Thoughts from the week of March 12, 2012

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/alabama-prison-ventress-indictment_n_1342510.html#s493849
Stiffer punishments by lawmakers do not come with increased funds to accommodate those punishments. Oftentimes legislation can be perceived as a knee-jerk reaction to an immediate en vogue concern of the public, and oftentimes legislation is made with little or no research into the immediate, mid-range, and long-term effects and necessities of the programs required. Funding concerns are often overlooked or billed to subsequent groups of legislatures, and unfortunately those funds never come and existing funding is often reduced or eliminated.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/02/25/health/100000001367225/dementia-behind-bars.html
And then there are the success stories, the stories that give the appearance that reduction in/little/no funding can be a good thing. Though this is not true, the true celebration should be made for the ways in which creativity, training, and education can yield wonderful results, especially in a population as marginalized, isolated, and ignored as the prison population.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/13/trayvon-martin-sanford-state-attorney_n_1343223.html
I have resisted commenting on the death of teen Trayvon Martin of Sanford, FL for many days, but this story saddens and upsets me so much that I simply must say something, if only to organize my thoughts and cry over the death of a youth at the hands of an adult.

The old adage that “guns don’t kill people, people kill people” could certainly be applied here, but unfortunately if Mr. Zimmerman had not used a gun to shoot and kill Trayvon Martin, Mr. Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense would certainly not be taken seriously, and I believe that the death of Trayvon Martin would have landed Mr. Zimmerman immediately in custody. If you are not sure of my logic, please allow me to explain.

A gun-less Mr. Zimmerman would certainly have continued to pursue the young Trayvon Martin but it would most likely not have resulted in a confrontation, preserving the life of Trayvon Martin (at least until Mr. Zimmerman lost control or decided he could get away with self-defense). Option two of a gun-less Mr. Zimmerman also includes a continuance of pursuit of Trayvon Martin, but the self-defense claim would not be applicable. Mr. Zimmerman could have run Trayvon over with his car, had a physical altercation (Mr. Zimmerman is at least 100 pounds heavier than Trayvon), or charges of intimidation could have (and probably should have been a long time ago) been filed against Mr. Zimmerman.

Another troubling aspect of Trayvon’s death is the behavior of the Sanford Police Department. The first word that comes to mind is sketchy. And more dangerous words are racist, liars, incompetent, disengaged, and unconcerned.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-lux/jesus-vs-the-christians_b_1342613.html
Another installment of Conservatives waging an epic battle against their religion.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-neroulias/i-was-a-virgin-on-birth-control_b_1342387.html
A first person account that further negates the argument that birth control is only for prostitutes, sluts, and rabid pro-abortion women (not men, of course, because *sarcasm* it’s is solely the woman’s responsibility to not become pregnant).

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/peter-g-tatchell/gay-marriage-catholic-archbishops-have-mislead-people_b_1343156.html
Now for a story of the Catholic (and other) churches waging war against themselves and their own religion. They have their congregation focusing on the issue of marriage instead of emphasizing love, generosity, faith, and forgiveness. Mercy? Not in their churches.