Derek Poe Was Wrong / Police Shooting

Our Founders said that everyone who had the responsibility to vote, also had the responsibility to OWN and CARRY firearms. They also stipulated that our country would limit the funding of a standing Army to two years without renewal. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Originally, the power of Government was supposed to be reserved for protecting our freedoms. We have, for the last 200 years, incrementally given away that power to a State that is now a greater burden than the Crown we fought to remove. (1775 Tax=6.5%. 2015 Tax=35-50%) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There are freedoms, given by God and protected by the Constitution, that we have allowed to be outlawed. We have allowed this to happen because of complacency and cowardice among our citizenry. Too many of us who believe the State will guide and protect them. These same people are ultimately responsible for the recent deaths of unarmed citizens at the hands of the police. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You have given up the responsibility of self defense (because you believe yourself, and therefore everyone else, to be incompetent) and determined only the State can do violence to defend it's people. Then, you promote a legal system that only allows the police to act AFTER a crime has been committed. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This puts the police in an imposable scenario. One in which they are expected to "protect" you. But can only do so after you have been violated. Ask a cop today about this and he will tell you, "it is not my job to protect you. It is my job to enforce the law." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You have given up your rights of self defense to an organization that cannot protect you. This is why the greatest concentration of violent crime in this country will ALWAYS be where the greatest effort to impose the above philosophy has been made. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your cowardice causes crime. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Now, Poe was wrong in that he attempted to carry a firearm on someone's private property who does not believe in personal freedom or the rights of self determination. That person, or their representative, had every right to ask Mr. Poe to leave, and maybe never come back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The wording of the "law" that was used to arrest Mr. Poe was likely something similar to "carrying a firearm in a manner calculated to intimidate or cause alarm." We have allowed this "law" to be used to mean the very ACT of carrying a firearm is "calculated to intimidate or cause alarm." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is a cowards interpenetration intended to remove the rights of others. The coward does this because they believe themselves to be incompetent and unable to defend themselves. By extension, because they believe that no one is better than anyone else, EVERYONE is equally incompetent and unable to be trusted with the power to defend oneself. This means only the State should ever be entrusted with the power to defend it's people. And, we're right back where we started. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I expect those who disagree with this argument, quit reading along time ago. They are now likely to be spitting and frothing at the mouth with the impotent rage that rules most of the decision making in their lives. There is nothing I can do to change that. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ My goal in writing this, at least in part, is to have a discussion with those who disagree, but have continued reading. Come on over. I'll buy you a beer. We have allot to talk about.

I can’t help but feel that it is wrong to hang the credibility of all the light and truth found in the apostolic Gospels on some conflict between genetics and Genesis. I am the first to admit that I have not opened myself up to the full revelation of Scripture. There’s lots of stuff in there I do not YET understand. But I sure as heck, am not going to let some scientists saying, “Ha-ha, gotcha,” waver my belief that the Bible contains the Light and Truth of God. At the same time, I am not going to let theological apologists tell me that the entire credibility of the Bible hangs on a single point of the Bible that appears to conflict with scientific discovery. The very idea that there is, “no way to affirm the Gospel without an historical Adam,” is absurd to me. The fact that scientific theory does not adequately reveal the truth of Scripture does not affect me, nor does it bring about any real concern. Last time I checked, this was not the goal of modern scientific research, nor is it a requirement of Faith. This line in the sand between evolution and Evangelism reminds me too much of the Church’s conflict with the Copernican model of our solar system. I can hear the same argument through time, “There is NO way to affirm the Gospel without a stationary Earth!” Yes, this sounds silly now. (It obviously wasn’t silly to Galileo, or to the few still out there who still believe this to be true.) But Christianity survived the death of the fixed Earth. We have flown to the Moon and back without passing any palaces or streets of gold. This does not seem to have threatened our ability to believe in God. So how is it that this theory of evolution could be perceived as such a threat to the belief in God, and Goodness, and Faith? Science is still young. It fits and starts. It runs down blind alleys and doubles back on itself to try again in another direction. In all probability, much of what we understand to be scientific “truth” today will be disproven in less than two hundred years. This is especially true for anything that could be described as a “recent discovery.” Knowing this, I find it hard to understand how the two thousand year old teachings of Jesus Christ could be in such immediate peril. A good scientist will have equal parts, wonder, interest, and suspicion. A good Christian will have fear, humility, and love.

