Jodi Arias And Arizona Law

I’ll put my two cents into the fray as this case over many others, seems to me, to have captured the Nation’s attention and taken on a life of it’s own to a maniacal level. It also is the longest running trial in the history of Arizona.

I am always amazed by the hate that comes from people when a liar and a murderer is put on trial. Despite what the pundits may think about Jodi Arias’ defense team they gave her an iron clad case that will stand up against any appeals some other defense team may try to file, on appeal. We forget that this is the job of any Defense attorneys under the law. When the evidence was so clearly stacked against Jodi and her lies, it became even more important that a defense team put on an aggressive defense. To do anything less would only come back and hurt the Alexander family even greater.

When a criminal is given less than a stellar defense team, there are too many times when the family will be subjected to more heart-ache and suffering with a brand new trial, if the defense attorneys are found to be incompetent in defending their clients against crime and especially in death cases. Those of us who do care for the welfare of the victims’ families should hope to see a good defense put on just as we would hope for if we wanted to spare our own families against more heart-ache of a new trial on appeal.

One murder trial for any family is always one too many to have to endure. This was not a time to have a defense team who refused to only question the prosecutor’s findings or to have a lawyer who fell asleep at the trial. The better the evidence as was available at this trial, and put on by the prosecutor’s side,the more of a defense we should want to see offered even though it sometimes may make our skin crawl.

Since I do not hang out with people found guilty of murder you must excuse me if I sound cynical but don’t all murderers lie? I have never heard a murderer confess to the fact they have any memory of the crime, while they are stabbing someone, or a defense attorney who would advise their client to acknowledge the fact that they did, if they did have.

Aren’t all who murder and on trial, defending themselves, arrogant, narcissistic, and sociopaths? Don’t defense attorneys in their efforts to defend these offenders often put the victims on trial in an effort to lessen the punishment of the people they are defending? We all hate that they do but their job in a criminal case is to save the life of their client or to win acquittal. The only people who usually do understand the job of Defense attorneys are the people who are unfairly accused. Didn’t Jodie lie on the stand because of the arrogance that she could convince a jury of her innocence?

Unless a defendant has told so many public lies already, Defense lawyers will not put them on a stand. The more arrogant they are the more they do choose to go against the advice of their lawyers, who are hired to give them Justice under the law. Defense attorneys either buy into the lies and promote the same that was told to them, while adding their own personality and propensity to ignore the facts, or they truly believe their client to be innocent. In many cases they are.

The Defense attorney will also advise those clients who are innocent to take the stand or not to as well, and a jury should never buy into innocence or guilt if the defendant does or does not take the stand. Doesn’t all defense attorneys attempt to degrade the scientific evidence or accuse the police of sloppy handling of the evidence or produce their own opposing evidence, when the client can afford the same ? Don’t all who murder, leave behind loved ones to grieve, their own families included?

So what makes this case so much different from all the other cases of murder to the point that the Jury, who sacrificed greatly of their time away from loved ones who they could not speak to about what was going on in their lives for five months, that they are now receiving death threats from the angry or insane that should be in therapy themselves?

It is not uncommon that jurors do think they can convict someone of the death penalty until they actually are appointed judge and jury and have the life of another person in their hands. Until and when we all acknowledge that it is the insane Arizona Law itself that is responsible for the problem the jury was confronted with, then calmer heads will not prevail.

The facts of life in America are or should be the following:

1. Either we as a Nation accept the fact that our State is a Death Penalty State or we do not. When the majority vote accepts it as the same, then the Judges should Pronounce sentences according the Statutes of the Laws in that State, once the jury finds the offender guilty of first degree murder, even when it does include death penalties.

2. Why Arizona or any other States do decide to keep the Death Penalty and hold the jury responsible for the decision of death when they have already found Jodi Arias guilty of first degree murder with extenuating circumstance of extreme cruelty, is beyond me.

3.The Judges themselves are bound by the Statutes of law in their own States as to how much time the criminal needs to spend in jail with every other crime committed in the United States. Why shouldn’t it also be the judges decisions, once hearing oral arguments from the lawyers, to determine punishment? They are given that freedom when they disagree with the juries decisions on first degree murder anyway, in other States that have the death penalty.

4.Either the States accept the death penalty is not cruel and unusual punishment or they establish life imprisonment. Once the voters of the States accept that they want to retain the death penalty and the Prosecutors prove first degree murder with extreme cruelty doesn’t common sense tell all of us that the Jury has served and performed their duties? The defendant becomes the criminal since they have been found guilty in a Court of law by their peers, at this point, and that should be all that is asked of any jury anywhere.

5. Who amongst us could actually send another person to death when our knowledge of the person’s intent and our own interpretation of the law is so overwhelmingly lacking? I don’t think we could find 12 jurors, who do not hate and based on the level of evidence, who could all handle in good faith, the responsibility of killing another human being.

