On taking my own advice to heart

Well, if you have read this blog, you know what my buttons are: corruption in public officials, people who can't write coherently, and in general, stupidity. I believe that stupidity is a choice that people make when they choose mental laziness over lifelong learning. It's OK to be ignorant, that can be changed, but stupidity is a self-fulfilling self-limitation.

I wrote some advice earlier for those who would post comments on blogs or news articles. Basically I plead for three things: coherence, creativity and cordiality. Of course there will always be those who are incapable of any original thought, and who believe that screaming the same inanities repeatedly somehow makes them a pundit. Sigh.

So, to make my bones, so to speak, I have entered a contest where one is a winner by the simple accomplishment of writing a novel in one month. Quality is not considered a factor. Wordcount is the only criterion. The name of this whacky contest is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month at http://www.nanowrimo.org/

I am doing this in order to prove to myself that I have what it takes, but am prepared to finish my novel even if I can't win. By the way, everyone who finishes fifty thousand words in a month is a winner, so, the competition is with one's self, not with other entrants. This is a wonderful opportunity for any budding author to socialize and share the agony of creation with others who have no reason to sabotage one's efforts. In fact, there are a number of forums devoted to sharing the experience with fellow contestants.

I challenge you to try also, if it is too late this year, try next year, but try. My nic on nanowrimo is conhed. I'll be your buddy there if you ask.

Happy Musing!

conhed

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Why do we have the FBI investigating Corruption in Palm Beach County?

The FBI has increased the number of agents involved in corruption investigations in Palm Beach Co. by 6 people. Why is this necessary? Is corruption so rampant that an entire FBI office is overwhelmed? They took the agents out of the Miami office, does this mean that there isn't as much graft in Miami/Dade Co?

The investigations are focusing on land deals. How novel! I bet even Herman Talmadge of Georgia, a well respected honest politician never foresaw that development. (An honest politician is one who, once bought, remains bought.) Hummin (gotta love that south Georgia accent) never met someone that couldn't pay or be bought. The money would go into one coat pocket and come out another. If you had extra, Hummin knew what to do with it. If you were short, he had something for you. He was well loved and respected throughout the state. The Talmadge family made millions on land deals by shrewd manipulation of interstate routing and land "speculation." Much of the family's speculative investments are now extremely valuable properties at interchanges throughout Georgia. This was no coincidence, for those of you who can't read between the lines here. In some cases, the interstate highways were rerouted by miles to make sure that certain holdings were of value. This story is well known and accepted to longtime Georgia residents. There were never any corruption probes. I guess it was because Hummin wasn't so selfish as to forget those who he owed.

But these selfish politicians in Palm Beach County apparently didn't learn that lesson, for they ARE being investigated. Here's hoping that the probe goes so deep as to embarrass the entire power structure of this pathetic fiefdom. Citizens of Palm Beach County have been taken by professional con men under cover of authority and guise of public service.

I've said it before and it bears repetition ad nauseum: The citizens that vote without doing their homework always vote themselves into trouble sooner or later. This can be seen at every level of government and in every branch of government. Just open your eyes. The citizens pay when public safety departments are successfully sued for brutality, when rogue prosecutors put votes before justice, when emergency dispatchers mishandle calls, when trust in government is found to be misplaced in any way. The Feds will come in and break up the party, and your federal taxes do battle with your county taxes in courts that are paid for by your state taxes.

And the taxpayers either don't understand that or they don't care. Fools.

conhed

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I guess I may as well make this a blog about corruption and misconduct

I mean, there's just so much of it to write about. Just in south Florida, there's more than enough.

Nearly every day there is news of another official or policeman caught in wrongdoing. Since the common wisdom is that most crime is unreported and most misconduct is undetected, there must be a tidal wave of corruption in public office and in law enforcement.

People I know talk about their experiences with badged bullies, newspapers report about sheriffs and policemen convicted of felonies. Children die in state custody, and the existence of legal child abuse by the juvenile justice system is exposed, highlighted, then ignored by the courts. Students are tortured by campus police with tasers and politicians are beaten by cops acting under the direction of rival politicians.

Good cops won't talk about bad cops because they fear reprisals and being hung out to dry. Citizens wonder about who to trust when even cops don't trust the cops. Cops shoot each other and get off scot-free. Cops shoot citizens and get off scot-free. Cops shoot themselves and get medals (just kidding!) for valor.

The cops are being taught that anyone questioning their authority is a threat that must be dealt with. When cops do something stupid in public, all they have to do to cover up is arrest someone on obstruction charges. Never mind that there was no investigation to be obstructing. If you flip the finger at a cop who almost ran over you, you spend the night in jail after he assaults you and your wife and he isn't even counseled for reckless driving. If you drove like that, the same cop would write tickets like he was paid by the word.

If you are caught filming cops in a public setting while they are doing something questionable, they assault you and destroy your property.

The cops tell the citizens that it's a very difficult job and there's no way someone who isn't a cop will ever understand. Then they hire a twenty year old, who can't even legally enter a liquor store, give him a badge and a gun and within a few months he's a mass murderer of children. Damn, I thought this was a hard job, how is a kid supposed to do it? How is a twenty year old, who is legally not old enough to drink, able to BE a cop, while, I, in my fifties and pretty smart, am supposedly totally unable to understand what it means to be a cop?

I'm reasonable. I understand that sometimes things happen in an instant and life or death decisions have to be made without time to think. Sometimes a cell phone looks like a gun, I guess. I am willing to listen to both sides and see the evidence. I'll give the cop the benefit of the doubt, if he doesn't have a history of poor judgment, when there's no evidence of intent or negligence.

But there are episodes, some caught on tape, that clearly show policemen out of control, exceeding their authority, brutalizing and intimidating normal people who have done little or nothing wrong. Almost everyone I know has had contact with an officer whose professionalism was not up to standards. I know of a young man, highly educated (2 Master's degrees) who was arrested on charges of assault for tapping an officer on the shoulder to point out a crime in progress. The actual criminal got away with a purse snatching. Clean away. It seems the cop didn't really want the help of a citizen. That's only when they are stuck and need information from the public. Just don't try to get their attention by touching them.

Then there are the Rambos who shoot at harmless snakes and kill children. Nothing but ignorant negligence. Yes, they will stand trial. But aren't they supposed to have good training and judgment? Why should a child be dead and cops on trial for it? Because the cops are out of control with being in control. The mentality that is taught in law enforcement training is lacking common sense and responsibility.

In the post 9-11 frenzy, we lost more of our freedoms. Innocent people have died as a result of policemen fearing everything everyone does.

A schoolgirl was assaulted by a school policeman for the terrible crime of dropping food on the floor, with broken bones as her punishment. The assailant also used a racial slur. If I did the same thing I would be prosecuted for a hate crime. Instead the mother of the victim was also arrested after properly raising hell. She will need a good lawyer to get any justice. Her job is at stake.

We need to clone Johnny Cochran. There aren't enough good lawyers to go around. We also need people to speak up and make it clear that we don't forgive cops because they are above the law. We hold them to the highest standards of conduct according to the law. Recklessness, brutality, and criminal behavior cannot and will not be tolerated. The good cops, and I am sure there are plenty of them, need to be able to blow the whistle on the bad ones without fear of retribution. And when it is necessary, we have to file charges, try, convict and sentence the bad ones to the life behind bars that they deserve. There is no other way to get the message across that the police are the employees, and are accountable to their employers, the taxpayers.

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