It was raining today so I walked indoors after dinner. I walked 2.05 miles. It was sad because of yet another mass shooting. This time in Texas at a church. 26 people killed. All the politicians call for thoughts and prayers but that does nothing. We need gun control now. How many shootings will it take for the republicans to take action and fight against the NRA and change the gun laws?
I got back to walking early in the morning today. I walked 3.16 miles on the track at AU. It was 48 degrees! I love the cold but it was a bit cold to be outside that long without something on my legs. I knew it would be getting cold so I got some of those runner pants to wear on these cold mornings. They worked! I wasn’t cold at all. I need to get some runner gloves next. My hands were cold.
On another note, I am just so sick of our president. When he called the woman whose husband died last week in Niger he told her he knew what he signed up for. What an asshole. He is incapable of feeling sympathy for anyone. He is absolutely a horrible person. He’s got to go!
I skipped walking on Saturday to take a day off but I was back at it again this morning. I walked 2.17 miles at the track at American University. It rained a lot yesterday so the track was wet but the weather was beautiful. Here’s a shot from the campus.
On another note, I was sickened yesterday by the death and violence in Charlottesville. We have visited the town many times and my father lives there now. Trump did not denounce the violence by the white supremacists. Instead blamed “many sides” for the violence. These people are a dying breed and Trump should have called them out for what they are, terrorists. This is not the America it should be in 2017. We already fought a war against the Nazis. We shouldn’t be doing it again and not on American soil. I’m disgusted with Trump and his ilk. I stand with #charlottesville
I’m very discouraged by the events happening in Ferguson, Missouri. I think it’s an indication of the militarization of our local police. After 911, the government gave lots of money to local police forces to help combat terrorism (or the fear of it). Increasingly these police forces are using the tactics and equipment against it’s own citizens. The police are to protect and defend not intimidate, arrest, and kill people for little to no reason.
Yes, this boy did rob a store earlier in the day. But at the time he was shot dead he was unarmed and simply walking down the middle of the street. Is that justification for killing him? Absolutely not. I think the rioting and protests that are going on in Ferguson are justified. If the people of Ferguson don’t stand up and demand better, we are one step closer to a police state. Local police forces need to realize they are not against the people. They are against criminals and terrorists…who probably wouldn’t be anywhere near Ferguson, Missouri.
The situation in Ferguson has flip-flopped a few times now. The police say one thing and do another. Then they try to calm the nerves by joining the protests. Then they show the robbery video and try to make a connection between the robbery and the assassination of an unarmed man in the street.
And what about the people who are being arrested for simply filming the police during these interactions? That is the craziest thing. The first amendment gives people the right to film the police and their interactions in public. Courts are on the side of the person doing the filming. Several of the people arrested were reporters doing their jobs!
The killing of young, black men for no reason seems to be happening more and more. When will it stop? When will police forces learn their actual role in our local towns? I’m saddened to say I don’t see much changing in the near future. Just like mass school shootings haven’t ceased, neither will gunning down unarmed young black men.
Merry Christmas eve! I love this time of the year. The holidays always put me in a good mood. And the weather is cooperating to make it feel like it’s Christmas. It was very warm over the weekend but after all day rain on Monday the temperatures dropped and today I saw a burst of snowflakes at one point. It’s breezy and cold outside. Just in time for Christmas.
Over the weekend we exchanged gifts since Warren is in New Orleans with his family. He gave me a new coat, sunglasses, an Apple gift card, a Virginia Bird Guide, and a few other stocking stuffers in my stocking. I gave him a new duffle bag, baking pans, slippers, boot socks, and a few stocking stuffers. We had a very nice gift exchange.
Tomorrow I’ll be heading to the Charlottesville area to spend the day with two of my sisters and their families and my father. I’m taking my mother with me. We started this tradition last year and we’ll probably continue doing it as long as we can. Mom and I spend the night at my sisters so we don’t have to drive so far in one day. That makes the trip more enjoyable since we can spend more time with the family. It should be fun. I’m looking forward to it.
I been watching my favorite Christmas movies while I’ve been off from work. I’ve watched The Bishop’s Wife, Christmas In Connecticut, A Christmas Carol, The Shop Around The Corner, The Man Who Came To Dinner, and Meet Me In St. Louis. My favorite is probably a toss up between The Bishop’s Wife and Christmas In Connecticut.
Even though this is a Christmas post, I did just want to mention a few news items. I know everyone is posting about and reading about the Duck Dynasty controversy. I will only chime in and say that he has a right to speak as he wishes. This is not a “right to free speech” issue. The whole duck dynasty needs to understand that consequences come with with what you say. He’s an idiot with backward thinking. That’s all I’m going to say on the subject.
The other issue I’m so pleased about is what’s happening in Utah. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Shelby on Friday declared Utah’s gay marriage ban unconstitutional. Since then some 700 couples have been married. Of course the state lawyers are asking for a stay to holt the weddings. I think they are screwed and will not win this one and Utah will be the 18th state with marriage equality. On this topic in general, I think taking it to the courts is the best way to get marriage equality state by state and eventually the country.
Enough of all that. Have a wonderful Christmas!