Everything in its Right Place

I lean to the LEFT on just about all of my positions… but because I lean so far left, I sometimes come out on the far side of the RIGHT. When our political divisions are charted out, there seems to be a segment of the far right that finds common ground in the messaging of Bernie Sanders; and there’s a segment of the far left that supports a “Law and Order” message, like that of Donald Trump.

Instead of a line graph, where the x and y coordinates neatly sort out our political differences… we find overlap. We are not as divided as they make us out to be.

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https://buckinghamhsiao.wordpress.com/2017/03/25/the-tai-chi-diagram-yin-yang-symbol/fig-3-river-diagram-of-the-spontaneous-process-of-heaven-and-earth-from-zhao-huiqian-liu-shu-ben-yi-1751-wenyange-edition-louis-fig-12/

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When I analyze my positions, I can see common ground with those who would carry the Gadsden Flag. Liberty proves Justice… while Justice merely wishes it were Liberty.

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These are observations, drawn from what’s PUBLICLY AVAILABLE. I make my conclusions based upon what I know to be TRUE and then evaluate what will come NEXT… and I do this in the SUNLIGHT.

Available for everyone to see. Be they citizens of this Nation or citizens of another. Be they elected officials of this land or somewhere else… be they FRIEND or FOE.

If I’ve drawn these conclusions… what conclusions have they made? What’s their evaluation of the current state of Our Union.

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https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/19/politics/joe-manchin-joe-biden-build-back-better-talks-break-down/index.html

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Joe Manchin is a SMART GUY; he knows there is no I in TEAM. But I’d say, it’s clear to all of us… he can definitely see the word ME in it.

This isn’t about supporting or ending the filibuster. This isn’t about a Senator taking a principled stand against the leadership of his own party.

This is about MONEY.

Joe Manchin is doing what his DONORS want him to do… and they support the ENTIRE PARTY. And LO and BEHOLD! Wouldn’t you know it… that happens to be the position of the OTHER PARTY, too.

I wonder who foots their bills?

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https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=E01

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https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/586034-will-or-should-kamala-harris-become-the-spiro-agnew-of-2022

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Now, to be clear, I don’t believe this B.S. for one second… until I stop and think about it. What if that were me? What would I do if I had to be productive in such a toxic work environment, constantly looked down upon as inadequate or somehow lacking…

I would resign. I would want what’s best for my PARTY, my PRESIDENT, and my COUNTRY. Joe Manchin should consider doing the SAME concerning his status as a Democrat, and the leadership of the Democratic National Committee should demand it from him.

But I’m sure that won’t happen, just as it is within the REPUBLICAN PARTY.

Ted Cruz said he wouldn’t be a servile puppy for Donald Trump. Mitch McConnell believes Donald Trump should be held criminally responsible for his role in the events of January 6th. Lindsay Graham said he was done with Donald Trump… yet they ALL fall in line.

What does this say about the LEADERSHIP of the TWO PARTIES? One side is UNITED in their aggressive agenda of total INACTION, while the OTHER is unable to unite behind the agenda of the LEADER of their Party- THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Joe Manchin can find ANOTHER JOB. Joe Manchin can hop on his BOAT and sail off to CANADA while our Democracy dies… and he’ll have plenty of cash-on-hand to do all that, thanks to his DONORS.

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https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=E01

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HE can’t explain it to the folks back home. HE has done everything HE can do. HE can’t see himself voting for it. HE has a problem…

Over 80 million Americans voted for this agenda in 2020.

Q: If this is HIS opinion, why does the Democratic Party remain SILENT? Why is he allowed to do this with no consequences from Party Leadership?

A: Because they can’t continue to “do the right thing” if they can’t get RE-ELECTED… and they need more MONEY in order to do that.

Their SILENCE, bought and paid for by organizations and individuals who stand to lose money if these bills pass… BILLIONS of dollars! They save BILLIONS every year by investing just TENS of MILLIONS of dollars in EVERY political campaign. Thereby assuring their influence in the legislative process… no matter who is elected.

And now, as the storm clouds darken our skies. My Fellow Americans, I ask you… what are their intentions? What should be OURS.

