B. Hudson

Well there was once upon a time when a bunch of teenagers fighting wasn’t the end of the freaking world.. but the world is a changed place.

First of all, my understanding of this “Jena Six” scenario:

The white guy that got ganged up on, was shooting his mouth off (cause that’s odd for a teenager).. He may/may not be a racist, but the fellas that gave him a beating sure thought so.  period.

I think there’s a lot more going on here, but in the end this is the only thing that should matter in these cases.  Whether or not white students hung nooses, or if it was ninja monkeys.. none of that matters in the case for me.

1. Its rude what that guy did, and in a perfect world, he could get a little roughed up and learn a valuable lesson.. Don’t be a jerk
2. There is just no reason unless this guy is a professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter, that it should take 6 kids to give him a beating.
3. They should absolutely be punished for battery, or aggravated battery.. or whatever.  They kicked the kid in the head and messed up his face and hand.  Meaning, they weren’t “fighting” they were just beating a kid down.
4. Aggravated battery vs 2nd degree murder

1. I can see that this is a little out of place when not considered that this is a 6 on one attack.
2. AND that most of his seriousness of his injury was a concussion.  While not the end of the world, the fact that this was either a goal on purpose or just on accident.. its reckless ( I know teens don’t think, I remember being that age..)

1. even if you say “oh I don’t see how thats so bad”, keep in mind that even if it was just 1 (one) kick in the head, if done at just the right angle, this is fatal.  Whether you mean it or not, the guy still dies.  Not sayin they really WERE trying to kill him, really I don’t know.. and don’t care.  Just saying that the ability of you to kick someone and kill them is significantly higher than for you to punch them (legs being several times stronger than arms, etc).
2. If you are pointing a gun at a guy, and you don’t know its loaded.. and it goes off and you kill him.. You committed murder.. (the classification I don’t know, cause I’m no lawyer)  Then you go to jail.  How long I think depends on whether the jury believes you are dumb enough not to see bullets, or just crazy enough to think that a loaded gun wouldn’t “go off”.. but still.  Jail, for murder

Now for Sharpton:

As far as I can tell, Sharpton is all about equality.  All about lets all just be the same and no favors one way or the other.  I know of people on both sides of the color scheme that would argue that he is SO not… But I think he is.

To say that he wouldn’t have gone ballistic even more had this been 6 white kids beating on a black kid, is retarded.  He’d be cryin out for the limits of the laws..  Storming about how this is proof racism is still in America, and so on, and so forth.  THEN, if the charges levied against the attackers was attempted 2nd degree murder, I doubt he’d say a THING.  I love his prose, and can imagine it like this “This poor young man, was deliberately singled out for the color of his skin.  Beaten to the ground and then kicked around, until hospitalized.”  All true by the way (I don’t think the white kid got it for being “white” so much as just for being a jerk).

Lessons to learn:

One:  Kids should be allowed to fight, it heps reinforce social norms.  (if you grab a guy by the shoulder and make a fist, he assumes you want to fight even if you are just showing him your fake superbowl ring).  You shouldn’t do some things and you know it.   Legal/Illegal, doesn’t matter to me at this point.  Like if a guy grabs your wife’s “posterior”.. You can be a wimp and shrug it off.. or you can deck him.  Deck him.  If he’s bigger than you, you might get beat up but you defended yourself and someone you love (assuming you love your wife..), and thats courageous.. and maybe even honorable.
Two:  6:1 is not a fight, it is a deliberate attack.  Like a mugging.  Now had this been a standup fight where the jerk stood up and fought back.. I’d think differently.  Cause then he gets a broken nose and a black eye.. maybe still a concussion (weren’t all these guys football players?).  It isn’t fair, and shouldn’t be tolerated unless the 1 guy is the incredible hulk, or a UFC champion gone crazy in a joint (unlikely, but still.. I guess Rich Franklin or someone could just go off and be crazy and get in some trouble.. I doubt only 1 guy could take them down though).  This kind of attack SHOULD be treated more seriously, and SHOULD be prosecuted to the highest extent to keep it from happening.  Black on white, White on Black, Yellow on magenta.. Color means nothing to the odds here.  The same punishment should be sought whether it was white:black or black:white.  Maybe if the white guy was wearing a Klan hood, I could see it more.. but still 6:1?