6. We as a Nation who asks our jurors to do just that aren’t understanding the full realm of consciousness that plays a role in asking jurors to do the job that should be worked out between people of law, in my estimation.

Even though Democracy is made up of majority rule we should always understand that States that vote for the Death Penalty are not made up of the same view in 100% of its population. Many of those who never question their ability to find a person guilty and believe they can ask for the death penalty are the first to crumble when placed under the pressure of deciding the fate of another.

The only time we ask our citizens to be 100% in agreement is when they serve on a Jury. It is not very realistic for anyone to believe they are in 100% agreement, when many decisions are made by juries, despite the fact they agree to the same when they are polled. Even twins, married couples, best friends, and siblings are rarely in 100% agreement. It is not unusual for people who serve on juries to suffer nightmares, afterwards, when they were convinced by their own conscious or by others, at the time of the verdict, their decisions were the correct ones.

Jurors are told not to give in to pressure but to vote their own common sense and conscious. Seldom is that allowed to be applied by the time juries end their discussions.

The only way I can perceive that 12 people who are not related to the victims or friends of the same, do not have biases or bigotries with preconceived notions, are not tired of the case after 5 months and want to go home, do not have an axe to grind, or any other negative influences of anger and such, as all objective jurors must be, could all in good faith,100% of the time find the death penalty against another human being would be:

1. If they were bullied into the same as they often are
2. If they were tired of listening to another person on the jury
3. If they discounted guilt or innocence because the person on trial or the defense attorney did not present themselves well.
4. If they were made to feel their point of view was stupid or foolish
5. If they are a crowd pleaser
6. If they are too shy or intimidated to speak up for what they believe
7. If they vote out of empathy for the victim’s family over interpretation of the law
8. If they went into the discussions liking the prosecution team better and believing that Prosecutors are always more ethical and honest than are Defense Attorneys
9. If they felt that the defendant would not be on trial unless they are guilty
10.If the evidence against the extenuating circumstances and pleas of the families over-rides the interpretation of the law, which is always subjective, when left to self-interpretation by juries who are not trained in law
11,If they just plain do not like the defendants and want to find them guilty
12.If they made up their minds of guilt before the trial and ending arguments were heard
13.If they believe, “an eye for an eye”, when that has never applied to the law in any State and is not part of any jury instructions,EVER
14.If their own feelings for sparing life is not over-weighed by their feelings of death being justified under any and all circumstances in murder cases
15.They are sick of the case and blame the defense attorney or the prosecutors the most for prolonging it, regardless
16.If in very remote cases the Defendant ask their attorney not to present evidence but instead to ask for the death penalty during the penalty phase of the case.
17.On equally rare occasions, the jurors all are unanimous in the belief that there is absolutely no reason that the Court should show mercy due to a difficult childhood, mental illness, or up-bringing even when the judges inform them that this needs to be taken into consideration during their discussions in the penalty phase prior to reaching a unanimous verdict

People do murder in approximately one third of all murder cases after having a child hood of loving parents and pampered lives,and in these murder cases 100% verdicts of asking for death are made simpler for jurors who can do so in clear conscious, just as they can for those very rare times that the murderer asks for the death penalty. Approximately one third of all murders are committed by people who were never disciplined as children or told “No”, they could not have something when they were children.

These murderers were never made to take responsibility for their own actions or behavior. In the case of neglect we can find a child who grows up feeling unloved and unworthy of the important values of life. A good defense attorney will evoke sympathy of the jurors for these clients even though it is a more difficult of a job to do so with many juries, when physical or sexual abuse or mental illness are absent.

It is the job of Defense Attorneys to attempt to evoke sympathy for their client during the penalty phase of a trial, usually through witnesses or family members. If the defense attorneys do not present an earnest effort during this phase of the trial,the clients can prove ineffective representation in some cases when on appeal.

Some clients are such loners or reprehensible the attorney alone will fight for the client since no one else will speak for them, the client wants to spare their own families and doesn’t want anyone else to speak for them, or the client does ask for the death penalty themselves. When a lack of defense is offered during the penalty phase, unless requested by the clients, and the case is repealed because of it, a new trial can be ordered making it necessary for the victims’ families to have to go through the same kind of agony that only a case of murder can bring with it.

Could those of us who have suffered abuse or have family members afflicted with mental illness totally disregard mercy for those who suffered from either or both 100%, realistically, even knowing their crime showed extreme cruelty? Jurors who agree to totally disregard mercy towards abusive upbringing or mental illness as a reason to find in favor of the death penalty a 100%, without understanding case study in law, are not by nature equipped to do so.

Sadly, the other previously acknowledged 15 factors on the list of 17 above scenarios, happen too often in juries. For that reason alone, it should be the biggest argument for why Judges should determine the penalty phase once the defendant has been found guilty by their peers in a court of law.