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We may not be able to change the DESTINATION… we may have no control over what SHAPE it will create; but we have the ability to CHOOSE what part we will play, what position we will ultimately take. Though we have not yet made that decision… and in some cases the choices haven’t even been presented… one day, that choice must be made.

It may be heavy. It may be unpleasant and even downright disturbing… but we will not be the FIRST, and we will certainly not be the LAST.

And it doesn’t even need to be that difficult, it’s being made out to be harder than it actually is. It will only require that every one of us participates… more HANDS will lighten the LOAD.

We’ve now seen with our own eyes what the problem is and where the problem lies. If we take this moment and UNITE in common cause, we can begin a Restoration of Our Democracy. To remove what is clearly rotten and make things as they should be. To ensure INTEGRITY is found behind those walls… no matter who is chosen by THE PEOPLE to reside there.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/10/upshot/harry-trumans-home-improvement.html

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Within a defined physical framework, with an impartial, finite application of the rules… the outcome of the experiment should be the SAME. Predictable. A FACT. Demonstrated consistently, time and again.

That is, unless there is an OUTSIDE INFLUENCE on the system. A tilt. A jolt. A finger on the scale, and the result appears skewed as nothing falls into place.

Because of the reliability of the experiment itself, we can SEE what has occurred. A shift to the LEFT or a shift to the RIGHT and we can see exactly what the problem is… and we know exactly how to SOLVE IT.

**It’s written at the TOP of this page.**

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The chaos. The division. The inaction. All of it disappears when we FOCUS on the problem. We just need to STOP, catch our breath, and start it again at the upper left-hand corner… as my high school band director would say.

All together now… as ONE.

-JC

The Doors of Perception

To be polarized… what exactly does that mean? Are we referring to the idea that we stand at odds. OPPOSED… as in magnetic polar opposites.

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This polarization suggests opposition is the heart of our problem, because we are unable to find common ground from which to govern… ‘Government is the problem’. Being representative of The People who elected them, a dysfunctional government MUST be the product of a dysfunctional electorate… ‘It’s those damn voters. They just don’t understand’.

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@1:18 in the video: ”Because of the lack of gatekeepers and people who have a historical perspective… there’s a real vulnerability in the electorate.”

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Instead of believing we stand in opposition, could it be that we are actually being polarized? As in photons of LIGHT, forced into a decision between TWO DOORS…

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IF we are the LIGHT that illuminates that Shining City on a hill… maybe it’s time we considered what that means.

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If information must pass through a predetermined filter, we will never realize the full potential of this experiment. Legislative arteries, intentionally clogged by years of LARD and CORRUPTION… now working to ensure our National Security within a 21st Century Information Space.

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Can we see through the shadows… their shadows… and still see the LIGHT?

Let there be NO DOUBT!

It’s part of who we ARE, a light so bright it pierces the DARKEST night. Recognizable, no matter where you STAND.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/january-6-insurrection-trump-coup-2024-election/620843/?utm_source=msn

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Now… I may be just a simple man, but it doesn’t take an Albert Einstein to see what’s happening here. It’s the motivating factor and it’s the catalyst that allows the misinformation to GROW.

I know it. The Legislators know it. The American People know it…

Do the DONORS know it?

Do they understand that the short-term gains will not outweigh the devastating long-term consequences? I don’t know… we don’t know who they ARE.

They could be titans of industry or any number of wealthy individuals, all pooling millions of dollars into dark money SUPER-PACS. Facelessly. Anonymously… have they no sense of history at all?

There is no ROI once Democracy dies.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/world/asia/apple-daily-hong-kong.html

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Left or Right, Red or Blue. We all know what the problem is. 💰

It does not matter who you are or how much money you have, there will come a time where it’s not enough… appeasement is never an option.

But we must remember, polarized light passed through multiple filters will restore CLARITY. Our polarization unites us… we are the target of their polarization.

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Demonstrated within the first two minutes of the video

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We must secure our elections from outside interference, ensure our elections reflect the Will of The People directly, and defend the right to vote for every citizen. That is how we secure our Democracy.

Corruption is inevitable, no matter what laws we create. It’s up to us to CHOOSE who should have access to the reins of power. THE PEOPLE.

More participation equals BETTER GOVERNANCE. Always.

-JC

The Liberty to Choose

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Schrodinger proposed the thought experiment to show how absurd the idea of a state of superposition could be.