Three:  If you followed sharpton before and respected him as I did, this has to put you on notice that he either 1) isn’t forward thinking enough to think.. were the roles reversed I’d have pushed for that too, or 2) knows he would push for it and doesn’t care (shooting the WHOLE “equality” thing right the crap out of the window.

Again, murder?  I don’t really think so, but I can kinda understand.. maybe its a stretch though?  Now IF this town is a racist haven, means nothing.  Whether you are a racist or not should not affect the LAW.  I imagine Sharpton would push for “hate crime” if this had been the other way around though.  So on that aspect I follow him, but I think there should be more separation of all these issues..

Nooses in a tree:  Technically, its probably racially motivated.. I concede it.  However hanging a piece of rope from a tree is probably not illegal.

Getting into a fight at a private party when crashing:  This is normal, I’ve seen it happen and if you’ve lived much so have you.  Good bouncers make this less of a problem as you get older, but still.  What I read was the party was “invitation only”, and that the guys weren’t invited.  Some jerk (probably watched too much “Road House”) jumped in and started a fight.. then it moved to the parking lot.. and he got charged.. etc.  He got off minor though, but he wasn’t 6:1 from what I could tell in reports.. He was more 1:1, maybe 2:1.. I dunno but I heard nothing of “hospital visits” for anyone involved.

The big one I thought, but isn’t being played up that much:

Getting a gun pulled on you:  Some of the black students (or just adults, who knows..) had a gun pulled on them at a gas station.  Now, this looks bad.. But the story I got from a biased news source (aren’t they all?) seemed to play down that “he sited self defense as he thought he was being robbed”.  I think that is pretty key, but in the end.. if there was 2 guys coming at him.. ya know.. maybe he could’ve thought that.  So anyway the black individuals wrestled the gun from him and the guy ran away.  Later I think one of the black people were cited for “theft of the gun”?  This is funny to me, but technically accurate.  If there is no proof one way or another on the charge of “are they robbing me, or am I just a nutjob”, then they did just take a gun from a guy.. Which is a theft.  They took something that didn’t belong to them.  I think that’s pretty basic.

Racism is an ugly thing.  I don’t consider it criminal, but I do consider it wrong.  I think, as a white guy, we get picked on a lot as if we are just all racist.  Really and truly, YOUR perception of ME means almost nothing to ME.  If you think I’m racist, go for it.  Do I have more white friends than black, well yeah.  Do I have black friends?  Yeah.  Really its a kinda small circle anymore with kids and school and a wife, dog, house… You get my point, I don’t get out much.  Anyway don’t assume that everything you see white:black, black:white.. is racially motivated.  I am pretty sure all people have a potential to be a jerk and say some stupid crap.. Whether that means you need a posse of 6 guys to teach him a lesson is really the issue I have.   Really people should be adult and TALK things out.  They should.  We should all drive below the speed limit, and all pay our fair share of taxes.  And if this was the case there would be no pollution, litter.. you get my point here too.  People are just not there yet.  Some are, but not all.  Be kind to each other.. and for God’s sake.. stop talking trash ppl.

It has been a long time since this attack humbled us as a nation. The attack itself was quickly eclipsed by the magnitude of heroics by regular Americans, and the pride that all of us who were not directly affected felt that we had such heroes. I personally salute all those who risked life/limb to help others, in most cases complete strangers in a time of such astonishing need.

