seemingly ignorant of just how racist that behavior is in and of itself.
But she adjusted. Last year she introduced us to her first boyfriend. If my little girl has to grow up and start dating, I could not have asked her to make a better choice. He was (and is) interesting, bright, hard-working, respectful, and creative, and the color of dark chocolate.
Unfortunately, like most teenage romances, it didn't last long, and I won't get into blaming anyone for it. I knew it would probably happen, and yes it did break her heart. But I wouldn't have wanted her to miss the experience of her first boyfriend, and I am so glad to have spent some time with him myself. I am encouraged that she will make good life choices.
I have read, from Joseph Campbell, that no one ever leaves behind the religion of their childhood. I believe that the prejudices that our parents imprint upon our young minds are never truly left behind, either, and for much the same reason. I have done my best to leave both -- I would never consider myself Baptist now, nor any brand of Christian, and I have come to hate the close-minded attitudes of the generation that raised me.
But there's a small spot, in the back of my mind, that remains a refuge for all the superstition, all the prejudice, that my parents branded upon me. They sit in their shadowy cage, knowing that I will never open the lock, yet always ready to try the bars just the same. I am gratified, however, to have refused to let it imprint upon my children. It dies with me.
The future is taking a lot longer to get here than it should, but I am confident that it will arrive.
Update September 4, 2010
I like to dust this off and read it once in a while...especially when my daughter enters a new relationship. I still believe that she will make good choices without being reminded every morning, but the protective instinct never goes away. Sometimes it needs to be caged up too.
I also need the reminder that things are getting better. In our current political climate, it's easy to forget.
When we moved to Omaha from St. Peters three years ago, my girl had limited exposure to races other than her own. Not nonexistent, but never before had she felt that she was in a minority group. Her first couple of weeks in the new school were a little scary for her. What I learned from talking (but mostly listening) with her was that it was not the skin color that scared her, but the different way that people behaved around her: confrontational, as if daring her to be racist, all the while seemingly ignorant of just how racist that behavior is in and of itself.
But she adjusted. Last year she introduced us to her first boyfriend. If my little girl has to grow up and start dating, I could not have asked her to make a better choice. He was (and is) interesting, bright, hard-working, respectful, and creative, and the color of dark chocolate.
Unfortunately, like most teenage romances, it didn't last long, and I won't get into blaming anyone for it. I knew it would probably happen, and yes it did break her heart. But I wouldn't have wanted her to miss the experience of her first boyfriend, and I am so glad to have spent some time with him myself. I am encouraged that she will make good life choices.
I have read, from Joseph Campbell, that no one ever leaves behind the religion of their childhood. I believe that the prejudices that our parents imprint upon our young minds are never truly left behind, either, and for much the same reason. I have done my best to leave both -- I would never consider myself Baptist now, nor any brand of Christian, and I have come to hate the close-minded attitudes of the generation that raised me.
But there's a small spot, in the back of my mind, that remains a refuge for all the superstition, all the prejudice, that my parents branded upon me. They sit in their shadowy cage, knowing that I will never open the lock, yet always ready to try the bars just the same. I am gratified, however, to have refused to let it imprint upon my children. It dies with me.
The future is taking a lot longer to get here than it should, but I am confident that it will arrive.
Update September 4, 2010
I like to dust this off and read it once in a while...especially when my daughter enters a new relationship. I still believe that she will make good choices without being reminded every morning, but the protective instinct never goes away. Sometimes it needs to be caged up too.
I also need the reminder that things are getting better. In our current political climate, it's easy to forget.
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