Come Monday...Ferguson, Misery

“Come Monday…” is a weekly series that will involve a review of (or commentary about) websites, movies, documentaries, television shows, sports, music, and whatever else may tickle my fancy at the time.  Be assured that these reviews will be generally positive, as in accordance to the Jimmy Buffett song “Come Monday.”  This is subject to change, however.  In fact, I would be most derelict in my duties to neglect going on a rant every once in a while.  For rants promote change, and change can be good—right?  Therefore, since good is generally considered as being a positive force in 99.3% of the parallel universes that I am aware of, even a rant could be considered as being something positive, and a genuine hissy-fit would be even better (so I’m told).

For the benefit of those who do not get it, I sometimes refer to the state of Missouri as being the state of Misery.  I borrowed that from a dear friend years ago, and if he wants it back, he will just have to come by and get it.

Be assured that I often mean the rather derogatory term in jest.  For I have spent time in all of the lower 48, and living in Missouri is about as good as it gets in this country.

Nonetheless, when it comes to the current mess in [Ferguson], the state of Misery tag most certainly applies.  For even with tensions there settling down considerably over the past few days, it is merely the calm before a very big storm.

If you have not been [keeping up with it], a white Ferguson city police officer shot and killed an unarmed black teenager a little over two weeks ago.  After the initial news reports made it sound like the officer flat out executed the boy for no apparent reason, I did not see where there was any room for debate over whether or not he should find himself behind bars forthwith, but now that several different versions of the tragic event have come to light, my eyes are trained upon the horizon as the storm clouds build.

Be assured that the violent protests over the past two weeks are nothing in comparison to the tornado that may engulf the entire metropolitan St. Louis area if the cop is not convicted of at least manslaughter and given several years in prison as a sentence.  This is something that I am not so sure will happen, now.

Alas, when justice is beheld in the eyes of a rabid mob, a miscarriage will surely happen, and the longer the formal legal process takes, the more tensions will tighten.  In all fairness to the rabid mob, if it had of been that black teenager killing the white cop, the boy would have been arrested on the spot while the cop is being given the courtesy of remaining uncharged until enough evidence is gathered to reasonably insure a conviction.

I am sorry.  I do not mean to make it sound like it is all about race.  For it is actually about so much more, and all of it adds to the misery.

Alas, what we are witnessing spilling out onto the streets of Ferguson is years of incompetence and corruption from the president of the United States down to Ferguson city council staffers.  For government programs are only as good as the ones working them, and it is has been made all too painfully obvious that the good people of Ferguson have been lied to and taken advantage of for far too long.

No, this is not to ignore that Ferguson has their share of bad apples.  In fact, it could be argued that they have more than their share.  For Ferguson is located in the far northwestern part of St. Louis County, and is not all that close to the inner city.  So, one would think that living there would not be all that bad, but with reportedly over 50% unemployment, trouble will be brewing.

It certainly does not help matters that the Ferguson Police Department seems to have adopted the attitude of former Los Angeles police chief, Daryl Gates, who I remember saying that police officers are out on the streets to keep the peace—not make friends.  Does that sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me?  For to keep a distance between the police and the general public is to have the police make their stand alone.

Furthermore, friendship is a lot stronger force to wield than intimidation when things start going sideways.  After all, would you not be much more likely to follow the instructions of a friend when you temporarily lose sight of your marbles than someone acting like they are quite eager to work you over with their nightstick or worse?  Yeah, looking down the barrel of a cocked pistol can have a chilling effect upon a fiery temper, but those like I was will be looking for an opportunity to show the cop where he can holster his weapon from that moment on.

Speaking of drawn weapons, I find it very disturbing that police officers are trained to shoot to kill instead of just trying to stop an alleged offender.  Now, I can see where simply shooting someone in the shoulder or leg can leave them free to use their weapon, but in the case of the UNARMED Ferguson teenager, there was no need to go for kill shots. 

If our Heavenly Father does not put a stop to it, a lot of weapons will be drawn and fired on both sides if Officer Darren Wilson does not start serving a long prison sentence much sooner than later.  Although Ferguson is around 210 miles and another world away from us, here in Springfield, the “stuff” will be still hitting the proverbial fan way too close to home.

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