Lawyers always work out the penalty phase and agree on sentencing, and a Judge accepts the penalty, in first degree murder cases when a murderer pleads guilty. Why should it be any different once a defendant is found guilty by their peers in a Court of law? Judges have been given that discretion, even when Jurors are asked to decide death in the penalty phase in Capital Death States, elsewhere. There has already been plenty of precedence set for Judges to over-rule the decisions of jurors made during the penalty phase, for many years now. Shouldn’t we ask ourselves in a Capital murder case, when judges are all bound by preceding law,”Why” jurors are asked to decide death in Capital Murder? .

This jury acted exactly as it should have and should be congratulated for their efforts to seek justice. If more of us made an effort to understand what is expected of a Death Penalty Jury we would either change our own States to life in imprisonment without parole or acknowledge that this jury, unlike many others showed all of us that they do know more than most when it comes to finding Justice under the law according to their own conscious.

I am always amazed by those who call themselves Christian, and then turn around and support the worse that is seen in juries over the best that is seen, as this one has demonstrated the best of juries. It is nice to see that Arizona can still put together a jury of justice despite some of its’ other more inane or insane laws. I think the whole fascination with this entire case should leave us all shaking our heads, to be honest. My prayers are with the Alexander and Arias Families. God Bless you!

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400,000 Rape Kits Unprocessed

I wrote an earlier post on the rape of Steubenville, Ohio, being treated as an isolated incidence when in truth the fault lies amongst all of us who do not respond, as we should, against the crime of rape.

The news agencies are reporting the cases are old and obsolete and the technology we have today wasn’t available. I’m sure there is truth in that but it doesn’t explain the cases that happened much more recently and as recent as 4 months ago. I will report what I have read and been told many times by those who do serve in police Departments going back many years. What we will never hear reported is that a great deal of politics also lies behind the fact that the rape kits were not sent in to be processed.

To be honest, I did not watch the report done on CNN who brought it to the media attention that 400,000 rape kits were left unprocessed in our Nation. I did watch as one of the women anchors asked, “if the police could be prosecuted or sued for leaving the rape kits unprocessed?” In my own estimation this question, itself, is just more of the finger-pointing and simplifying that is done towards the crime of rape in America.

There are any number of reasons as to why police do not process rape kits, so lets be honest about it. Too many amongst us already take too much delight in finding fault or individuals to blame. I do not understand why police, who for the most part are people of honor, do put in the back breaking hours that too many times ruin their marriages, take them away from their family time and vacations, risks their lives, and often are the most under-paid amongst us, when those amongst us keep finding fault, except for the fact that the majority of the people who serve are people of character. When we point fingers and “pass the buck”, we can at the very least spread the fault out where it belongs.

There are other instances in America where the mayor gets called by the father or mother of the son, or by an alumnus who supports the sports program of their alma mater when the rapist is an athlete, friend, or family member and the Mayors pick up the phone and inform the Chief-of-Police that he will not allow his officers to investigate the crime or process the rape kits or suffer the consequences when it comes to him withdrawing his and his buddies’ monetary support during the upcoming elections.

The Chief of Police then passes the message down the line of command. Rarely is it in that terminology but the words used amount to the same definitions and do not go left unheeded when delivered by those of Status, Power or Wealth.

All these cases did not occur in Chicago, as many are trying to politicize, already. They are spread around the Nation. Just as the Mayors in some cases make the calls, so do Judges receive like calls as do prosecutors have a history of never prosecuting cases after the Police put hours into investigating the crimes and processing the kits; due to similar calls by the elitists in America with threats of withdrawal or support of monetary value at election time. The police are at the bottom of the chain of command, no matter how many would have us believe they are given a great deal of discretion, when it comes to processing rape kits. Intimidation lands the hardest on the backs of the police officers when they are threatened with dismissal if they proceed with the investigation.

If it is some one of importance that can directly influence the jobs of the police, lower their standing in the Department, or demote them to desk jobs then they do not have discretion to process rape kits and anyone who refuses to acknowledge this happens throughout police Depts. regardless of size through out our Nation then we are lieing to ourselves. The same organizations or media who are not reporting accurately, in regards to why rape kits are not processed, are also reporting less than the facts.

The bosses who will lose the political support of the benefactor if they do prosecute or don’t drop the cases are the ones who tie the hands of the police’ in directly much larger cases than it is right to do so. The police many times can only keep the kits until a better or different climate towards the understanding of the “horror” of rape is elected to office by “We the People.”

There are those who are called the “Good Old Boys”, in many but not all Police Departments, in the majority of States who know if its an appointed or elected position and a member of the Clergy or their sons then it is just the girl’s/Woman’s word against the boys/man’s word and they will and do bury rape kits. Without the investigation or rape kits the knowledge is the victims can prove nothing. The only reason many of those kits have been saved is because in many other crimes or cases the police or prosecutors are waiting for the right political climate to be able to prosecute the offenders.

