I have gotten a few comments from people who have read the blog and come to the conclusion that I wanted the Seattle Police to shoot Brian Keith Brown on sight.  They point to the breaking news post on Brown's surrender, in which I said Breaking: James Paroline's killer Brian Keith Brown caught (alive)!, and also at the end of this post when I said:

“Another person is dead, and another, will likely be on his way to prison for killing him, unless of course he is justifiably shot by the police first.”

In the conversation I'm having with my Black friends, and my white friends, the perspective is different; not a judgement, just an observation.

My White friends have simply been saying, "turn himself in".  My Black friends have been saying, "how is he going to turn himself in without getting shot first?"

Yes, obviously if you don't go around killing strangers, you don't run the risk of being hunted by the police.  But you don't have to be Black and a criminal to get killed by the police.  Mostly you just have to be Black and male. 

I work in criminal justice and civil rights so I understand the psychological struggle behind the trigger finger.

And all one had to do was pay attention to what was happening in the details and the reporting of this story to see how it could have gone.

First of all they charged the man, so from jump start he's not a suspect, he's the accused.  Big difference in a lot of ways.

Secondly, in the warrant they listed Brown as armed and dangerous.  One's body is a weapon.  They weren't talking about an AK-47, they were talking about his fists.  That means every single move he makes is being looked upon as a possible threat to one's life.

Thirdly, everyone in the region is keeping an eye out for you.  People are putting preasure on your family.  Your seven year old son knows the cops are looking for daddy.  Your mother is giving interviews from California via cell phone.  You have no where to go.

Fourth:    The driver's license photo is one thing.  At best, he looks like a punk.

Fifth:  This is the photo of a mean-looking criminal.  This, with a few others, was released by police the night his family contacted Chris H. and the NAACP.  Those jail photos were released for a reason; to remind the greater community that they were not looking for a man who made a simple mistake.  No, they were looking for a man who already had a violent history who had killed someone with one punch; armed and dangerous.

So, having watched all of this, I shared those questions.  Are we going to hear that he was caught, that he surrendered, or that he was shot to death?  Hell, I even suggested he strip down to his birthday suit and lay in the street and call 911 on his own; people thought that was a joke or a smart comment.  It wasn't.

I never, ever wanted police to shoot him.  How would that separate me from the White Power websites that suggested all the White people in the Beach get a rope and "lynch the nigger"?

While some asked for genuine clarification, others just jumped right to "oh sure, of course it's okay for YOU to want the cops to shoot him." 

Why would I want that?  Because I'm Black?  That makes no sense.  Even if he had killed my child, and I can honestly say this, even if he had killed my child I would want his ass to rot in prison for the rest of his life.  Death is too easy.  You deserve to suffer for the rest of your life.  That's the vengeful part of me in a nutshell; think about this every single day for the rest of your life.

Shoot him?  Spill his blood in the street like James Paroline's blood was spilled?  No.

I would never suggest such a thing.

Some people felt like Brown "hid" behind the NAACP and the Church.

No.  I couldn't disagree more.  The reason it took him so long to turn himself in is because he was scared for his life.

Now, I know that people want to act like Brian Brown is pure animal; no feeling, no remorse.  We don't know that.  I assume he has feeling.  I assume he was pretrified, in hiding, because he knew the Seattle police were looking for his ass, and by any means necessary, they were going to get him.

No, that surrender had to be handled carefully.  When I heard that he had given himself up in a church, the strategist in me was impressed; that was smart.  That was very smart...that was damn brilliant!  You call the NAACP, and they take you to a church and then call the police.  Brilliant.  Could not have been done better.  That is why I am a member.

No fuss. No chasing, no shooting, no more death.  Just handcuffed and taken to jail to await his legal fate. 

That is how it should be, and that is what I personally wanted all along.

