When I was a boy about a thousand years ago, sometimes we would have stew. The stew was watery but my brothers and I were always hungry, so it was always good. Like yesterday I can remember being lined up at the table with the miss-matched dishes and silverware. Soup almost too hot to eat, but eating it anyway. Knowing that it would all get eaten, and knowing the speed of consumption was directly related to quantity we would be able to consume.
I remember the pan being empty, and being down to the watery broth at the bottom of the bowl. I recall dragging the spoon along the bottom hoping to capture a piece of carrot or potato or even the dream of hitting the lottery of stew day and getting a piece of meat. I can still feel the spoon as it bumped something on the bottom of the bowl... a piece of potato.
I've taken you with me on this walk down memory lane because the soup bowl is exactly how my mind has been. I keep pulling completely random things out of the bottom of the bowl. A hot wheel, an old ear ring, a rusty nickel, and a shiny penny, a small black rock, one of those old blue wire twisty things, they used to use to close up bread back in the day. Today this is what my creativity has been boiled down to.
Last night I talked to one of my best friends on the phone. We talked about things people do to try to make their world better. She pointed out that her sister volunteered at the humane society, and that her mother used public transportation all the time. As the conversation meandered like a trickling stream I admitted that I have a personal boy-cot against those stupid plastic bags they always give you at the grocery store. I boasted that I had probably cut 70% of them out of my life. I admitted that in the big picture it probably didn't matter but since I live in California and love the ocean it was my flavor of the month.
She confided that she wanted to do something that would make a difference in politics and asked what I had to suggest. Sadly I told her that I couldn't think of anything. I told her a different President wouldn't make any difference because the whole system was corrupt. I told her the Government serves the Government and we the people simply pay the man. Shortly after that the conversation ended, and I went to bed. Still the gills of the memory continued to twitch and spasm like a discarded catfish laying on the dock.
Today as I scanned the news and surfed the digital ocean of the web, I came across a story and short film, about the war against the camera. I read and learned about how cops hate cameras, and in lots of states it's actually illegal to film a policemen.
This is the link that lead to the video that lead to more research, about the war between cops and Cameras.
So finally, let’s try to bring this whole mess of random thoughts, memories, and words together.
The next time I talk to my friend I will ask her to read this blog because I think there is one thing we can do to actually make a difference. I would love to see a law passed that says it is 100% legal to film or photograph any public uniformed official on public property.
I realize this won’t happen soon, and probably won’t ever happen, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t happen.
Right now here in San Diego we have a cop in court for trading DUI's for panties and boob shots of college girls. Would this have happened had someone been video-taping these encounters? I don't think so.
It’s no secret that I’m no fan of cops. It’s no secret that I’ve never been helped by one, and I’ve never seen them protect and serve anyone I know. That’s a broad fucked up statement but it is what it is.
I don’t think cops start out as bullies and jack-booted thugs, but I do believe that’s how 99.9% of them turn out.
The surest way to turn this trend around is to hold them accountable, and the easiest way to hold them accountable, is to make sure that they know that everyone around them with a cellphone or camera might be recording their actions and behavior.
Honestly I can’t think of one reason, that a good officer, doing his duty correctly, should have any worry or concern over being recorded.
So, to my friend from last night, and to the random reader of this blog, if you want to do something that will make a difference, simply vote against laws that prohibit photographing, or video taping, public uniformed officials in the line of duty, and vote for anything that allows it.
This is one example of our Officers at work.
You Be The Judge.
No comments:
Post a Comment