In communities when it comes to the so called “right kind of People”, being charged with rape the Community itself becomes out-raged if the police or prosecutors do try to convict rapists.

As a Nation, too many amongst us still refuse to accept that wives and prostitutes as well as mistresses are indeed raped. Others in a community still refuse to accept the high number of boys who are raped and, often times, refuse to accept that incest and rape exists in the numbers of victims it does in their own families and neighborhoods or amongst their friends.

When the culture exists for adults to call friends “aunties” or “uncles” too many parents will accuse their own children of lying before they will accept that they are telling them the truth. The most protected criminals of all in a community still remains the star athletes, clergy, and “one of their own”. The unfounded belief, that is totally void of fact, is that the streets are the greatest producer of rapists and that rape does not happen in our own back yards by people we know when statistics show just the opposite to be true.(Please Read my Previous Post entitled ,”Steubenville Exposes The Ugly Truth On Rape” for a more comprehensive study as to why rape cases go unrecognized and prosecuted as the Serious Crime it is.)

Some States that are more inclined to be involved in the realities of, “the truth in reporting”, and the life-long seriousness of rape, have jettisoned into the twenty-first Century by taking away the statute of limitations when it comes to the crime of rape. Many others are still living in the dark ages as technology no longer leaves any shred of doubt as to who is telling the truth. Unless the majority of us get past the mentality of “Boys will Be Boys” and instead insist that regardless of the standing in the community; “rapist are not to be allowed special favors,” we all risk re-raping the victims in every State of the Union.

I applaud those who are at least exposing the Ugly truth of Rape but unless we as a Nation tell, “The whole Truth And Nothing But The Truth”, in a Court of Law and in reporting rape, we still bind the hands of the police or those who would prosecute rape.

I do not deny that there are crooked cops just as their are those in Universities and the military who have denied that rape exists in their ranks for generations. It is when we start pointing our fingers at the heroes of all who serve, while blaming them for the rotten apples, we become as guilty as the politicians when it comes to trying to sweep the full tragedy and facts of rape under the rug.

No matter what changes are made in the law, we still run the risk of tying the hands of the police hired to serve us when we refuse to elect those who will and do prosecute rape.

Certainly electing Conservative and Tea Party Members who try to call a child” borned of Rape”, the intent of God or those who pass bills in Congress to define rape as anything but; ” When A woman or child says “NO”, it is rape. When it is a child below the age of 14 to 16 it is always rape since they do not have the brain development to give consent regardless of the situation. When children or women have been drugged, abused, intimidated, forced into having sex it is rape”. When the largest majority of all rapes occur by neighbors, friends, family, or colleagues and we know incest is rape; then who is it that needs to be protected by defining rape? The victims as well as anyone above the age of six already knows the definition of rape

Rape isn’t anything too complicated to define when we get past those who would protect the rapists or the “Right Kind Of People.” Nothing a little common sense and decency couldn’t solve. The solution certainly isn’t to blame those whose hands we help to tie.

None of us like to admit that perhaps we, ourselves, made a mistake when we voted for a candidate and as a result we often leave them in office year after year feeling as though they are responsible for correcting the mistakes they promised to do when elected and then our responsibility is over with as our elected officials will speak for us.

In too many cases when judges are appointed or Sheriffs, and Prosecutors come up for re-election, especially, will they get left in offices before much investigation is done by us, unless they themselves are convicted of crimes or a petition is started up against their ineffectiveness. As a result some will remain in offices doing little to nothing for those of us who sent them there while paying homage to the elitists, year after year. We cannot complain if we deny or ignore the fact that the same happens and simply shrug our shoulders and simply accept the fact:” that is just the way it is.”

“We The people”, only need to be more pro-active about being honest with ourselves when it comes to rape as well as the people who we put into office to represent us,by treating every human being with an equal amount of truth and respect and demanding that all who serve, do the same when technology does not lie. Politics are almost always local and a healthy amount of skepticism, for those who we elect or leave to appoint to office, is almost always good to possess despite those who would advise us to the contrary.

We can also vote the bums out when they profess ignorance because rape hasn’t been defined clear enough. When we become pro-active enough to recognize fact over lies and when we go to the polls each election cycle, we empower the victims so they do not suffer rape again at the hands of the system.

I hope all of us have a nice evening at home tuning in on this terribly violent day of storms. May we all be protected against more devastation that is out of our control while we tune in more to positive actions towards helping those who continue to be wronged by acknowledging their pain. We can make a difference one person at a time, once we commit to the same. First of all we have to want to help.

