Where Do YOU Stand?

#2020Violence #2020Riots #2020RightToAssemble

Communication works both ways. This is true. In regards to the riots, protesters, and other actions taken across our Great Nation over the last few weeks.... Here's my take on it. 

    Law breakers and those who commit criminal acts are no longer protesters. They have broken the law. The law will react. The thing about that is if it is in the middle of a protest, people seem to forget that police are afraid for their lives too. They have families at home who count on them to do a job. Their job just puts them in harms way every day. They are human. 

Yes they wear a badge and "have power" and should use it wisely. 

    People who want to be heard should also use the power of their voice wisely and be heard in a legal manner-- the right to assemble and be heard doesn't include violence or hurting other people or vandalism, or blocking roadways. KNOW the law and what you are stepping into when you join a protest because the action of one person in the group can become the voice of the entire group....then you have guilt by association. This leads to the voices that wanted to be heard getting lost in the violence and the turmoil that ensues and we are all right back to where we started. 

    People are people no matter what side they are on. both sides get scared. Both sides react. Both sides make good and bad decisions.  The media (and Social Media most of all) focus on what gets people's attention and what gets them heard.... and then things escalate.... and here we go again. Yes I believe in freedom of the press. This branch is also to be held accountable. They are required to fact check their sources before they publish. Social Media has NO such requirements. How many times have you posted something only to have a friend post back with a link to snopes.com or some other source that says your copied post is wrong? Most people (myself included) don't always (rarely) take the time to check to see where the information came from. We just share because it's out there and it's posted so it must be true. We post according to how things make us feel. When we are outraged, we want to share so others will share so the act of violence or criminal behavior will somehow stop...or because we want to help catch someone who broke the law...or because that was so cute and so funny that we want others to share in that feeling too (the motivation is sharing your feelings if you missed the connection in all of those instances).

    Assemble. Be heard. Share your thoughts, feelings, and ideas! In doing so, Be calm. Be rational. Be patient. Be the voice that IS heard. Change happens but sometimes takes time and effort...to be seen and heard the right way. To be heard is important...even imperative! Be the voice you want remembered-not the voice that stirred violence leading to more violence. Don't be a law breaker in the process of trying to do the right thing. The right thing for the right reasons in the right way doesn't generally cause vandalism, or panic, or fear, or innocent bystanders to get hurt. It generally leads to change. 

    People have made these events across the nation about George Floyd and others. It isn't. George Floyd's family is a "God-fearing" family so says his brother at the site where his brother died in a vigil recently held.  Sometimes people only need a cause in order to act. Sometimes those actions aren't in the interest of the group but they become the things others read about and remember. I prefer to be remembered in a positive light-not as a criminal with a record that follows me the rest of my life. One uneducated mistake will stay with you. One positive turn in the right direction will stay with you. MLK preached change. He did so peacefully with love. He set an example. He is remembered as a great leader and man. "Martin Luther King Jr was an American Christian minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the Civil Rights Movements from 1955 until he was assassinated in 1968." He left a legacy. He left an example. He left us change!

    God's first commandment was to "Love one another". You do that and all the violence disappears. Research George Floyd and what the man stood for. Research the work that he was doing in the neighborhoods he was involved in. He wanted peace and education for neighborhoods that know fear and violence every day as a way of life HERE IN OUR GREAT NATION. He was trying to make a way for some of them to get out of that fear and hate ridden places full of violence. Do you really think he would want violence committed in his honor? Look him up. See what others have to say about him-those that knew him. Then decide if the violence done "for his cause" or "in his name" would be appreciated by George Floyd himself. Then decide---for Yourself. 

    Don't forget to put yourself or a family member on the other side of the line from where you stand to see how you would feel if you were in another position. Because you may find a family member or friend on the other side at some point through this mess of miscommunication. See the entire picture--their side and yours and look at the pros and cons of each side. Be educated in your decision ---not just in the riots and protests arena but in all arenas of life. Love one another. Love is easier than hate. It gives more benefits than hate. It creates more friends and lasting relationships than hate..... Love one another. Talk to one another. Communicate. Be heard. Use your voice--educate yourself and vote! Assemble with love at the center so forward motion can be had.... so we don't walk in circles of violence.

    People are people. The color of their skin doesn't matter. When you see an x-ray, can you tell what race that person is or what color or what gender they are? When blood donations are made at the blood banks, they don't classify them by color, race, or nationality, or gender. They classify them by A, AB, O positive or negative. 
A persons heart and intentions are what should matter more-not the color of their skin or what you can see on the outside. This is my commandment, that you love one another..... 

I know this is rather long. I know people will have plenty to say regarding this post...communication goes both ways. Post your comments respectfully. You deserve to be heard. None of us need to be disrespectful in being heard. Thank You. God bless and keep you.

SOPA--An act against OUR RIGHTS!

SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Act....I disagree!

Make your voice heard!

We the People....

government for the people,

by the people!

Let's keep it that way!

The details of this proposed bill can be found on wikipedia.

There are excerpts included in this post. I believe this needs to be said....

