Sista sLedge.r

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"After losing to Michigan State at home two years ago, Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis promised Irish fans his team would never again lose to the Spartans."

Labels: football, opinion

Ok. I’m gonna weigh in on the Jena 6 issue.

Fist, violence is bad. I don’t agree with the ‘Free the Jena 6’ stance. They should not be freed. They committed a crime (assault) and they need to be punished for their crime. That crime should be decided by a judge or jury or however it is decided by those elected and charged to issue punishment. However, the punishment should fit the crime. Ganging up 6-1 and sending a kid to the hospital does not constitute attempted murder, in my opinion. I think it’s more serious than a schoolyard fight, so some fine/probation should be applied to their actions. Because they’re juveniles, I don’t think jail time in necessary.

What I hate that no one is mentioning is that one of the Jena 6 had a gun pulled on him before the incident took place. This site gives a good indication of the chronology:

On Friday night, December 1, a black student who showed up at a white party was beaten by whites. On Saturday, December 2, a young white man pulled out a shotgun in a confrontation with young black men at the Gotta Go convenience store outside Jena before the men wrestled it away from him. The black men who took the shotgun away were later arrested, no charges were filed against the white man.

On Monday, December 4, at Jena High, a white student - who allegedly had been making racial taunts, including calling African American students "niggers" while supporting the students who hung the nooses and who beat up the black student at the off-campus party - was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. The white victim was taken to the hospital treated and released. He attended a social function that evening.

Six black Jena students were arrested and charged with attempted second degree murder. All six were expelled from school.

I think that the message was lost in the protesting. Instead of leaders calling for the release of the Jena 6, they should have been calling for the arrest of the others involved in the violence in Jena, as well as the equal punishments by those individuals involved in the violence.

I think a better argument is in what the Rev. Al Sharpton said in regards to there being a Jena in every state in this nation. I think Harry Shearer made a great observation when he likened the Jena incident to the incident in Paris, TX. In this instance, a white girl (teenager) burned down her parent’s home and she was sentenced to probation. While, in an unrelated incident, but I believe within the same timeframe, a black student shoved a school official because she was not allowed to go to the bathroom, and the black girl received a sentence of 7 years in jail. Now, I do not condone the black girl’s actions. There is never a case where it is ok to shove ANYONE, much less, your elder. No matter how much your elder may be making a fool of themselves. However, I don’t think a sentence of 7 years is appropriate for a shoving incident that occurred on school grounds. At the very least, the student should be expelled. At the most, maybe a minor battery charge. But when you look at the white girl who committee arson and the black girl who shoved a teacher, I think you can see where I’m getting with the disparity between punishments.

And I hate to say what I’m about to say next. Because I think it sets us (black people) back when I say it. But here goes: maybe if we stop doing stupid shit, we wouldn’t get mistreated. We can’t expect that people are going to treat us with kid gloves when we have honestly fucked up. I hate to institute a culture of fear, but maybe if you’re scared of whitey locking you up for life for spitting on the sidewalk, you probably should think twice before you hock a luggey.

But my previous statement isn’t meant to say that the white community shouldn’t take responsibility either. Yes, we’re all outraged that a kid was ganged up on and beat up, even if he did deserve it (and since he was out there calling people niggers, he was probably asking for it). However, I wish more white people would have stood up and said that the Jena 6’s punishment didn’t fit the crime. Instead of criticizing Sharpton and Jackson for actually taking a stand, I wish more of our white bothers and sisters would have stepped up and recognized what this protest and demonstration really should have been about: the disparity between sentencing for blacks and whites across the country. And NOT about freeing the Jena 6.

Labels: opinion

So the big news in Lansing is a judge who is being investigated for a series of things. Most notable to me at least, are her excessive absences, claiming that another judge was meddling in her court affairs, not paying for gas at a gas station, and claiming discrimination.

I read the summary of the complaint in the newspaper, and I have a few things to say about it.

1) Some of what she says I believe to be true. I believe that another judge was probably meddling in her courtroom affairs and not letting her run her court the way she saw fit. However, I also believe in professionalism. Being the first black judge in Ingham County (appointed in 1990 no less) is something of an accomplishment. And with increased responsibilities comes increased professionalism. I don’t excuse the excessive absences. I also don’t excuse the falsifying of records if it did occur. However, I also believe that she was being scrutinized because she is black and a woman. Is that fair? Of course not. But I’ve always been taught since I was knee-high to a duck that I would always be judged differently than everyone else. That’s the reason why I was always encouraged to get a good education, keep my nose clean, and do a job better than anyone else. Because then there would be no reason for anyone to come to me and try to falsely accuse me of things.

2) I also believe that this Judge took liberties in her work. She probably saw some of her white counterparts taking days off and bending the rules. The problem with bending the rules is that you need to do it within a certain constraint. I have a better argument saying that Sally comes to work 10 minutes late everyday and that’s the reason I leave 10 minutes early everyday. I have less of an argument if Sally comes in late 10 minutes everyday yet I decide to take a 3 hour lunch everyday. Of course you’re going to get reprimanded for going that far outside of the rules.

3) There was also an incident about her refusing to pay $3.00 for gas and her being snotty to the gas attendant. Is that a reason for her to lose her job? No. However, she now has an investigation against her and they will use anything bad that she has ever done in her professional life to mar her character. Is the fair? Absolutely not. But, as a professional, she should have known she has to act better.

So what is my conclusion in all of this? Do I think she’s being singled out just because she’s black and a woman? Probably. And I don’t think that’s fair. But I also think that as the first black circuit court judge, she should have set a better example for those who will come after her. In her power and position, she forgot that she was always being scrutinized – far more than her white counterparts. And she should have done a better job of obtaining her professionalism. I’m sad that this has happened to her and she had to go through this, but I hope that other females –both black and white – (and black men too while we’re on the subject) learn that it’s still a good-ole-boys club. And until things change (which I don’t see happening soon) you will always be judged harsher than others. So you might as well play within the system and don’t take liberties that you know will eventually get you kicked out of the club.

Labels: current events, news, opinion