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In Response to Douglas Wagaman of FB

In my post entitled “Ted Nugent is a Coward and An Idiot”, my opening paragraph made no bones about my stooping to the level of name calling but when the shoe fits, I stated “I am no different from the masses when it comes to doing so.”

When an American citizen of privilege such as Tea Partier Ted Nugent, stops just short of telling an organized body steeped in hatred towards our President,” that justice and assassination are the same”, after acknowledging he deliberately went to the bathroom in his pants for a month straight to get out of the draft, then that person in any book should be called an idiot and a coward regardless of the Party affiliation of our President and who the acting President is in The United States of America.  I do not believe that to be a long shot in opinion amongst any of us who are truly dedicated to American Decency and Democracy.

I normally do not answer my critics but anytime I get a chance to educate the American public I will take time to do so.  Douglas Wagaman on face book said in regard to my post of the above title and I quote it here:  “I had to laugh when I read this piece.  The author complains about hate, racism, and rhetoric while using the term “redneck” over and over to describe the people with different beliefs and values.  Nicely done. Lol “

When I read that quote by Douglas Wagaman on Face book, I smiled to myself and thought,” clearly Douglas and friends do not know any true Rednecks.” If I hadn’t of spent so many years, myself, living around bordering States and in the vicinity of and amongst true Rednecks and listening to their conversations while watching their behavior, I would have thought exactly as you did, Douglas. Every time I tried to get an individual who promoted the negative views I reported in my post to understand a different perspective all I ever heard back was, ” I am a Redneck and proud of it.” I would estimate over the years, I made that attempt close to a hundred times on at least as many different people or maybe even more.

I am not a shy violet who is afraid to take on controversy. Since I had the experience and heard their beliefs repeated endlessly I am able to clearly define them as Rednecks, since that is how they wish to define themselves.

In other parts of the Nation people who have had the experience of associating with extremists views may be just as justified in calling the same mentality, who profess racism or gay bashing, as Tea Party or Patriot militants, white extremists, or any number of names who would represent similar views. Terminology just like our diet and food favorites vary greatly in the different cultures across America. I should have known better and explained clearer the definition of a true redneck in my neck of the woods. 

These many differences in how we view ourselves and the World becomes very prominent to all of us who do make a point of exposing ourselves to different cultures and beliefs while educating ourselves in the Diversity across America. None of us will ever get it 100% correct, myself included, as the differences of our experiences that teach us remain personal with too many amongst us, but at the very least, 100% of us can commit to the efforts of understanding the diversity that is America and the foundation of Democracy.

When others would define Democracy, with empathy for all, as Socialism and place billboards and handmade signs throughout areas in bordering States, in my neck of the woods, then the least any of us can do is to educate ourselves on the value system of Democracy while our troops continue to place themselves in harms way for the betterment of all of us to live free of the practice of such self serving discourse. Democracy committed to a better life for all is not now nor will it ever be, Socialism.

I, myself,am willing to bet the great majority of Americans would agree; America was never intended to be a Country with a ruling class of elitist served by the lower working class of workers minus an entire middle class. That idea was promoted and pushed during the 1800’s during the Industrial Revolution of the North.

The Rockefellar bosses hired Pennington Guards to shoot and kill any Union organizers and workers who tried to come in and help the workers’ circumstances and wages improve. They knew full-well without government to protect the people they could never be held responsible nor would such behavior be called a crime by the elitists who ruled America at the time. It would not be until after World War 2 that America would have a viable middle class thanks to the GI program and Democrats Roosevelt’s and Truman’s Administrations.

As the size of that middle class now dwindles and more people fall into poverty in America, due to those who would promote the idea or misconception of reality that a just health care system and wages are Socialism, while using propaganda and scare tactics, the majority of us do feel; it is a double disgrace to both the American people and those who served and continue to serve in the name of Democracy.

When we become complacent ourselves and start believing that paid for and earned rights are not our rights often paid for with dollars, blood, sweat, sacrifice, and tears but instead accept the politicians beliefs to use those rights,( in an effort to disgrace us) in the negative connotations of the word “entitlements”, then all Americans lose. Just as the John Birch Society who ran Barry Goldwater’s campaign in the 1960s believed Democracy was not the intent of our Founding Fathers so do many who call themselves Patriot groups along with many in the Tea Party, today, believe the same rhetoric.

Grover Norquist was an aide under Barry Goldwater and a big supporter of the John Birch Society. Today he has a think tank that he funnels money through to Conservative and Tea Party candidates. No Republican can get elected without first going through Grover Norquist. Every Republican must sign a pledge not to raise taxes on the elitists or lose their bid for office but Grover gave his o.k. to raise taxes on the middle class. Without our minds, hearts and eyes wide open the future of America does lie in the hands of those who would appoint themselves as elitists. How many of us think that anyone but the Conservative and Tea Party members and their paid for media were really upset when IRS decided to check out these groups tax free exemption?

