In light of recent events, both locally and nationally, I would like to take a moment to voice my opinion.  Stop reading now if you’ve literally had it up to “here” with all the talk of Baltimore Riots and such.

I posted a blog last year about Facebook, with all it’s shortcomings.  Last night Facebook was all ablaze with over 400 comments regarding a post from a user in the area commenting on a possible “credible threat” at our district high school.  The comments that proceeded were nothing short of asinine, to put it lightly.  As I sat and read comment after comment from parents and the like, the one common thread that appeared was the ability to completely bad mouth the school district, with special slurs being slung toward Supervisory staff, mocking the early morning “snow day and delay” calls, which  now seem irrelevant and highly overrated with our  70 degree weather we’ve been having.  I mean, why can’t the school district let us know just as easily about a gun wielding student planning an attack during school hours on school premises?  What’s the big deal? Information like that, being received with a cold, monotone voice message that may or may not be received by each parent, what’s the big deal?  It’s unanimous.  Our school district wants to keep us in the dark.  They want our kids to die in a bloody pillage, as well as possibly themselves, all because snow delays are more important the threatening students.  And yes, people ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT!

Which leads me to my current realization…THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE JUST BAT SHIT CRAZY.    The scary part of that is that they are walking among us.  They are sitting beside us in the doctor’s office (I use that example because I spend a lot of my life sitting in the waiting rooms of doctor’s offices).  They are the complainers without being the doers.  I always felt that the worst people are those that complain about politicians but would never EVER consider running for office.  A certain player or team in sports is horrible and cannot do anything right, but the person complaining could never play the sport in question.  Ever.

I’ve almost commented on this specific Facebook post about 30 times.  I have to literally exit the app.  But it won’t leave my mind. The instigators, the scare tactics, the insinuators, the not-so-funny comedians.  They all come together with their own warped “meeting of the minds” that gives the innocent reader much to contemplate.  Now to be clear, I’m far from innocent OR perfect, otherwise I would be putting myself into the same category as they’ve put themselves.  The untouchables.

That brings me to Baltimore.  There have been many rioting events involving protests lately, with Baltimore being the last.  The video via drone which shows mostly youth, jumping on police cars, looting stores and setting vehicles and retail supply establishments a blaze is so concerning at this point that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the level of incongruity happening in our country.  We’ve definitely been out of control for some time, but it hasn’t affected us to the degree that it has escalated to.

I don’t have all the facts in the case of Freddie Gray, so unlike my “friends” and their “friends” on facebook, I’m not going to pretend that I’m judge and jury and what I believe to be good and fair in the world of crime is entirely my way or the highway.  I don’t know exactly what happened, and I most likely never will.  And quite frankly that’s not my job to know.  There have been reports of prior criminal history.  I don’t know this to be a fact.  In any case, it’s not a reason to have my spine severed.  I don’t know how or why it was severed.  I just plain don’t know.  It doesn’t “sound” good, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t legit.

The truth of the matter is there are THUGS everywhere.  In every area of society.  We cringed when Priests were convicted of molestation.  When political officials have been caught red handed with prostitutes and in money driven schemes.  We’ve seen athletes use steroids and other drugs to hit home runs and win Olympics.These are just a few of the “trusted” people that we look up to, have respected and admired.  And lately Police Officers are coming into full view.  Thanks to cameras and cell phones, deliberate mistreatment of an individual being arrested is all the buzz.  As it should be.

I don’t want a child molested.  I don’t want my tax dollars going toward a tropical vacation.  I don’t want to pay money to go to a park and watch a baseball player hit home run after home run only because he’s had the opportunity to ingest performance enhancing drugs.  I also don’t want a police officer to treat me with little disregard if I’ve done nothing to provoke it.  Ahhhhhh, and there’s the difference.  The other “authoritative figures” really aren’t being provoked into wrong doing.  They do that of their own free will, as well the officers may.  Provocation can do a lot of things, depending on the day, the events that are going on in your life, your attitude.  Many things.  I can be fine with slow drivers during many trips in my car, but on any given day, I may have just had enough.

For me, when I’ve had enough, it’ll come out in the form of a blog.  Luckily I have the ability to vent here, even if absolutely no one reads it.  I feel better type-venting.  I don’t have any idea what it might be like to be provoked by an individual breaking the law.  I’m not excusing it,  but it must be incredibly difficult if not practically impossible to hold back emotion and frustration, day after day.

Is that where the city of Baltimore is?  Have the young individuals who were trashing property and attacking officers gotten to the point where they can no longer stand the repeated abuse?

My guess is gonna be no.  My guess is that they saw an opportunity.  They’ve seen it televised in the past.  Rodney King.  Michael Brown in Ferguson, just to name two.  The rioting that ensued following the protests was all over our TVs and social media.  Can you remember your children when they were young, listening without paying attention, but knowing everything you just said or did?  Did this distribution of media over the decades decide the fate of Baltimore before the arrest even occurred?  Has the provocation gene been embedded into the brains of every single person who exists and who watches and listens and believes without questioning?

I don’t know why it happened.  But I know why it shouldn’t.

My inspiration to write this blog today came from the incredible Annie Lenox.  Please PLEASE enjoy this song after you read my blog and you too might just ask yourself, “WHY”.