"...the whole system is out of order!"

In the wake of the relatively light sentence given to the BART cop who murdered Oscar Grant many people are speaking out and predictably opinions are all over the place. You can probably tell how I feel about it just by re-reading the previous sentence.

The important things to remember in this case and in all cases like this are :

• If you think that racism is dead in this country because we have a African American President then you're fooling yourself. And if you think that the aforementioned racism that many police officers are infected with vanished when Obama become President then you're also sadly mistaken.
• The police are not out there to make sure all people get justice, or even to 'serve' and 'protect.' The police are there to enforce the law. And most every law was written by, and for rich white people.
  
• There is a separate and unequal criminal justice system in this country. If you are rich and white you face an entirely different system than you do if you're black or Hispanic. Even if you're a working class or poor white person you have a better chance of getting treated better by the cops when under arrest. If you have dark skin then police everywhere will give you a harder time than they do white people.
  

I understand that we need police and many police officers do a fine and upstanding job each and every minute they are on duty, but when cases like this happen it's sad to see cops and others close ranks and defend the murder of people like Oscar Grant. I understand that in the line of duty sometimes police officers must kill, but murder is murder, no matter who does it. And those who murder should face the same punishment no matter what their profession or skin color.

Police brutality exists. Racism among the police exists. And the verdict in the Oscar Grant case proves yet again that police officers who murder in the line of duty are held to a different judicial standard than others who commit murder.

And the award goes to...

...me!

Hells yeah! I totally deserve this award that Samurai Frog gave me.:
There's no need to be humble when you wear the hat of genius as well as I do. And you know what else? Those who didn't get this award from Samurai Frog can suck it. That's right, I said, "Suck it!," you jealous bitches. You'll have to get up early and blog better than you're doing now if you want to be as great a blogger as I am.

(Seriously, I'm honored to have been chosen to receive this award. And I'm grateful for all the people who read this blog.)

I'd like to give this award to the following seven bloggers:

CDP because she sent me a kick ass drawing she did once and because she also makes me laugh with her stories about her husband and her kids.

K-Line because she's amazingly creative. She's a seamstress with the mostess and she's into all manner of design as well.

Lisa Golden because she's really getting creative on our asses, she's working on a novel in addition to her regular blogging and job hunting.

Blueberry because she's all about the music and movies and politics and family history and cats and Austin and...well you get the picture.

Godless Liberal Homo because he says the stuff most of us are too afraid to say.

if i didn't have a sense of humor because no one is funnier or cheekier about vintage stuff and retro ads than Barbara is.

Pictorial Arts because I'm in love with that blog.

You also must post seven random facts about yourself if you win this award. So here you go:

1. I wasn't always an atheist. I used to go to church, as I grew up I outgrew religion. I saw it for what it was, a method for a few people to control the actions and thoughts of many people.
2. I loved my old neighborhood in Roanoke, Virginia. It had two grocery stores, an art-house movie theater, three bars, and a bus stop from which I could access the rest of the city.
   
3. I was at one time a Future Farmer of America. If you took agriculture in my high school, which I did when I was in the 8th grade, you had to join the FFA. I never bought one of those stupid looking jackets though.
4. I was in Oakland, CA for only a few days but I really liked it.
   
5. Before I went to Oakland the furthest west I had ever been was Conway, Arkansas.
6. I really hated being in Conway, Arkansas. No shit, I really hated it. HATED IT. No wonder Bill Clinton worked so hard to get the hell out of that hellish state.
   
7. I've really liked every one I have ever met from Maine. Sure, the only ones I remember are the cute women but in my defense, they were all really nice.