Richey

Richey was never in the club. He never really took that walk on Pont Hafren. He’s alive and well and taking drinks with his only mate, in a little flat above a shop with a green door, just down from the Caernarvon Gateway. He’s doing much better now in his long sleeves and buttoned collar. He never cries, doesn’t have to any more, and he never talks about the things that used to make him. Richey will be forty four this year, and he likes that just fine. He’s taken a job on the High Street, working in a restaurant out in the back. He helps out and cleans up and is generally liked despite being the quiet sort. He’s a hard worker but never one to roll up his sleeves, buttoned down that one, he is. At the end of the night, he upends the chairs and mops the floors. He takes the last dishes back to the kitchen for a wash and smiles to himself when no one says nothing about it when he puts away the knives.

Mob Rule?

This video really gets my hackles up. It is examples like this that cause many of my friends to shout down a self-governing society. This is called lawlessness, and anarchy. A fellow at work the other day told me if it were not for government, “things would be like the wild, wild west.” Well, let the internet be the forum where I get to demonstrate just how stupid I am. What is this thing we call government good for? Is it the cops that show up after the crime has been committed; to take pictures of the broken bits lying on the ground? I read recently that you are safer as an American soldier in Iraq than a young man in Washington D.C., in fact your chances of getting killed by gunfire were twenty times higher in our Nation’s Capital. And what about those folks in the video? What if they had been “civilized” like us? In case you were wondering, by “civilized” I mean “pacificated.”
If this had happened here, the people on the street would have looked on while the woman stood in the street and screamed for help. The thieves would have gotten away, because the cops just can’t be everywhere now can they? The call would eventually come in and whatever hangout (malt shop or local garage) would temporarily loose its near full time protection. The cops would show up and take a report, get a description, maybe even a name. Eventually, when the same two thugs rough up the same passive crowd over and over again, someone finally gets up the nerve to tell the only people around who can do anything about it. Eventually those thugs will get caught. It will only take twenty or thirty victims for this little dance to run its course. When they do, it will be because of the heroism of the hard working folks whose job it is to protect the sheep from the wolves. The thing of it is though, for some reason these dang little sheep keep growing up to be wolves. Well, eventually these thugs will be caught and brought to justice. They will be housed and fed to the tune of fifty thousand dollars a year where they will not be punished, because punishment is cruel. Instead they will be housed with other criminals where they will be trained to be better criminals. Statistically, there is a seventy five percent chance that they will hurt people once released. Oh, and they will be released, right back out into the community that created them. Meanwhile our cities have become steampunk dystopias, with the predators among the prey. With the larger, state funded predators circling the outer edges, culling off enough of the baddies to keep the whole thing from imploding. Or worse yet, EX-ploding and spreading the infection to a nicer part of town. (You can go ahead and read that as if I had written the word “white.”)
Teaching a punk a lesson on the side of the road with an aluminum chair is barbaric. Everyone going back to their lives within the hour is unacceptable. Having only one victim who’s belongings are immediately returned to her is unimaginable. These people are clearly not as enlightened as we in our “great society.” Self-rule is crazy talk. Anyone who says otherwise is a fool or dangerous.

Dear Lord,

Please, if You take my legs, let it be because I have done all the walking You needed me to do. And, if You take my arms, let it be because You have got all the lifting out of me that You care to. Lord, if You take my ears, I pray it is because in my time I have heard the cry of the needy and now there are others to answer the call. If You take my eyes, I hope it is because You are pleased with the change I have made to the hardships I’ve seen. If You take my life, please God, let it be because You feel that I have done enough with the time You have given me.

And, if You have left me with any of these, please let it remind me that there is still work to be done.