One century later, we now understand that absurdity to be part of the underlying foundation of our physical reality.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrödinger%27s_cat

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In every instance I can think of, the SANCTITY and VALUE of a potential human LIFE isn’t belittled or devalued. It’s central to the entire situation… that potential life is the reason these decisions are so significant.

What seems to get lost in the shuffle is the loss of LIFE that comes when a woman is forced to carry an unwanted pregnancy.

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Taking away a woman’s right to choose doesn’t protect the rights of potential life, it only takes away the rights of women who are alive TODAY. The search for an arbitrary determinative length of TIME shows us… instead of listening to the facts, the goal is to restrict access by shortening the length of time as much as possible.

Disregarding the rights of the women at the heart of these situations… and the person at the heart of these situations isn’t always a WOMAN.

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www.nytimes.com/2021/11/30/opinion/abortion-texas-mississippi-rape.html

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Separate is inherently unequal. That was the determination that made change necessary. Protecting EQUAL ACCESS is what the Court chose, as it should. One person’s rights should not supersede the rights of another. They should be weighed EQUALLY.

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Women are people TOO… that must be dealt with.

There is LIFE within the womb… carried by a HUMAN BEING with certain unalienable rights. They cannot be overlooked. The argument can seem somewhat civil if it’s involving consenting, legal adults… but that isn’t always the case. In many cases there’s more than ONE CHILD involved.

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Who will speak for them?

Which child will we protect when it’s YOUR daughter who is made to carry… something which they have no idea about how it was even created. By someone whom they TRUSTED. Who kept them in the dark. Intentionally. For MONTHS, if not YEARS.

How is it their fault? Why should they be made to suffer? Why is their pain somehow less than any other’s…

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There is no doubt as to when LIFE begins. It should be protected and cherished from the moment it starts.

The decision as to when that life will become a CHILD should be made by a woman in-consultation with her DOCTOR. And even then, women should be in control. Until a woman makes the decision to become a MOTHER, she is a person seeking medical care.

Women make the determinative observation. It’s HER BODY. HER FUTURE. HER CHOICE. Without her… there is NO LIFE.

We must empower women and girls with every tool at our disposal, to ensure they are successful in whatever they CHOOSE.

-JC

Insert Issue HERE ______ .

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/26/kevin-strickland-gofundme-donations/

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Is that not the embodiment of ALL our worst fears? There are few things that compare to false imprisonment… how can we call ours JUST, if this continues to happen. Is THIS what we’ve fought and died for… when it could be so much MORE…

Because I am SELFISH. I don’t want what happened to Mr. Strickland to happen to ME. Because I don’t want what happened, to happen to MY friends or MY family. Because I know… if we are SILENT, we could be next.

On this ideal we stand UNITED.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadsden_flag

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Railroaded. By those who were entrusted with AUTHORITY and POWER. The inkwell may have SPILLED all over this case, but how many others are sprinkled with the ink of their quills… how many lives were impacted by their office, in such ways that we’ll never know…

And this is just ONE case. In ONE city. In ONE STATE.

When we allow bias and prejudice against ONE, it leads to MORE. Based on race… based on gender… based on nation of origin… based on MONEY. Ideals that are not held by the MAJORITY thrive when we stand divided… chasing SHADOWS instead of establishing LAW.

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Clarity. Before ALL ELSE… let us establish what it is we are striving FOR… is it for HATRED? Is it for EXCLUSION? Or is it for UNION… already established. Does anyone else worry we’re fighting amongst ourselves, while the other side doesn’t understand what it is their opponents are fighting FOR?

We’re just throwing around a bunch of pre-packaged political rhetoric that means NOTHING when exposed in the light of actual thought and conversation. It evokes within us a guttural response. Instead of asking QUESTIONS we simply rely on our preconceived notions… most of which were misinformed from the start.

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https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-160551360299

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https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/Is-shoplifting-forcing-Walgreens-to-cut-back-in-16536960.php

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That was the solution for overcrowded prisons? Changing the dollar amount has the window-dressings of addressing a societal problem, but it does so at ARMS LENGTH. It doesn’t address the underlying issues that lead people to resort to such extreme measures.

