The Hot Topic - Thoughts on the Zimmeman case

So It seems these days everyone is talking about the Trayvon Martin ruling.  I have really been listening and contemplating both sides of the argument and here is what I have decided.  Let me start by saying that no parent should ever have to lose their child.  I really cannot imagine the devastation that the parents feel.

There are 2 separate issues that I really see rearing their ugly head in this trial:  racism and gun control.  So I will spend the rest of the post examining why our country is so divided on both of these subject.  Now I am about as white as they come and I think that my viewpoint may not even matter to some based solely on that reasoning

Racism:  When I take race completely out of the equation and just think about a young man acting sketchy and place myself in the role of George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, I think I too would be compelled to figure out what is going on with the young man.  If the man then struck me and proceeded to pummel me I too would be scared for my life and if I thought I was going to be harmed and possibly lose my life I too would stand my ground.  Now that is the premise that the courtroom has come to the decision that happened.  If this truly is what happened then I think there should be no argument on George Zimmerman's actions that night.  Some of the other arguments have been that there was racial profiling that happened that night.  Now without knowing the heart of the witnesses I cannot positively say that occurred or not.  I do know that if I was asked to describe a black man I would describe him as a black man.  Likewise if Trayvon Martin would have been white I would have described him as a white man.  That isn't racial profiling, that is just a description.  I heard one account from a protest of the Zimmerman trial where someone was quoted as saying "I'm here because our children can't even walk on the streets without fearing for their lives."  I don't think that Trayvon Martin was shot for walking down the streets or should have been scared to do so, but when you attack someone and don't expect them to stand their ground that is much different than just walking down the street.  I agree with the protesters quote that no child should have to fear for their lives while just walking down the street, but in the courtrooms assessment that is not what happened.  I am sure that racial profiling still does happen, but in this case the evidence doesn't seem to substantiate that claim.

Gun Control:  Now this is a bit more difficult to think about.  Where do we draw the line?  At what point am I in the right to act in self defense?  Do I really need to have my head bashed into the pavement before I can say I am getting my butt kicked, I need to do something about this or I might end up dead?  I have my conceal/carry license, but I would never once think about pulling out my firearm unless I felt a significant amount of fear for my life or for the life of those I love.  We just recently watched a story of a woman who had her child stolen out of her shopping basket and held at knife point.  This happened at a grocery store that my wife shops at frequently.    Eventually the man responsible was shot in the head by authorities.  I have pondered over the last few days what I would have done if I was the mother in the situation and if it were my child I would not have hesitated to put down the person threatening harm to my child with the weapon at the childs neck, regardless of their skin color.  I don't care if you are black, white, red, or yellow, the fact is no one is going to bring harm to my daughters.  I wonder if I had of done that what the media reaction would have been?  Could it have turned into another Trayvon Martin situation?  Who knows? 

I have no ill will for any race, but I think that sometimes we need to just look at situations without race being a factor and just look at the facts.  If the facts point towards someone being guilty they probably are and if the facts seem to indicate they are innocent they probably are.

Just my take.

More Social Experiments (5 &6)

So its been a while since I have done some social experiments or even thought about conducting a social experiment but I have thought of a few.  I am relatively sure that I will do the first one and I am not sure if I am mean enough to do the last one, but I would love to be there if someone wants to do the last one.

Experiment 5 - "The Poke Test"

The Test : So just today I was on my phone and admiring the new changes that have been to the facebook app and for some reason the "Poke" button seems to be much more evident than it has been in the past.  Now keep in mind I have been subscribed to Facebook since April 1, 2006 and never once have I ever Poked someone.  So rather than poke just a few people I think it would be funny to poke every single one of my 300 friends and record the results.  I would like to do this on 3 different intervals and just see what happens:

Expectations:  I think that about 1/3 will either poke back and/or make a comment somehow.  The second poke maybe a few more pokes/comment and by the third time I am pretty sure some will be asking me to stop.  Im laughing out loud just thinking about doing this.

Results:  TBD



Experiment 6 - "The Groceries Test"

The Test:  A few week back Amy had asked me to pick up some groceries at the store.  I agreed not knowing what I was getting myself into.  I filled up a grocery cart full of groceries.  The end receipt was around $220.   As I was taking my groceries out of the basket and placing them on the assembly line I kept thinking to myself wouldnt it be funny if I got to the very end of my groceries after I was almost checked out and just walked away?  Dont take the groceries or anything just walk away.  This would be an incredibly cruel joke to play and as a former cashier I am not sure I could do it, but I would love to see someone do it.

Expectations:  I would expect the cashier that is conducting the checkout would be very confused going as far as to look for the individual that left all the groceries on hand.  I am sure some would laugh it off, others might not be as happy about the joke  I wouldnt wanna hang around too much if you do this and I am not sure if I can even condone it, but t could be really funny.

Results:  TBD

My How Time Flies

Wow.  Cant believe that my last entry was so long ago.  I am pretty embarrassed to have not blogged in so long.  Honestly I have just been so incredibly busy that it has been hard to keep up with anything.  Here are a few thoughts to summarize my life at this moment:

1.  Amy and I are having another girl!!  I cant wait to see Kaitlyn get to see her baby sis for the very first time.  It has been a rough pregnancy for her, but she has handled it like a champ.  I am so blessed to have her in my life and so thankful for my (soon to be) 2 daughters that she has provided me with.

2.  Year 1 of youth ministry is in the books.  I always grew up with the desire to minister and spread the good news to everyone, but particularly to the youth.  We have some awesome kids at Ridgecrest and it has been wonderful to see the growing spiritually everyday.  I am working a full time job while working the youth ministry.  Although it is very time consuming, I really love the work and am trying to minister to the kids as best as I know how to.  

3.  I want a motorcycle.  I have always been infatuated with motorcycles.  I think the love for motorcycle started when I was about 10.  There was a show called Renegade and the star of the show drove a motorcycle everywhere he went and from then on I was hooked.

 I have never owned a motorcycle, but I think the desire to get one recently is brought on by a few factors.  No, its not a midlife crisis thing.  My father in law, Tony, rode motorcycles quite a bit before he found out that he had cancer.  Tony is one of the strongest guys I know.  The doctors told him that the cancer that he has usually has a low survivor rate and those do not survive usually pass away within the first 3-6 months.  We are 2 years removed from that statement and I would love to tell you that he is going to survive, but the unfortunate truth is I think that he will be passing away soon.  Tony is going to die much younger than he should have and it makes me pause and realize that this life is so short.  What am I doing with my life?  Am I really living?  It makes me sit back and ponder the questions like if I were to pass away in the next 5 years would I have done everything that I wanted in life?  I think for the most part I can answer yes to that question.  I got the girl I wanted, I have a gorgeous daughter, I even have 2 dogs that I wanted.  I have the job that i want and I get to spread the word of God every day.  I even get paid to do something I love to do in the first place!  Another thing that I always found fascinating was spreading the good word in new and unique ways.  If I ever were to buy a motorcycle I have talked to some brothers in Christ that have said they would want to ride too and I think it would just be a neat concept to have a "motorcycle ministry".   So if you  ever happen to catch me riding along on a 2 wheeler and wonder why I want to ride so bad I would say it boils down to a few things.  I ride to remember, I ride to live life to the fullest, and with everything I do, I ride to Serve.  

It feels good to sit and write for a while, been too long.  I guess ill update in another 2 years or so :).