The tragedy was not just that so many died.  The tragedy was that ordinary men/women rushed into burning buildings that would eventually collapse on them, with only the HOPE to help someone escape a fiery death.  These weren’t special people, these were people like your neighbor, the guy down the street and the lady at the gas station.  They gave their lives not knowing whether it would even make a difference.  Whether they would even have a chance to get a person out.  I am not just talking about the workers either.  The office people that stayed, or went back in to try to get a co-worker or a person they didn’t see waiting outside.  These people emblazoned what it truly meant to be “American” while the world watched.  Then there are the people in the aftermath.  Those people that worked endless hours for endless days pushing hope’s own boundary that they may find someone.  A place so horrific that the K9 search dogs got depressed (read that in a magazine)!  (being a dog owner, I cannot imagine my dog ever being depressed, much less depressed when I am around)

On today, do not think in anger of what has happened.  Or what you feel about the war going on in Iraq.  Think of the ordinary people, who became extraordinary by risking everything to save a countryman.

Heroes define us as a country.  They show all, what our country has to its merit.  What we all could be, and why so many people will do anything to become part of our country.

Although I am a fan, I’m not crazy about it all the time. This site does the best review of 5th element possible. Read it.. and enjoy.

LINK

I am big on pushing my assertions to be universal.. They aren’t. (note: this is the only time I will admit this.. don’t even try it a 2nd time)

I am mostly inspired by this blog regarding a list for happiness

1. Take responsibility to what you do, and don’t be ashamed.. You aren’t the first one to do it, and definitely not the last.. if you keep doing it, and can’t stop, try
2. NEVER (yeah I said never) take responsibility in a relationship for something you feel you didn’t do.
3. Laugh.. often.  Sometimes without reason  (it keeps people off guard)
4. If you notice “the whole world does…” do the exact opposite.  Trends are for sheep, and sheep are the dumbest animals on the face of the earth..
5. Buy a lumberjack shirt.   No real reason for it, but I love seeing people in the plaid shirts and just don’t care what you think.  Do that, just make sure its clean
6. If you have kids, get on your hands/knees and play with them 1 hour every day.  Consequently, if you don’t want to do this.. don’t have kids.
7. Stop talking to shrinks and taking crazy pills.. It is probably only really necessary for about 300 people.. and they are all in congress.  You should have friends.. Talk to them.  If you have a spouse, that is who you should talk to.  If it is about someone, talk to the person it is about.  If your just hearing voices, or wake up naked in subway tunnels in a strange city..then take the pills.
8. Marriage is a trap!  but it is also the most rewarding times of your life.  high school sucked, if you had “the time of your life” in high school.. You suck.  Marriage is waking up realizing your breath is funk-ified and having someone kiss you and not throw up.  The trap is when YOU have to do the kissing..
9. Let your past go.  (this helps with #7).  If you did something crappy, or great.. that was then.  Move on.  “what have you done for me lately” should be on your mp3 player (not an ipod, or again.. you suck {remember #4})
10. If you have kids, watch them.  Almost like a stalker.  So some crazy person doesn’t try to take them, and so they don’t do something crazy (they are kids, remember?)
11. Acknowledge you are going to die.. Then get over it.  Everyone will do it, and it can’t be part of rule #4.  Don’t go nuts and try bungee jumping just because everyone will, mind you.. ’cause then you might answer that question “life after death?” sooner than you’d like..
12. Go to a church.  If you don’t have a religion pick one and go there.  Church people tend to be some of the nicest people I have met.  If you go to the church and they suck, go to a new one..
13. Try things you wouldn’t normally want to because of the cost.  Cuban Cigar if you can get on.. If you like chocolate go nuts and get some of the GOOD stuff.  The stuff that makes Hersheys look like poodle poop.  Or.. a good 30yr single malt scotch. 
14. (note  see the linked blog’s notice about expensive underwear)  While I do not have any I see the validity of the point.
15. Tell your most humiliating story as often as you can, you’ll notice it just becomes funny.. and not so humiliating
16. Be honest with yourself.. and others when possible (some people would die if they knew how you really felt, maybe best you left them alone so if the weight of your deception bears on you.. you won’t destroy someone)
17. If someone in your life causes you problems.. Problems you can almost not take anymore.  Leave them behind.  Its hard because sometimes those people mean the most to us, but you can NEVER help someone by being their scapegoat or punching bag.  And if you could, it wouldn’t be worth it for YOU.
18. When you hear bad news, laugh.  As a reflex.  (I don’t know why but it really takes the edge off)
19. laugh.. a lot
20. Find a game you like and get horribly addicted to it (I don’t do this.. not at all)
21. Tell everyone you Love, that you love them.  Tell them often and make sure they understand you mean it.