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https://www.archdaily.com/972133/lehrer-architects-designs-new-tiny-home-villages-for-homeless-residents-in-los-angeles

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… it’s not a permanent solution, but it is a good start.

The answers we seek already exist. We’re being presented with what’s leftover… only after it’s been approved of by the DONORS.

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Explains why Democrats could only get HALF their agenda passed.

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https://nypost.com/2021/11/11/manchin-against-tax-credits-for-union-made-electric-vehicles/

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https://www.axios.com/manchin-senate-spending-biden-87a445c2-cfdf-4bba-bc20-dd62db2a613a.html

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https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/manchin-dems-2t-bill-faces-senate-gauntlet-81366189

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https://www.dailyposter.com/pharma-front-group-has-spent-1-2-million-backing-sinema/

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**Insert issue HERE _____.**

The insanity generated by a vocal MINORITY on both sides is being amped up by BOTH political parties, in order to motivate people to DONATE. Legislators legislate based on MONEY and the pursuit thereof. Instead of solving problems, they FUNDRAISE… they can’t raise MONEY on a problem that’s already been SOLVED.

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http://www.immigrationimpact.com/2018/08/28/john-mccain-legacy-immigration/#.YaQWCi9MEgo

http://www.vox.com/2020/10/22/21529710/trump-debate-family-separations

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http://www.politico.com/story/2019/08/21/federal-scientists-opioid-crisis-1673694

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/americas-heroin-epidemic/drug-overdose-deaths-rise-dramatically-places-president-trump-calls-home-n810186

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Killing_of_Eric_Garner

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_George_Floyd

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http://www.thehill.com/homenews/senate/454742-mcconnell-blocks-two-election-security-bills

http://www.cnn.com/2020/12/16/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-election-fraud/index.html

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… and the struggle marches ON.

Because this has been going on for GENERATIONS… beyond my lifetime. I was born the year Kevin Strickland went to prison. My kids will be 18 in just a few years.

Will they be just as frustrated as I am today, attempting to teach their children the SAME LESSONS tomorrow… fighting the SAME FIGHTS for things that seem so close, yet just out of reach?

Kevin Strickland is PROOF they will not.
Ahmaud Arbery is PROOF they will not.

Laws have CHANGED. Knowledge has been codified. Acknowledging that, what once was believed to be Justified… is not. Changing the way we live our daily lives. A new understanding… lessons, learned the hard way.

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“An error doesn’t become a mistake, until we refuse to correct it.”
-John F. Kennedy

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If we put aside the confusion and focus solely on the GOAL… the Mission Statement, the Ark of OUR Covenant. As She STANDS, with no biases to blind us… humility and compassion will guide us HOME.

Because that could be YOU… because that could be ME.

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https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/news/politics/2021/11/22/adam-johnson-photographed-capitol-riot-pelosi-lectern-pleads-guilty/8725500002/

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/30/us/police-killings-undercounted-study.html

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We are all but MEN, susceptible to fallacy and vice. We will find comfort in humility… because we find strength in numbers.

-JC

The Problem is Systemic… and it Must Change.

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Is there any DOUBT? After this week… how can anyone NOT see it?

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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/more-bubbas-no-black-pastors-attorney-man-accused-killing-arbery-n1284089

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https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/03/us/ahmaud-arbery-jury-what-we-know/index.html

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/17/nyregion/malcolm-x-killing-exonerated.html

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The problem is SYSTEMIC. It permeates the entire Judicial System. From the way LAWS are created to the way they are enforced, to the way Justice is carried out… how much more PROOF do we need?

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https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/18/nyregion/christopher-belter-rape-sentence.html

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https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-06-03/missouri-governor-does-not-pardon-kevin-strickland-who-prosecutor-says-is-wrongfully-imprisoned

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On January 15, 2021, James Comey was on The Beat w/ Ari Melber, talking about possible charges being brought in connection with the January 6th insurrection. While speaking about potential investigatory strategies that might be pursued by the FBI, Dir. Comey spoke about “prosecutorial discretion”.

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I tried to find the footage from that interview but… apparently it has fallen down the memory hole.

As an example of the potential unwarranted collateral damage the FBI could cause simply by bringing charges and issuing warrants for arrest, Dir. Comey suggested a hypothetical case of two parents being charged with drug trafficking.