We fought the biggest and most deadliest war, in our history, called the Civil War, for Democracy. We have throughout History lost many of our brave young men and women in defense of oppression against our allies around the World. Few Families, other than perhaps many of the elitists, have been spared from either serving in the name of Democracy or suffered deaths of War. The Civil War established that America would not tolerate oppression of the Constitution and of it’s people. As A Nation founded on the principle of equality for all under our Constitution we would be a Nation of Free people and that is what was the intent of our Founding Fathers all along.

It would not be until the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in 1971 that minorities and women would be given the full rights under the law and both are still having to fight the Tea Party and Conservatives for those equal rights yet in 2013. Do we really have to ask if it is truly wrong to suggest that other beliefs and value systems may still be unjust in a Country that prides itself on having the best Democracy in the World?

Although I do not agree with the politics of the Deep South either, it does not prevent me from looking forward to their gracious hospitality each time I travel there. I find the people who live in the region, in many incidences, to be the mirror of what the rest of us should look into once we remove the politics from the fray. I find much more prejudice exists in the North, East Coast, Mid West, Bread Basket and intermingled to too large of a degree in the South West and West Coast than what is apparent in the South each time I visit. I have always enjoyed the Diversity of Americans and view it as one of the greatest selling tools that makes up American Democracy.

Government and bureaucracy does some times move much to slow and becomes bogged down in it’s own muck and mire but for the greater part it is the greatest defender of Democracy. While we gripe about one department or the other of government, because as individuals, too many amongst us only approve of the laws that help us but hate those who protect others we too often forget about the greater services we all need through our government. Without its protection many of us would be left defenseless against hate, and the safety and welfare of our Nation’s needs, and Just protection under the law for All Americans.

As a group of people we need to remember that it is the actions of government that keeps us all safe against the greater destruction of oppression and those who promote isolation through hate. “We the People”,simply need to replace those elected officials who serve their own needs over the needs of the American people until they do understand how serious our needs are for all of us committed to the purpose of Decency and Democracy. If we don’t vote then we will always be the losers to those who would deny us our rights under the law.

I, personally, encourage everyone who have pre-conceived notions without the facts to educate themselves on the differences that make our Nation great. I certainly do not applaud nor will I ever support those who would subject their hatred and rhetoric on to other American citizens while using fear tactics in the process.

What I have found to be true once I let go of my own pre-conceived notions is that there are a great deal of commonalities that do exist amongst all of us when we make the effort to accept our differences and to rid ourselves of our own ignorance that is behind most hate. I have no doubt that all of us who look for unity will find that the goodness in the American people does out-weigh the hate that we hear. As is true, too many times, the good often gets buried under the manufactured or bad news that gets reported.

Unfortunately no one knows or understands better than the well financed and powerful political machines at work in America who often hide behind Social Ideology or Religious Freedom, when they are anything but political, that the actions of, “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”, have proven itself to be true since the beginning of mankind. We find these political entities, backed by their own media, while they deliberately drive the wedge not just between the American people but also in the GOP that blames our President for the lack of their own Leadership or ability to compromise in their own Party, in Congress specifically, but also at work amongst us in our own environment.

Believe me ,Douglas, the term “redneck”, is not one of my own.  The true redneck believes as I stated they do in my post entitled “Ted Nugent is an Idiot and a Coward,” in my neck of the woods. 

Just as the White Supremacists, Skin Heads, and members of any other hate groups who number in the 1000 plus range in America and who think of themselves as victims or superior to other races or sexual orientations are proud to be a member of their group so is a true Redneck proud to be a Redneck. 

They are equally as proud of their belief system, racial slurs and gay bashing.  I did not pigeon-hole the Redneck belief system nor their long held beliefs against change and diversity in my area of the Nation. I did not make up this belief system but instead the people involved did it long before I wrote my post and I only reported the same.

Like any other group that takes pride in defining themselves the true redneck does as well. They do make up part of the culture of America. They like all other groups pigeon-hole themselves into the narrow views that exist amongst them just as the radical members of both the NRA and or any other group who believe they are superior to others or victims of another instead of working towards the goal that is satisfactory to all of us.

Democracy embraces all of us who do try to correct the injustices amongst us through positive efforts of all of us working together for the common goal. To pretend this is the goal of those who practice hate or those who try to divide our commonality or respect for each other, is to lie to ourselves and to live in a world of fantasy or denial.

A true redneck sincerely does believe that the Democrat Party is made up of entirely Liberals who are intent on taking away their guns.  Their belief system is exactly what makes them easy prey to the NRA and subversive groups whose only job is to divide the American people.  Anyone insulted to be called a Redneck is truly not a Redneck. 