I feel the same way about the potential VP candidates. Many Democrats are up in arms over the suggestion of Senator Hagel being considered for the position. But, why not?  Does he line up perfectly with the Democratic Party platform? No.  Does his addition to the ticket make Barack Obama a considerably better candidate? Without a doubt.  Chuck Hagel does not agree with the Democratic Party on most issues, mainly social ones, but he does agree with the establishment on the War in Iraq as well as civil liberties and a couple of other issues.  Senator Hagel is important because he is a heavyweight of the most impressive kind on foreign policy issues and he would balance out the ticket a great deal.  While his addition would anger the left quite significantly, it would be a true show of bipartisanship and Hagel would help to cancel out some of those fears about Obama's inexperience on the world stage.  Granted, you could make the argument that there are plenty of foreign policy heavyweights in the Democratic Party, but the two main ones that I would imagine are being considered have some serious problems.  Chris Dodd, is at the center of the still yet to be determined investigation into VIP mortgage deals.  Joe Biden is notorious for putting his foot in his mouth, most memorably calling Obama something like "a good, clean black man" on the day he announced that he was going to run for President.  I guess that is what makes him intriguing, he has survived many of these remarks and still remains a very relevant figure in the American political scene and could prove very helpful in defusing any more slip ups that might come from Barack Obama over the next four months.  However, he does not bring much in the form of moderation to the ticket.  This isn't the worst thing in the world, but for the sake of bipartisanship and lessening some of the incessant bickering, I think that Senator Hagel could make a great Vice President for Barack Obama.

Israel, believing that Iran is building a bomb, is under intense pressure to launch an attack before Bush leaves office. This is a shame. The channels of diplomacy have not been given a chance to work. This timeframe is too short. Israel must hold off until real and serious negotiations can take place, likely after an Obama administration takes office. Provoking a broader war in the region that will certainly draw in the U.S. while America is still under the thumb of an despised and unpopular lame duck (who will support the attacks) may seriously backfire with the American people.

Will Israel be able to count on U.S support? Probably. But just how much is the question. In case you haven't noticed, we've got plenty of troubles of our own, and Americans have no appetite for expanding our war in the Middle East. Bombing Iran will mean, truly, the beginning of full blown regional war.

Let's not go there just because Bush is leaving office. If, as Morris states, the Iranian's are really one to four years away from the point of no return, then we still have time to talk. On this front, it's time for Bush and Olmert to get on the ball.

A voter initiative in San Francisco to rename a sewage plant in honor of George W. Bush
has received a sufficient number of signatures, and will appear on the November ballot. The idea was hatched by a group calling itself the "Presidential Memorial Commission," which by their own admission was formed over drinks at a bar.

Isn't that how all good political movements start? I'm all for this movement and I encourage all of you to look at ways in your own community that we can honor George W. Bush. I think I'll find the worst-graded bridge in my community and push for it to be named after him.

BIG SALE ON TRUCK NUTZ!!!!!!!!!!!1!

photo credit

Sightline Daily | Northwest News That Matters

Top Picks of the Day

1. California Raises Standards for Green Buildings - Los Angeles Times 07/18/2008

2. Ontario to Join Western Climate Initiative - Toronto Globe and Mail 07/18/2008

3. Sound Transit Light-rail On WA Ballot? - Seattle Times 07/18/2008

4. Blumenauer: Put a Price on Pollution - Portland Tribune 07/18/2008

5. Idaho Family on Quest to Slash Energy, Water Use - Boise Idaho Statesman 07/18/2008

6. Hydrogen Cars Could Rule the Road by 2050 - McClathchey newspapers 07/18/2008

7. US Hits Weight Marker: 1 in 4 Officially Obese - Chicago Tribune 07/18/2008

8. EPA Report on Warming: Poor, Elderly Most at Risk - Seattle Times 07/18/2008

9. Views: Driving Less Pays Off - Spokane Spokesman-Review 07/18/2008

10. Tum Tum Road Kill Proves Gray Wolf Back in WA - Olympia Olympian 07/18/2008

Sure it's a lot of personal information, but if you can't trust the Government, who can you trust? After all, the Government is only here to look after us and protect us. And where else could your information be more safe?

Take the Ministry of Defence, for example. They tell us it is just a fluke that 658 laptops were stolen between 2004 and 2007. That's in addition to the 89 that have just been lost. But hey, they have recovered 32 of these. Up until a few weeks ago, the MoD only acknowledged that 347 laptops had been stolen. Seems there were "anomalies in the reporting process" that kept ministers from knowing that another 311 had been taken. A significant number of these laptops contained, as you might suspect, secret information vital to national security.

But the MoD doesn't just keep information on the hard drives of its laptops. No, this the era of the USB memory stick. They have had 131 of these lost or stolen, but just like the laptops, they can't even say when or where. They do know that some of the sticks also had classified information on them.