IF there were multiple children in the home, prosecutorial discretion could be used and charges might only be brought against ONE parent instead of BOTH… for the well-being of the children.

Prosecutorial Discretion… boy, if that’s not a euphemism then I don’t know what is.

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When I was seventeen, I think it was the winter before my senior year in high school, me and three buddies all piled into Jason’s 86 Buick Skylark… alcohol may have DEFINITELY been involved.

We stopped at a brand new gas station that had just recently opened. It was fully automated. Back in 1997, this was something we’d never seen before. As soon as we realized there were no gas station attendants on-site… we decided to trash the place.

Window squeegees tossed, paper towels all thrown out, gas pump handles unholstered… I don’t know why, male stupidity fueled by Mad Dog 20/20 I suppose. In the moment, all four of us thought it was a GOOD IDEA.

Three days later when the COPS showed up at Jason’s house, we realized we’d messed up… apparently we forgot surveillance cameras exist.

After school that day, Jason’s Dad told us what happened. Since we only caused superficial damage, the owners of the gas station decided not to press charges… the Officers just wanted to let him know it was his son’s CAR they saw on the footage.

We spent the next three Saturdays raking leaves and doing odd jobs to “pay off our debts”… instead of being arrested.

And that’s just ONE example.

My roommate and I threw a party one night when I was living in my first apartment. As more alcohol was consumed we got louder. Some time after midnight, my roommate challenged one of his friends to some Greco-Roman-style wrestling (as he was known to do) in the living room of our second floor apartment… and shortly after that, the COPS arrived.

They confiscated some questionable paraphernalia and poured out the bottles that were on the kitchen counter. After a search of the apartment and a promise that none of us were driving anywhere the rest of the evening, they issued us a citation for Minor In Possession of Alcohol and left…

Ignoring the THREE OUNCES of MARIJUANA I had sitting out on a pizza pan, lying on top of a pile of dirty clothes on the floor of my closet.

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https://www.aclu.org/gallery/marijuana-arrests-numbers

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My roommate and his buddies liked to drink… a lot. I liked to smoke pot like it was going extinct… all of us were amazed that no one was arrested that night.

At the time we chalked it up to the idea that they were just looking for something else… harder drugs, people with warrants, etc. I don’t think the idea that we were a bunch of WHITE KIDS ever crossed our minds, it may not have even crossed those Officers’ minds. But I can’t help but think… would that night have turned out differently if we were BLACK?

Every piece of evidence I’ve seen over the last twenty-some years since that night tells me, yes… it would have been different.

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While I am grateful for having been given the gift of a second chance, I feel guilty about the way in which it was given. How many of us can point to a particular point in TIME where compassion was shown; where if it had not, our lives wouldn’t have turned out the same? Traffic stops, speeding tickets, random encounters…

**How many of us cannot?**

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_while_black

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I was GUILTY of possessing a CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE… what crime did Philando Castile commit? What crime did Jacob Blake commit? Where is the BALANCE… the EQUITY in that?

I don’t want things to change because I believe more WHITE PEOPLE should be arrested and sent to jail. Things need to change because I believe EVERYONE should be treated with the same level of compassion and respect that I was shown…

Regardless of the color of your SKIN. Regardless of the clothes on your BACK. Regardless of the numbers in your BANK ACCOUNT.

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It seems like a futile endeavor, attempting to establish EQUITY within a system that is inequitable at its heart. To ignore the fact that EQUALITY is absent and still continue to pursue EQUITY is like offering someone a BRIBE. A PAY-OFF… a SETTLEMENT.

‘Sorry the system screwed you and will continue to do so in the future… here’s some MONEY. Now we’re even.’

The system is UN-EQUAL. Why continue to work to lift up downtrodden parts of our society if the system continues to be UN-EQUAL in its operation? Without Equal Protection Under Law, any progress that is made will simply wash away with the passage of TIME… under a different Administration. During another chaotic period in time.

It seems like it would require more effort and resources to make an UN-EQUAL system more EQUITABLE, than it would if we were to simply ensure EQUALITY is what the system is based upon from the start. Once we’ve established a foundation of EQUALITY, then we can work to ensure it is equitable for EVERYONE.

The problem is SYSTEMIC and it must CHANGE. If it can happen to ONE of us… then it can happen to us ALL.

-JC