When television first came out, they tried to sensor what was put on the air. We fought that act claiming it violated our rights. IT DID! Freedom of Speech is one of the most important tools we have. It frees the lines of communication so that WE THE PEOPLE have a TRUE VOICE! We the People have a say! However we have to stand up for our rights instead of accepting what is handed to us and reacting too late! Be proactive!
Fight for your Rights! Let Congress and the rest of our Government know we value our rights and our freedom! We are NOT blind sheep to be lead into a future where our rights have slowly,  quietly disappeared under the guise of "for our protection" or "for our own good"!

You have the right to speak up and to make your voice heard! Let them HEAR YOU!....before they sensor your rights.
Here is a part of the explaination i found on wikipedia:

"The bill would authorize the U.S. Department of Justice to seek court orders against websites outside U.S. jurisdiction accused of infringing on copyrights, or of enabling or facilitating copyright infringement.[4] After delivering a court order, the U.S. Attorney General could require US-directed Internet service providers, ad networks, and payment processors to suspend doing business with sites found to infringe on federal criminal intellectual property laws. The Attorney General could also bar search engines from displaying links to the sites.[13]"

Now while this clipping makes it sound as though it is all aimed at those outside the US...it also states that service providers, ad networks, and payment processors may be required to suspend doing business with sites found to be guilty....that isn't restricted to outside the US! And if we let them restrict the internet (also known as the "world wide web" outside of our borders, who is going to stop a later bill from including the US businesses? Everything has a tendency to GROW from one small step to a giant leap...and before you know it, you are a blind sheep being led to the slaughter with no voice to change because while you were sleeping, someone took that from you....in this case...It has started with the 2008 bill that was their first attempt to censor the internet. We said NO then.

Now, here they are again with a different approach still trying to sensor our voice, our freedom, our right to be heard, to do business globally or locally!

Here is a second part of the bill being proposed:
"The bill also establishes a two-step process for intellectual property rights holders to seek relief if they have been harmed by a site dedicated to infringement."
This part says NOTHING about outside the US. It just states the process generally. It gives  no parameters, specifics, nothing!

Quote number three:
"The bill provides immunity from liability to the ad and payment networks that comply with this Act or that take voluntary action to cut ties to such sites. Any copyright holder who knowingly misrepresents that a website is dedicated to infringement would be liable for damages.[4] The second section increases the penalties for streaming video and for selling counterfeit drugs, military materials or consumer goods. The bill would increase the penalties for unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content[for uploaders, downloaders, or hosts? clarification needed] and other intellectual property offenses.[13]"


Immunity for following along blindly....giving up freedom of speech for censorship??!!! WHAT?!?!?!?!
Oh and did you read the part about penalties?? Let me show you that again:

 The bill would make unauthorized streaming of copyrighted content a crime, with a maximum penalty of five years in prison for ten such infringements within six months.




"Impact on online freedom of speech
On TIME's Techland blog, Jerry Brito wrote, "Imagine if the U.K. created a blacklist of American newspapers that its courts found violated celebrities' privacy? Or what if France blocked American sites it believed contained hate speech?"[22] Similarly, the Center for Democracy and Technology warned, "If SOPA and PIPA are enacted, the US government must be prepared for other governments to follow suit, in service to whatever social policies they believe are important—whether restricting hate speech, insults to public officials, or political dissent."[23]
Laurence H. Tribe, a Harvard University professor of constitutional law, released an open letter on the web stating that SOPA would “undermine the openness and free exchange of information at the heart of the Internet. And it would violate the First Amendment.”[7][24]

The AFL-CIO's Paul Almeida, arguing in favor of SOPA, has stated that free speech was not a relevant consideration, because "Freedom of speech is not the same as lawlessness on the Internet. There is no inconsistency between protecting an open Internet and safeguarding intellectual property. Protecting intellectual property is not the same as censorship; the First Amendment does not protect stealing goods off trucks."[25]"

I disagree with Paul Almeida! Freedom of speech is being able to post your voice online as with on television! If another nation tried to tell us we couldn't do this, we would be OUTRAGED!! We would scream bloody murder until the ban was lifted and freedom was given back to us! Why should we not tell those trying to stop us in our own lands, within our own borders the same thing! They should know better more so than another nation! They live here, grew up here (usually), and enjoy teh same rights and freedoms we do albeit with a few more resources than most of us but still they are Americans! Why should we let our own people take our rights from us? To me that is worse than someone else trying! Note I said trying!!

Don't let SOPA take away your voice!!

Email or write to your representative! Click the link if you need information. The link will take you to the House of Representatives directory. There is no reason not to take a moment to make a stand!!

Stand up for your rights and your freedom!

Email or write to your Senator! The link will take you to the governmeent site that lists each address, phone number and an automated form that sends an email to your senator. It does show required fields in order to send the email....but your voice should be heard!!

We didn't send soldiers to iraq to fight and die for freedom for other nations just to have ours taken away at home!! We have to support our troops by making our won stand. You may think this is far reaching but I don't. I think each freedom is precious and should be preserved. History has taught us that once a law is passed it is hard to change it. People get use to things....and can be mislead if close attention is not paid.

We fought for those amendments...and by we I mean the American people!

We owe it to ourselves and our future generations (and our future selves too!) to keep those freedoms!

Make your voice heard!

We the People....government for the people, by the people!

Let's keep it that way!