Some, amongst us may think the people who act like cave men or have not advanced to the twenty first century and feel that women rights are not suppose to be equal to the rights of the white male, are “rednecks” but in many of these examples we will find people who have religious convictions that drive their thinking and they are not in truth officially “Rednecks.”

Many included in this group may have similar beliefs when it comes to husband and wife roles but their beliefs stem instead from the verses of the Bible that says, “Wives should be obedient to and beholding to their husbands.” Not all but in a lot of instances, we will find that they are absent of hate or bigotries.

Those who are not or would divide the Faithful, are many times worse than those who make no pretentions of the fact that their hatred and bigotry are volatile. Those who hide themselves behind conservative or Tea Party values in the name of family values, yet with political endeavors in mind, are often more subtle but equally disruptive to the Democracy of America.

I have friends who, I agree to disagree with, who have joked about themselves as being “Rednecks” who have some of the same beliefs but they are totally against the NRA rhetoric and propaganda and would never support the NRA’s rant because even as members they are 100% of the belief, ” That the only people who have to be concerned about having to register a gun or go through checks are probably the people who should never own one.”

I do hope this educates everyone who had the misconception that I was placing blame where done existed, generalizing about a group of people who believe or behave differently from what I reported , or name calling anyone other than Ted Nugent and the NRA leadership in my post. 

I repeat the statements I made in the post are typical beliefs and behavior of the true “Rednecks”, who are only one of many groups who make up the cultural climate of America. Anyone who is insulted by being called a redneck is not in truth probably one but perhaps one who can relate to the same on some level. 

A true redneck is proud of being called a redneck as they see their views as the only acceptable views.

I have said many a time that hatred is bred in and out of ignorance so if this helps educate in regards to just one of the many groups’ beliefs and behaviors then I feel that I have done some good by exposing them. Sadly the same Republican majority who accept this mentality into Their CPAC conventions learned nothing when the American people sent them the clear message that we will not tolerate division or dismissal of the other 47% of Americans amongst us. I hope you join me in making the message loud and clear that Democracy and decency belongs to all of our people in America.

I appreciate that you took out your time, Douglas, to read my post and I do hope you learned something from it. Sadly, the beliefs of the true Rednecks are growing in numbers and shared beliefs and those of us who know the difference need to be the buffer of resistance against such stereo typing and hatred that continues to grow amongst too many of the groups with like beliefs and hatred against any group or individual Americans who do not wish us harm.

The truly honorable and brave amongst us have not dedicated their lives to the cause of elitism, hate, or class warfare but rather to the cause of Democracy. It does us all well to remember that when we celebrate Memorial Day with our loved ones and decorate the graves of those who died and risked their lives so that all of us could have the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness without regard to Race, Gender, Creed, Color, or Sexual Orientation.

During this time of great sorrow and travail in our Country, may we all gain a moment of strength and courage as well as be inspired by those Americans who come from all walks of life and diversity, who serve and have served all of us both well and unselfishly. The real heroes’ amongst them risk their most precious gift of life for the rights of All Americans to enjoy the true Blessings of complete and total Freedom from oppression. Thank you! God Bless us all. God Bless America.

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And So It Goes…………..

While I took a break to remodel, read, paint and to travel I have experienced the dichotomy of the American and political brain when it comes to words not being put forth into actions and the handling of disasters.

Sadness spread by the hurricane on the East Coast followed much later by the tragedy in NewTown, only to be brought to an increased crescendo in Boston and now the disasters in Moore, Oklahoma will certainly(or should) rain on the parade of the Isis witch hunts or the GOP’s strategy sessions to degrade our President’s attempts to help the American middle class even further.

I will explain myself further if I am the only one who is correlating the dichotomy of the contradiction of the American politics in America:

1. At a time that politicians in Oklahoma are passing the personhood bill to ensure all rights of human life to a fetus who in many cases may not even be viable to sustain life outside of the womb and in other cases can lead to the death of a woman, they fail to see the importance of providing tornado shelters for the alive children in their States.

2. AT a time when Isis appears on the network and cable news assuring the public that he is going to work with President Obama to pass immigration changes he continues to attack and berate Eric Holder and President Obama as being in cahoot’s to lie to The American people and of intimidation and corruption, while off camera.

3. While the GOP and Conservatives in the Democrat Party reach out in an effort to express horror over the NewTown shootings they hands down vote down measures that would and do protect the American people and our children from future attacks in our schools, on our streets and in our homes. 

4. The above mentioned; along with the Tea Party, white supremacists groups,members of Washington D.C.’s political power, lobbyists, and our States show up at the NRA Convention where they help promote the lies to the NRA membership of 75,000 strong that these efforts to safeguard our children are only efforts by the Obama Administration and the Liberals to take away their guns.