I’m sure I’ll edit so I’ll add more as I go.. leave me yours!

Well if hurricanes/tsunami’s/earthquake’s/tornadoes weren’t an indication of terrible things coming.. The presidential race has apparently begun.

We’ve got a guy whose name sounds funny.. like it belongs in “the Name Game” song

A chick who is only famous for not being good enough to boink (by her husband)

A former mayor whose kids are not terribly happy with his wife (version3)

And probably countless other ridiculous ppl without even the slightest humor in them. If I were a betting man, I’d bet on the mayor guy.  The chick seems good on paper, but I just keep coming back to her being not good enough.. HA!  It may not be on a commercial from the other 2 front runners yet, but I hope it will.    I tell everyone I know that I don’t see a need to vote.  I don’t feel any of the candidates ever come remotely close to what I think a leader should be.  The problem is that everyone is rich.  Well thats problem 1, problem 2 is that everything is corrupt.

Why is rich a bad thing?  I am going to quote what little I remember from grade school.. “..Of the people, by the people, For the people..”  That line marks out all of our candidates.. pretty much ever.  I think a government SHOULD be those 3 things.  We tend to settle for 1.. BY the people.  Most voters contend that they are voting for the guy the think is best.  But ask them some issues that are normal, not red flag material like “is he for abortion”, and nobody ever knows.  People do a relatively ignorant thing when it comes to voting.  We consume whatever media is thrown at us..believe what we want (cause really, it could all just be BS).. and vote for the guy we “like”.  No government job should be a prom king/queen race.    Thats pretty much the heart of my argument there.  I want an excel spreadsheet with everything this person stands for on it.. yes/no.  I want it MANDATORY for everyone who is running to put this on www.presidential-race.info free for downloads.  But none of this really detracts from them being stinky rich.  Oh mostly not Bill Gates rich, but still.  I doubt they had to weigh out on say getting steak vs sharing a hamburger at Denny’s.  I’ve been there, and looking at the figures most ppl have been too given that most of us don’t have a savings of $1 million.  How could someone who has $1000 shoes know what its like to not be able to get my kid some shoes?  (not sayin I’m there now, just sayin.. I have been)  The answer is obvious.  They can’t.  Due to THAT specific criterion he cannot be “of the people”.  ergo, not worthy of a vote.

Problem 2, everything is corrupt.  This mostly stems from problem 1 putting rich people in control of everything.  That leaves an ENORMOUS burden on them to be responsible for not going for the bucks, and going for what is needed.  Need an example?  How bout oil?  The combustion engine is so out-dated, and many “prototype’s” have been developed around hybrids, and other fuels for combustion.  My wife not too terribly long ago told me.. “so and so oil company is dumping $4million into R/D for alternative fuels.  Isn’t that great?!”  As usual, I rained on her parade with the smirk that $4 million was probably less than 1/2 of a percent of their total working capital they COULD invest in this.  (And by the way, this company was an AMERICAN company.  Arab company’s should WANT us to stick with oil at any cost since that is the only thing that makes that patch of earth they live on worth anything.)  Who do you think owns stock in this American company?  Well, I honestly haven’t looked.  Have you?  I would contend that most of the politicians are deeply invested in things like this.. Why?  because it makes money, der.  Now consider for a second, if you made windshields.  For Ford, okay?  Now is it at all right that you should get a vote on who Ford uses to BUY windshields?  I think legally thats called a bias, or vested interest.  Given that we live in 2007, and hybrids are the answer we have been given to “Gas is frickin expensive, is there an alternative?”.. I’d say our “of/for/by the people” people have been not too terribly just.  They seem to get richer.. but that doesn’t seem to help 98% of the rest of us.  Oh to be born into a rich family..

