Lives Matter both sides now

Four years ago on this date I became aware of a conflict that would inspire a cliché' that would evolve into "All Lives Matter ". When I was first invited to this forum the topic was God ,or the Holy Spirit, but right versus left, black versus white, and cops versus citizens is a popular topic today
"These people acting like fools" reminds me of a picture of Heather Black (I have no idea if she died from a broken heart ). The cops have made war with the 2pac image ,and my niece asked me what did Mike's friend look like
https://www.facebook.com/WHTBOY/videos/vb.100000832038604/149543835083350/?type=2&theater

These conflicts have inspired poems and drama

Drama has been invited back on the main message forums by a few brave mods

Any response ad hominem or even logic would be treasured from my dear poets

Sadly, I'm finding that most are not as brave as they appear to be.
You are absolutely correct about the drama inspiring much of the writing and nobody ever died from a heated debate.

Printer-friendly version of this lyric

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all

© 1967 Gandalf Publishing Co.

Michael....I really wasn't planning on singing this early...lol...but that was one of my favorite songs.

I started this thread knowing it might be a Debbie Downer. Yesterday was the anniversary of an event I wrote a poem about without giving it justice

Give me a Break
by Michael D Nalley

How far is your mind from a brake
When you don't think you make a mistake
That could trigger a cold reality
an unnecessary fatality

If all of us thought before we acted
with the best judgment when we reacted
the world would be a far safer place
in almost every single case.

It's so easy for us to feel
we have control over the wheel,
but then what is real, and what is fake?
I beg your pardon, give me a break!

There is two ways of reading this poem One is from the perspective of the cop that chose a trigger over a break escalation vs de-escalation

http://www.wdrb.com/story/15876939/lmpd-investigating-a-sheriff-involved-shooting

Coroner ID's man killed by Sheriff's Deputy

Posted: Oct 26, 2011 4:28 AM CDT

Updated: Nov 01, 2011 11:24 AM CDT

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10205321845355855&set=a.1723110247799.2096576.1539633683&type=3&pnref=story

http://wg-hardy-crem.tributes.com/dignitymemorial/obituary/Heather-Irene-Ivy-Black-101931568

If you've ever lived deep within the inner cities you'll come to understand profiling by police and how there is definitely an inequality on how things are handled in the projects vs. how they are handled it rural or suburban areas, it's night and day, literally......The Black lives matter movement is a good , strong powerful statement, but is being misused throughout America, and fought with all lives matter or white lives matter too, which only feeds into the flames of racism even more......those in power actually love this division, it's actually a studied and proven way to control the masses.....Here's something to ponder, if as the government says, "all lives matter"....If you kill a cop, it's the death penalty, automatically, if someone kills your father or mother they get life, so is that cops life more important than your mom or dads life.....when you create exclusion, full scale segregation and rules for certain groups, then you are basically creating a division, an us vs. them syndrome, and with that, throughout history it has created chaos. Are minorities treated unjust?, without a doubt, are they helping their own cause?, not really and the reason is the leaders themselves have their own self interest rather than representing the people, they do it for fame and fortune, rather than for what is right and just......Racism and inequality is even worse now than it was when Martin Luther King fought for civil rights, it's just more hidden and devious......It has always blown my mind how you can simply judge a man by the color of his skin, when in reality we all come from the same place and we are all related by blood if you look back far enough.....you can't say Black lives matter, or white lives matter or all lives matter, if you don't make your own life matter by standing up to racism and equality for all, not just your own.