5. Anyone who can not see the dichotomy of the Tea Party and Conservative cause that bans equal rights to women in their National Platform but profess concern for future generations while professing to be God Fearing and protectors of the Faith, Constitution, and Democracy clearly are not seeing reality.  To continually operate opposite of speech in action is a clear cut reality of not just the far right, Tea Party, and Conservative cause but also of the way too many amongst us vote.

6. The two headed monster of dichotomy in America is alive and healthy in too many of the burbs and rural areas in the Red States and the Conservative hold outs in the Blue States across America.  I noticed the very large billboards advertising the various number of Churches while we were driving into Pensacola Florida. 

Would Christ truly approve of such commercialization knowing over a 5 year period that those billboards cost in the neighborhood of $100,000.00 per sign and each Church has their own sign of advertisement? Couldn’t that money be better utilized elsewhere, since all the churches are also listed in both the motel room directories as well as the yellow pages? 

I also saw many of the Breadbasket and Bible belt States accusing a caring and compassionate Democracy that treats ALL American’s needs as being the practice of Socialism. Those billboards and signs are interspersed amongst the States that claim Christian values along our highways as well.

Since so many, I noticed, are also driving around with bumper stickers that read: “Put Christ back in Christmas,” to the point they fail to see the over-whelming generosity towards the less fortunate and the most innocent amongst us at Christmas time, of non-Christians and Christians alike, is the most Christ-like behavior we can express; couldn’t we argue that perhaps the majority of us are failing to see the obvious while the politicians and their paid for media are playing us for fools because too many of us are disengaged or in denial?

Where is the outrage when the IRS does question legitimately the huge numbers of groups who clearly are political that hides behind Religious or freedom of ideology just to get tax breaks that are not legal? 

Where is the outrage when the same people who start the witch hunts failed themselves to legislate the necessary funds that would have safeguarded our Embassys over seas? 

Where is the outrage when the innocent amongst us are left unprotected because the members of the GOP refuse to allocate the funding necessary to keep our children safe, or for that matter pass laws that would limit the amount of fire power by limiting the number of bullets in the size of the magazines?

We the People keep speaking to the political leaders across the Nation and their reponse is to actually accuse the government for interfering while we continually see the need for government to help us but our elected officials are refusing to do anything that will help us. 

Perhaps the only part of government we truly do need to down size and eliminate are our elected officials in Congress who claim to be on our side when tragedy strikes but votes against us when they have both a moral responsibility to vote for our needs and are elected to show competency as our elected officials.

While the media broadcasts and the GOP tries to tie a link with the mismanaged, scandalous and sometimes misunderstood depts. of government to our President has anyone even noticed that the deficit is going down, the previously uninsured can now get insurance while healthcare costs have gone down, the interests rates charged to students who are interested in improving their education and skills have remained low, the students who wish to go on with their education are now covered on their parent’s insurance, The GNP (Gross National Product) has doubled, housing has gone up and the economy is improving due to the changes made by the Obama Administration that is putting Americans back to work?

Where is the media reporting on the truth when Americans need to know? Hasn’t our President gone the extra step when it comes to tragedy and disaster in our Nation? Isn’t his concern and efforts for immigration change once more being stymied by those who insist they want the Latino and Hispanic vote, as usual? What bill other than the ones that apply to them personally along with their lobbyist, who purchased them, have the Conservatives in the Senate and the Congress passed in the last five years, that they were not pressured into doing because of their fear of not being re-elected? Have we forgotten that they only begrudgingly passed funds necessary to help those hit by the hurricane on our East Coast or to bring relief to the middle class and unemployed?

I will continue staying tuned in with my concerns while enjoying the retirement that my husband and I balanced the budget for that enables our enjoyment in the last quarter of our lives.

Every now and then when nothing has changed; as the GOP readies it’s strategy, with the help of the TEA Party, to enter under qualified candidates who are financially supported in the 100s of thousands and even millions of dollars and owe their souls to the cause of the Tea Party political machine; over those candidates who would put the American people first, I will check in with my readers. The Conservative and Tea Party groups claims of Social ideology over political based control or greed hurts my ears if it doesn’t yours.

With the 2014 elections coming up in less than 18 months can we not all smell the manure of another attempt to denigrate the Obama Administration
with increased witch hunts and lies spread by the Tea Party as we heard in 2010?

My empathy as always is with the suffering and tragedy of the American people. Will we ever have Republican and Conservative legislatures who acknowledge that the needs of “We the People”, needs to be their first and main concern by doing something in Congress and our States that would indicate the same?

Don’t we already have enough proof of the stall tactics of the GOP and Tea Party sponsored candidates to do nothing but to eliminate the pay scale of the middle class jobs, to lower education abilities,to protect capitalism over the people, or their failure to do that which is right for the American People as equals? Will we the majority of the electoral body get out of denial and get engaged in the true dichotomy of American politics? And so it goes………..

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