Yet in the midst of admitting all of this - and given that the British government never likes to admit anything, just think of what breaches of security and carelessness with data lie unknown that this point - they dismiss out of hand any attempt by opposition parties to hold them accountable and insist they must have more and more data about every single person.  It beggars belief.

There has never been a government in this country - at least in modern times - to have such complete disregard for the people they govern.

I am currently at the Americans for Prosperty summit in Austin, TX learning about Blogging! I am getting much information and I am very excited to start getting some of these ideas implemented.

Will write more soon,

Katie

With all this stimulation going on, you’d expect that our economy, technology and pride would have been stimulated past Pluto by now. 

Actually, the USA has never equaled the vigor and innovation we’d experienced before the invention of Income Tax and the so-called "Federal Programs;" and now we’re in a downward spiral of litigation, complexity, corruption, lost liberties and economic meltdown. 

Why?  Because freedom works, politics doesn’t; politicians lie, it is their nature to gobble up power; and it is our nature to think that we have to just grin and bear it all. 

Why in the world do we think that political campaigns are about candidates and their promises?  We act (and vote and pay taxes) as if Election Day is for politicians.  Do we really want this? 

I ask because political candidates often refuse unscripted public debates and direct questions, and instead control “the message” through tightly-scripted marketing and staged events. 

I ask because “winning” campaigns cost lots of money, and you know very well where some of that money comes from. 

I ask because negative campaigning usually works. 

I ask because those stupid yard signs work (think about that!). 

I ask because the good candidates would love to have ten seconds of your time, and almost surely won’t get it.

I am one of three candidates for the important job of Indiana Governor.  You are the boss.  I respectfully suggest that this time around you interview us at least to the degree that you’d interview a burger-flipper in a fast-food restaurant.  Ask real questions and expect real answers.  Don’t take no for an answer, and watch for lies and bunk.  Watch, attend, or even host a candidates’ debate.  And when you’ve gathered your facts (yes, facts really do exist) and made your decision, tell others what you’ve found.

This is a pivotal time.  In light of what’s happening to us now, in the most fearful and rapidly collapsing culture on earth, it’s time we wake up and take our roles seriously.

And no role is more important on Election Day than that of the voter. 

…That’s you.

Crap. Wrong kind of number one ...
According to a weighty government survey, the South is (once again) the portliest part of the good ol' US of A.

DANGIT SOUTHERN PEOPLE!!!!
Can we please be number one for something positive?!?
ACK!!!

Maybe I'm overreacting.
After all, the findings are pretty much the same as they were in each of the the three previous years this fat-finding mission was performed.
::: hooray for artery-clogging consistency?!? :::

Mississippi, the perpetual red-headed stepchild of America, has reigned as Queen Supreme Pudgie Pot every year since 2004. But the rest of the region got surprisingly supersized and now the competition is ON!

Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana all embraced their inner backfat and have been bringin' the chunk harder than ever!
Collectively, these four fatties have made so much peace with being obese that there's almost nothing that sets them apart from Mississippi when it comes to the all important fat stat.
::: heavy thigh :::

Making up the 'Top Ten Most Ginormous and Jiggliest States' are:
1. Mississippi, now with 32.0% more lardass
2. Alabama, showing a sizeable 30.3 % bigger spare tire
::: You are my Heart of Dixie!! Just a little more bacon and you can be Number One, girlfriend!! :::
3. Tennessee, showing 30.1% heavier thunder thighs
4. Louisiana, packing 29.8% more junk in the trunk
5. West Virginia, with a whopping 29.5% bigger deep-fried backside
6. Arkansas, proudly packin' on 28.7% more blubber butt
7. South Carolina, balancing picnic plates on 28.4% bigger buddha bellies
8. Georgia, cramming cookies into 28.2% chunkier cheeks
9. Oklahoma, outdoing itself with 28.1% more Oreo eating
10. Texas, bringing up a fabulously fattier rear with it's 28.1% more flabtastic weigh-in

'Experts' think the traditional Southern diet -- high in fat and fried food -- may be partly to blame.
::: Oh yes! Finally - a CLUE!!! :::

Another Bacon Doughnut Egg Burger, Belva?