Your servant,

Alaniz

My Views on Socialism. Parts 1 & 2

Part 1: I was born of a mixed race couple in an inner-city hospital, on the Eastern edge of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. I spent my childhood years bouncing from home to home, and school to school. We spent as much time on food stamps as off. We accepted food from churches and stood in line for Government cheese. My care takers were drug addicts and the mentally ill. I had my first ride in the back of a cop car when I was five or six. That’s when I was taken to my first foster home. I have fond memories of a Shelter for Battered Women my mother and I stayed in for awhile. It was near the beach, and we would go there on weekends. Also, there were lots of other kids to play with. I was around eight when a friend of mine was killed in the street. He was a lot older, I think around thirteen. By then, the older kids were already scoring drugs and getting into trouble. Even us younger kids knew who all the drug dealers were, and could tell if they were holding just by walking by their houses. We ended up out in the desert a lot. In trailer parks built on the edges of junk yards. If my parents were together, we would move to where my dad could find a delicate balance of creative work and cheap rent. Otherwise it was cinderblock walls and blankets that smelled like spoiled formula.

As I got older and more creative, I learned the value of currency in all its forms: Nickel and Dime bags, ‘teenths and eight balls. The going rate for buying and selling food stamps depended largely on how close it was to the first of the month. This was my 3rd Grade Math. My only concept back then of, “Street Credit” would have had something to do with asking someone to “front” you some drugs (bad idea, by the way). Life was up-side-down. Good was bad. Bad was good. We were taught to lie to the Police, our teachers, and ESPECIALLY CPS. Us kids picked our way among the addictions and convictions. Ultimately, it didn’t work out. When all the dust had settled, Pop did some time for another DUI, and Mom was sent away for a nervous breakdown. I didn’t see her again for three years. I had hoped to see her at the divorce hearing, but she didn’t show. I saw her again when I was fourteen, in a half-way house. She made me a card and showed me where they let her sleep.

I guess what I’m trying to get at here is, depravity. I know what it looks like. I spot it from across the room and hope it doesn’t smile back at me, recognizing me for one of its brood. You see, I escaped. I rose above my station. Not by much, mind you. But certainly more than those who never expected me to grow up to be anything other than a drug addict. I’m not claiming “Sob Story of the Year,” lots of folks have had it a lot worse than I ever did. And believe me I know, lots of folks have stuff they just don’t talk about, so let’s just leave it at that. What I’m trying to get at is that I have some idea of what it’s like to get it wrong. I grew up surrounded by generational poverty and depravity, fueled by welfare and failed social programs. I have a healthy mistrust of naïve do-gooders, and a deep disdain for people or institutions that hurt kids.

It took me a while to get here; after all, I wasn’t raised this way. I spent too many years resenting others for being “lucky” or “privileged.” I railed against a corrupt system that would never let the "likes of me" participate. WE were the proletariat, and THEY were the bourgeoisie. And in the case of my upbringing, THEY were everyone who wasn’t US. By my middle teens I started to recognize the pattern of those who blazed the trail before me. The older “cool” kids had already started to burn out or disappear. Daughters of single mothers on welfare became single mothers on welfare. The slow burn of another generation had begun.

More later. 10-21-10

Alaniz

Part 2: My Friend Dave asked what I was on about, and here is what I said:

I attend a predominantly white middle class to upper-middle class church. I show up to Sunday school most every week and talk to some fantastic people, most of which I have come to think of... as friends. Still, mostly people from a very different background than my own. These days I think of myself as a pretty liberal, conservative. I esteem the rights if the individual above the "rights" of the State. Specifically, the rights and freedoms of an individual to pursue happiness in any way that does not impinge upon the rights of others. With this in mind, I'm pretty flexible on most things. There are some things on which I do not bend. Most of these involve people or programs that hurt kids. These days I'm a pretty non-violent person, but there are still some people or ideas that make me do a quick look around the room for things I might trip over if things get ugly. Well, lately our church has started moving toward "social justice." This idea that somehow you can create less need with more handouts. You know me. I'm not above anyone. Heck, when we were younger, Codie and I got on the food stamps for a while. I love that we live in a country that is prosperous enough to support those who occasionally fall into a rough patch. (I'm not sure if that should be the roll of Government, but for now, it is.) What I am against, is a system that encourages people to not work. I have heard people my whole life say, "If I get a job at (minimum wage place) I'll make less money [than I do on welfare]." (And the answer is not raising minimum wage either. Raising the bottom line only pushes everyone else down.) I know, I have seen the system gut the drive for anything better out of entire populations. it doesn't work. Evidently it sounds crazy to some people but, too much "compassion" for people keeps them down. We have a system of welfare in this country that penalizes the industrious. Bounce that off the particular way I see the world, and it is a system that hurts kids. It sucks the spark of life out of them. They are brought up with this belief that there is a wall between them and a prosperous life. The terrible thing is, they're right. It is a wall created BY the welfare system. If they screw up and get a job, they lose the stamps and the WIC. They end up making HALF what they were getting for doing nothing. You've seen it. You know EXACTLY what the hell I'm talking about. SO, fast forward to what is going on at my church. The new preacher gets up and says there are people who need our help. He says that these people have been "marginalized." That particular word strokes me the wrong way. We do not have a "marginalized" population in this country. Not like the "untouchables" in India, or Christians under the Taliban, or gays in Iran today for that matter. There are these people, in MY opinion, who look DOWN on the poor. Who look to the ghetto and think, "if we could just do MORE, these people wouldn't suffer." "We need more hand-outs and social programs." "We need to walk up and down the streets handing out more free stuff so these people can have the same stuff as the rest of us." No, I say! You naive do-gooders just need to get the hell AWAY! The system is broken. Until it is fixed, you cannot make things better by turning it up. So here I am ranting in Sunday school. I tell people, "I came from there, it doesn't work." But I don't know if they understand. I don't know if they've ever seen a pregnant woman smoke crack. Somehow, I think that if they had, they would be just as agitated as I am by this whole thing. Then someone asks me why I am being so heartless and insensitive to the needs of others? Why do I not want to help these people who lack so much? Do I not want to help them because they are black? And I'm struck dumb. I don't know what to say. Maybe these folks don't really have any idea who I am. So I wrote the first part of my Essay on Socialism. I wrote it and re-wrote it. I ended up editing out everything I couldn't generalize. I left out all the stuff about emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. I cleaned up references to drugs and violence. This is Facebook after all. Who might read this one day. This is the wrong forum for too much honesty. After I read what I had written, finally written, I decided not to press the issue. I'm not sure if I can get people to understand anyway. Meanwhile, I am painted as an ultra-conservative whacko who is positioned at odds to the Liberal compassion of our new church leadership. Wow, how did I get here?

Alaniz

A Good Man Dies

A good man was killed in my town today by someone I can only imagine as a soulless, brutish thug. A man, who owned a business in town for many years and contributed much to his community and church, is dead today. Another man, who thought it easier to kill than to profit from his own industry, will sleep in his own bed tonight. Steal or work, kill or create, these are not legitimate options for a rational person. A rational person does not bludgeon another man to death when he needs money for alcohol either.

Five blocks from the courthouse and six blocks from our shinny new police station, on a main street, and in broad daylight, a man with a bat walked into a small office building, demanded money, and then beat a seventy-six year old man to death and critically injured a woman. He then walked out and disappeared. The police showed up after the fact to put up their tape, take pictures, and oversee the removal of the body. Maybe they’ll catch the guy, and I sure hope they do, but who among you can tell me these people did not deserve the right to protect themselves from this horrific attack?

Every time a good guy goes down and a bad guy walks away, the balance of our society tips in the wrong direction. Every year in this country, four million crimes are prevented by the legal use of firearms. The mere presence of a firearm could have saved a life today. Every argument I have ever heard against the right of free citizens to keep and carry firearms is moot and irrelevant.

I am so deeply pained by the loss of life and injury felt today by the good people of my community. My heart and prayers go out to the families and friends of all those affected by today’s tragedy. Now is a time for tears and comforting. I hope the police can bring a swift end to the growing fear in our community of a killer walking free. However, there is nothing, nothing, nothing they can do to undo the terrible tragedy that occurred today. I would give anything for someone to have been there to supply a few ounces of prevention to avoid a pain that can never be completely cured.

04-21-2010

alaniz