Very well written Bob . I don't know how you felt about the Trayvon Martin case , but I always (or at least came to the comparison to Emmitt Till and even the Jordan Davis case . Teens stopping at a store for refreshment and being bullied into submission . I am not for the wanna be cops or even the extreme cases of wanna be thugs . I would like to see a compromise on both sides... damn the rebel flag

The Trayvon Martin case was a travesty, the guy disobeyed a direct order to remain in his car, he brought on the action by Trayvon because he wouldn't leave it alone, he just had to assert his authority as most cops tend to do...and he walked scott free, meanwhile someones child was dead, it could have easily been prevented had he stayed in the car like he was told to.....Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good officers that want to make a difference, but when you cover up for one of your own knowing he was wrong, then you're not a good officer, right is right, and wrong is wrong......I think we also make a big mistake allowing predominately white officers patrol minority neighborhoods, people don't easily forget all those ass whippings they caught when they were kids from cops just for being the wrong color in the wrong place

I agree with you totally . The extreme right wing (on youtube) who feared that the stand your ground law was being challenged and the far left was just making it too hard to label an average kid as a thug called me a Travonite and a reverse racist . The difference between a homicide and a murder boils down to justification . Most people who have been on the wrong side of the tracks have at least an idea of what it is like to be treated like a lessor citizen and Trayvon could have been the Mohamad Ali of Florida (for all I know) but that did not give the coward that could have identified himself as a self appointed NW to force the kid into a "fight or flight" mode

Exactly, it wasn't even a question of stand your ground, he wasn't initially in harms way, he placed himself in harms way intentionally, when you do that the law should be moot and you should have to suffer the consequences, it's like the Rodney King trial, how in the world could those jurors have watched that video and come back with a not guilty plea, they've been conditioned never to question the police, the police are always right, and yet some of them are far more criminal than those they arrest......but in all reality what can you expect when the justice system can be and is bought on a daily basis.....

I believe that the right and left agree that the bill of rights has become weaker. Since 911 many more Americans have been killed on American soil by Americans than foreign terrorist . I am still worried that it may be too late to drop the qualifier

https://youtu.be/zfiCPj5cua0

As far as the movement that gained strength with the media coverage of Trayvon Martin . I feel Al made a mistake by stirring the Mike Brown case when so many things were blown out of proportion the pin the hardcore thug image on Trayvon An example was the alleged nude images of under aged girls on his cell phone . He had only turned 17 weeks before his death so they were grasping straws . I think punks does not rhyme with goons . Any opinions ?

The Mike Brown case is the epitome of how things are handled in impoverish areas, I witnessed it in Phila for 32 years, where police officers respond unprofessionally to smart mouth kids......they put them in the car, the kid says something smart and then the officer has to show the kid how tough he is, in Browns case he, wasn't having it, probably gave the officer more than he could handle and the cop shot him.......I wasn't there, but it's not hard to imagine that's exactly what happened......cops don't have to kill kids, they are equipped and taught how to handle such situations but seem to forget it once the gun is removed from the holster. as for al sharpton and jesse jackson, they make their living off of situations like this and yet do more harm than good in most cases......the brown case was iffy, at best, but the case in New york with the guy selling loosies, the kid in cleveland, and the latest Sandra Bland were very ty[ical of police using excessive force....you really can't blame minorities for getting upset when they turn on the news and see a guy who just shot a state patrolman being carefully tucked in a squad car, and then they see someone from their neighborhood kicked and beaten into submission, when they already complied to the officers commands.......

as for the bill of rights, the constitution, they've been distorted time and time again, and have become more of a political tool rather than a protection for and by the people.....our entire country is watered down, and people don't even care enough anymore to stop these greedy ass politicians and big businesses from destroying our country from within......

In a strange turn of event the family of Debose have retained Mark O'Mara in a wrongful death suit . The dude that is after a Boone county deputy in Kentucky ( the state were Ron Paul's son pleaded guilty to DUI and never spent a second in the county jail) is usually too right wing for my taste but I agree with on a local case which is being taken as a possible civil headache for the deputy and the Boone co sheriff's department since a high profile attorney took the case
https://youtu.be/D7U1nX6hePM

See that's what I'm talking about, hit them in the wallet, thats the only thing that's going to make them start looking at their policy and procedures, not looting and rioting. all that does is make them feel justified

They just updated that case and it appears the lawyers must be expecting a slam dunk

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/10/27/dubose-estate-battle-continues/74684144/