Now am I for/against anyone?  Not especially.  I don’t like Hillary Clinton.  I don’t have a problem saying that I know zip about her politics, or about her beyond her issues during her famous husbands’ presidency.  But akin to Paris Hilton, she seems to be famous for being famous.  Elected to a congressional position, with most of her voters wonder how that happened.  She consistently irritates women, who would normally be her saving grace in votes.  I just don’t see her making it.  The name game guy.. Well I honestly love hearing his name by stuffy media types on the news.. so.. I hope he sticks around.  If I were to vote, I’d go with what information I can find from Ipac.  If you don’t know what Ipac is and you are a technology savvy individual, you need to go there.  First probably read up from the EFF.  The problem this attempts to solve is, most of the rich people that make decisions about what I can do and how I can do it on my technology I have/use do not use that technology nor do they know what the crap it does.  Much like a tribal guy from a deserted island voting on guns… If he doesn’t know what it is/what it does, he has no business voting on it.

So I’ve ranted.. there.  Go learn something..

I talk about politics.  period.  It may really tick people off but they can all just bite me.

1) Hillary Clinton is an iconic person.. Famous for not giving a crap her husband was getting blown by fat chicks.

2) Somehow, New York lost enough brain cells to get this broad in office..

3)  Now she feels that the nation that mostly thinks of her as a… well.. the word begins with a B and ends with.. well.  If you don’t know go listen to some rap music.. the word is used constantly there.  Anyway, she is convinced we would elect her as president.

Crazy?  Absolutely.  Her main qualification is the restraint she showed in beating ole slick willy in private when he was getting blown by the office aids.  That is if she even cared.  Sorry, but wives know their husbands if they CHOOSE to.  Guys are pretty static people.. If he is a pervert on day one.. he’ll be one on the last day too.  If he is a grump, he always will be.  If he is a “hey.. even though I am married and in the constant spotlight, I’d like to cheat on my wife with someone who would rat me out their first chance” kind of guy.. you should know.

Personally I think she clung to him to get into the White House, and to hope she could get in on her own later.  Fortunately for people who don’t like her, she has managed to anger what would be her main constituency, women.  Her kick in the pants comment about having “better things to do then raise kids” really upset women (most of whom are working anyway, but don’t wanna be kicked in the head either).  Can she win without the Female vote?  Well thats really the biggest group to keep an eye on for her.

So only time will tell… if we get a “First philanderer” in Bill Clinton.. or if she’ll claim she lost cause she’s a woman…

Countdown to my C# class retake is 2 weeks.  I have never been more apprehensive.  Pretty much this is my gateway into the last several classes for my major.  Which is good, until you realize that it is taught VERY fast and I don’t seem to keep up very well.  I need I think a C in this to move along, but more directly there is a 3 credit hour class I would have to take in summer that is an advancement of THIS class.  It is utterly terrifying.  I am not so self depricating to say that I cannot do it.  I am honest enough to say I don’t know if I can do it “the way the prof needs it” or “in the time available”.

