Musings and Ponderings: November 2010

ok. So I got into a pretty heated FB discussion with a person I don't know (a friend of a friend) regarding a book that was recently (I think) published. I am not going to divulge which book this was as I think it is a grotesque book and I will not promote it on my blog in the slightest. However, what evolved from this discussion is something that concerns me greatly. I am a pretty (hold on having a brain fart..........must google the opposite of liberal......ah!) conservative person. Now this in no way means that I am riding the Limbaugh train and selling spots in my house to watch Hannity, but I am definitely not liberal. The following is a transcript of the conversation over FB with names and side topics removed for anonymity and clarity in reading.

Person's Status Update: WTF??????? let's all band together to protect the sociopathic (SUBJECT) ....what are they thinking?? where do they think he got this information from???

Colo police investigate, protect (Person no-one likes)

Police are investigating whether the (person) did anything illegal even as they try to protect him from a threat posted on a local website.

2 hours ago ·

- Julie Bartlett I don't agree with what the book is about. With that said, he does have freedom of speech and is innocent until proven guilty. He also has a right to live without persecution or threats. Like I said. I don't like the book and using my freedom of purchasing I will not buy it and already left a comment on Amazon.com about how I feel, but freedom and rights go both ways. Just because you don't agree with something or someone doesn't mean they should lose their rights.
  
  2 hours ago ·
- Person I love: it still should be illegal---and i have the right to say that...being the long time victim of (terrible abuse), i can tell you---this is a how to book and he didn't get that knowledge from outer space!!! and enabling him to continue?? just wrong?? guilty until proven innocent---he just wrote a book that adds up to him signing a confession. by your calculations, it ok for him to have kiddie porn too??? you know, wink wink---not guilty if you don't get caught!!!
  
  2 hours ago ·
- Julie Bartlett
  
  Ok. I never said it was ok. I never said it was good. It is however not illegal. You can write about any topic you want. If he had pictures of (subject) happening in the book then it would be illegal. I did not say that it is ok as long as you are not caught. Illegal is illegal. But if you start the precedent of guilty until proven innocent then it has to apply to everything. A store owner says you stole from him. Unless you can prove you didn't you are going to jail. This is not a good plan. You know me. I am not encouraging this book and I think the guy is a Sicko. But too many people have died and are still fighting for the freedoms that we hold dear. We can not pick and choose when and where and to whom those freedoms apply prior to due process. Once we start forgetting this we may as well sign away our constitution and bill of rights.
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Person I don't know: PPL SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT THAT!! HE IS SICK AND CREEPY AND SHOULD BE LOCKED AWAY.. A FREAKING GUIDE FOR (SUBJECT) WTF!!!!
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Person I don't know: WHY THE.... UGH WHY ARE PPL STANDING UP FOR (SUBJECT) THAT MAKES THEM JUST AS SICK!!!! SO HELP ME IF SOME SICK ASS MAN EVER THINKS ABOUT TOUCHING MY CHILD THERE WILL BE NOTHING LEFT OF THAT PERSON!!!!
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Julie Bartlett what else should people not be allowed to write about? Making bombs? Killing animals? Shopping at Walmart? (They destroy small town business you know) my point is that once you start the censorship you may as well move to China and let the govt. Decide what you read and watch. It is a bad road to start down.
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Person I don't know: WHO THE HELL WANTS TO READ ABOUT (SUBJECT) UGH ITS MESSED UP AND YEAH THAT PERSON SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO WRITE ABOUT THAT KINDA STUFF I DONT CARE IF THE PERSON IS GUILTY OF DOING THAT BUT WRITING A BOOK ABOUT IT IS GUILTY ENOUGH!!
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Julie Bartlett I am not standing up for him. He disgusts me and so does his book. But you CAN NOT randomly decide to suspend rights and freedoms because you don't agree. We would still have slavery if that were the case!!
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Person I don't know: Some things just should not be put into words geeze it dont matter bout freedom thats just taking advatige of that freedom thinking oh i have the freedom of wut ever ill write about how to do sick and horrid things to little kids right ugh
  
  about an hour ago ·
- Julie Bartlett
  
  I totally agree that he is a twisted individual and should be investigated. But I still draw a line at regulating what should and shouldn't be allowed in print. If you don't like it then don't buy it. Sign petitions toward you local stores asking them not to sell the book. Sign the petition on amazon for them to take it off their marketplace. but threatening this person, sending him to jail without trial, or taking away his freedom of speech and press is not allowed within the constitution that we all praised our veterans for fighting for and defending yesterday! You can not choose to support PART of the constitution and bill of rights unless you are a hypocrite. You can not choose to whom these rights should apply unless you are willing to submit to those same discriminations yourself. Just because I don't agree with what you are saying and your opinions about this topic doesn't mean I think you shouldn't have the right to state your opinion and write what you think about the topic. If I were to emulate your stance on this then I would say that anyone that thinks that a persons freedom of speech should be suspended should be put in jail for treason because that is devaluing the constitution and bill of rights and therefore this person must not be a true american. That would be a terrible injustice. As would censoring the media and deciding that this man should not be allowed to write anything he wants to write. No one should lose this freedom. NOW- with that being said, there are definitely things that should not be allowed. Kiddie porn for example. Sexual abuse as well. I understand that (SUBJECT) is grotesque. Media that directly influences and victimizes children has been banned. While this is an instruction manual of sorts (I am told- as I will not read it) it does not directly victimize children as kiddie porn does. Do I think that he was unwise in his decision to write and publish this book? ABSOLUTELY! Do I think he doesn't have the freedom to do so? no.
  
  17 minutes ago ·

Ok. So I have made my position pretty clear. What I want to know is am I the only person that thinks this way? Or am I in the minority here. I hope that enough people read this blog to give me some sort of insight into this....

Working in Louisiana has taught me different things. Things I never would have learned staying on California. Some good, some not so good, and some that are irrelevant. My musings today center around uniforms in grade schools and dress down days.
Most of the schools here- public, charter, and religious- require uniforms be worn every day with the occasional dress down day on which you can wear "street clothes". Now most of these days are set and scheduled at the begining of the school year, however there are some that crop up at a moments notice (well, usually a weeks notice) and they are used as fundraiser or to gather supplies. i.e., a teacher was diagnosed with cancer and to help with treatment payments children could donate money in order to wear street clothes that day.
Ok. So here is my query. Weren't uniforms originally introduced to help reduce dealing with dress code violations and to create a feeling if equality (not that I agree with the theory- because I don't.)? So kids couldn't tell by clothing who was rich and who was stuck wearing hand me downs from the previous years right? Doesn't it make it painfully obvious who can afford new clothes and who can't when they are required to donate cash in order to dress down??? When you walk into a classroom on one of the fundraising dress down days and see, in a class of 25, only 3 students in their uniforms what is the first assumption that comes to mind?
I really have nothing to say to "fix" this, it was just one of my musings during my day. Feel free to comment if you have an opinion on the matter.

Have a fabulous day!!

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