This one particular course could verywell hold up my entire academic career!

plans:  Well I am still needing to speak to someone at Indiana University Southeast, about transferring over or what-have-you.. I don’t know that they will be easier, but I know they are easier to handle (online classes, all of them but 4).  Unlike UofL, IUS goes for VB (thats visual basic) as its programatic spearhead.  I have actually heard that VB is harder than C#.. or at least more verbose.  I have tried C#, and think I have a methodology problem and not a “ability” problem.  Having read the book over (and over and over and over) I can find no solution.  A professor would help, but last semester I seemed to be in the “I am a professional programmer, but I need this class for my degree” class.  I am NOT a programmer.  Nor do I really aspire to be.  Networking is something I want to focus on as well as maybe some hardware issues and OS troubleshooting.  Why?  Well really, I CAN program, but I lack the interest to become really good at it.. and lack the pinache of other programmers.  I NOTICE this, and freely admit it.

Sidepoint:  almost everyone in my program goes into being a programmer.. (sounds bad for me doesn’t it?)

My real idea is to run my own business where I get to help people with day to day issues and build networks for them, etc..  Since I can’t just drop everything and do that I want to  look towards a full time job that would pay the bills and have something on the side with all that.  (Yes I know building a 800 person network may need more time than my “weekends”)   Its just an idea keep in mind.  Realistically, I don’t project my annual earnings to ever reach all that high.. It’d be nice, but c’mon…  First things first though, I need a degree in a “computer related field”.  so its time to C#!

My whole country has grown to a point where it is looked down upon to “dislike” someone.  For pretty much any reason this is seen as unacceptable, and undesirable.

Why?

I mean that in all seriousness.. Why?  If reporters can give away our government’s secrets hiding under “freedom of speech”, why can’t someone dislike someone else?  I’m not saying you have a right to hate people, but maybe you do have that right.  Maybe you have the right to be disgusted in another human being or group of human beings.  Is it a “good thing”?  I would say hating at all is a bad thing.. but do you have a right to do it if you so choose?  I think the answer to this is yes.  I don’t, but I should have all the right of anyone in our country to suddenly decide to HATE tall people, short people, fat people, skinny people.. etc.

Mostly I am bothered by being called down by supervisors for calling our “holiday party” a office “christmas party”.  I realize not everyone on earth, or even in our town celebrates christmas, but lets face it.. It is THE holiday right now.  Jews are a minority, so are people that celebrate the ficticious holiday of Kwanza.  So they should be well aware of their status as a minority and not be terribly bothered if *shock* most people celebrate christmas.  If you are one of those people who feel it necessary to have me refer to MY holiday as a “christma-hana-kwanz-ika”.. BITE ME.  I don’t celebrate a “holiday”.  I celebrate CHRISTMAS.  If you don’t, fine.  If I realize you celebrate the jewish holiday, I would of course wish you luck in that.. happy hannukah, happy kwanza.. happy antswarming day… whatever.

I DON’T find it necessary to poll you to see if you celebrate one of the smaller holidays.  If I say merry christmas, and you want me to say happy hannukah.. tell me.  Do NOT get offended.. Be INTELLIGENT to the affect that MOST of this country does celebrate christmas.  If I decide to call the new years, smally-nose-goof-day.  I wouldn’t decide that you were obviously racist for not KNOWING I call it smally-nose-goof-day.  I would ASSUME, you would call it New Years and would be wishing me well in the way you knew yourself.  At work they fuss and fume about “diversity”.. Without realizing that diversity has no implication of change in it.  It merely means that you accept the difference.  Notice the word “accept” doesn’t say “like, Love” in it..  I notice people are different, its just the way it is.  People should be allowed not to like me on the basis that I call new years smally-nose-goof-day.  Just like I don’t like people who follow the crowd of morons that succomb to anothers beliefs before standing up for their own.  I am ME.  Not YOU.  If I were YOU I would do things YOUR way.  Since I’m not, STOP WHINING ABOUT ME DOING THINGS MY WAY…

If you disagree in any way.. please, please go play in a pasture and eat grass.. Because you are a sheep, in desperate need of a shepherd.. And personally.. I’m not up to shepherding any sheep around..