Moving The Profound Perspective

This will be my final post on this web page as my Profound Perspective will be moving over to http://theprofoundperspective.tumblr.com/ please follow me there from this point forward. I thank you all who have read me here and I thank Blogspot.com and look forward to seeing you over at the new home of The Profound Perspective here on Tumblr.

The Truth About The Democratic Party

The Democratic Party has pulled off the greatest caper in the last 100 years. Somehow, they have convinced about 90% of every minority in the country that their party is the Democratic Party. I will say the Republican Party deserves some blame for this as they have increasingly lost touch with all reality. Amazingly the party that wanted to keep slavery intact and shot down the Civil Rights bill before seizing the very opportunity that got them into this positioning with a later version of the same bill has proven to be firmly entrenched as the party of all minorities.

As an African American what has this relentless support got us in the last 30 years? Think about it. When is the last time a presidential candidate visited a major city? Full of a diverse minority population of either party? There are entire regions that get ignored by both parties due to the fact that many often blindly support the Democratic Party without criticism or question. We have unfortunately placed ourselves in a very powerless position.  We get flat out ignored by democrats because they know they already have the minority vote. This is why there are no campaign stops in New York, LA or Chicago. Sadly on the other end of the spectrum we are so far entrenched into being "Blue" that Republican candidates equally don't bother. Why should they? They would be ignored left and right and no matter how great a message they could put together nobody would care, as if elephants were symbolic of lying demons.

The Republican Party was one founded amongst abolitionists looking to end slavery. The very election of Republican President Lincoln tore the country in half as Southern Democrats fought to keep their institution of slavery in place. This is why Fredrick Douglass was a Republican as was Martin Luther King Jr. In fact many great figures in African American history such as Zora Neale Hurston, Jackie Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and Booker T. Washington were all Republicans. It was Southern Democrats that created Jim Crow laws and despised minorities legally, and literally.

It is time people wake up, do the research and educate themselves about what their positions and parties are. Being a black Republican has nothing to do with your finances our "selling out" or being bourgeois. These words have for far too long held back education and exploration about the history of the political parties and why we hold our political stances. The purpose of this article is not to say that minorities should not be Democrats, the purpose is to reexamine why. Far too long the masses have been convinced that the Democrats somehow care more as if both parties don’t do the exact same things in office. The only difference is the spin put on it by the politicians and the media outlets. Be an educated and informed people, know your elected officials and hold them accountable, especially at the local level. Think about why your voting for who you voting the next time you cast a vote, and quit allowing the wool to be pulled over your eyes.

The Aftermath Of Zimmerman & Martin

I know it has been a while since I have written a post, but current events have sparked my thoughts. I am going to do my best to write this article from two viewpoints. Both have  some merit and I understand both sides. Lets begin.

For all those feeling the injustice of George Zimmerman being found not guilty we are at a loss. It appears that the Judicial System is extremely biased. I see memes floating around showing how Zimmerman got off, Casey Anthony got off despite evidence that she killed her daughter , Andrea Yates got off after admitting she drowned her children yet Michael Vick served two years for dogfighting, Plaxico Burress got two years for shooting himself, and Marissa Alexander just got 20 years for firing warning shots. The people who got off are white (or part white in case of Zimmerman) and those who were given jail time are black. How is this possible in this great country. Those who are angry about Trayvon's death see a black child who was profiled for a criminal. He was stalked and engaged because he was black with a hoodie on. That is a fact. As a black man I can tell you that is our worst nightmare. To be labeled a criminal and have someone with a gun come after us where there are no witnesses. Be it police or neighborhood watch these things reek of the dark part of our nations history. We demand justice because the fact is Trayvon was lawfully walking home with snacks, and someone engaged him first, got their ass kicked and then executed him without warning. How is this possible? Even worse, every single negative aspect of his life dragged out as if he were on trial, as is his being suspended and etc. was somehow proving that he deserved to be profiled and killed. Sadly, if you do not understand how Zimmerman got off, then you do not understand this nations legal system.

For those Zimmerman supporters out there you see a man who saw something suspicious and went to investigate. At some point Trayvon retaliated and Zimmerman legally used his firearm to defend himself. You do not understand why race matters. You do not understand why there was a trial or why people are upset that Zimmerman was found not guilty. You see nothing wrong in Zimmerman being suspicious of Trayvon due to the crimes in the neighborhod.You are naieve and you do not understand Black America or any minorities for that matter.

The real problem in this story in my opinion are the state laws of Florida and every state in which such things are allowed. Lazy prosecutors and Judges have supported mandatory minimum laws and sweeping legislation without due diligence. Zimmerman may have pulled the trigger but the Stand Your Ground Law is what allowed the police to let him go and crimes like this to happen. In Florida there are gang leaders killing in the streets and claiming "Stand Your Ground" and yes, they get away. In Florida it is perfectly legal for anyone to pick a fight with a person and as soon as the other retaliates in any way remotely life threatening you can execute them without warning. Zimmerman never told Trayvon who he was or that he was armed. Trayvon didn't know he was armed until he was shot. Trayvon had every right to defend hinself against the "creepy ass cracker" he knew was following  him, yet his death goes as "justified" with this verdict. Zimmerman is guilty of profiling, picking a fight he could not finish and responding with gunfire, unfortunately in Florida that is perfectly legal. For the examples listed above about Plaxico Buress and Michael Vick, it was about star hunting, mandatory minimums and back door dealing that got them into jail. That is infact how our legal system works, deals with criminals, indiscriminate mandatory sentencing without reguard to facts and lazy prosecutors.

For all those angry we need to turn our attention to where it should be, the State of Florida. Florida's mandatory minimum laws forced Marissa Alexander to be sentenced to 20 years for firing warning shots to scare off a husband with a documented history of abuse. If she killed him then "Stand Your Ground" would apply but because they were only warning shots this mother must now go to jail. Ironically if Zimmerman fired warning shots he too would serve jail time under Florida law. The people need to demand action and march on the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee in order to change the laws that create injustice. This needs to happen everywhere nonsense laws like this are on the books.

There is nothing we can do to bring Trayvon back and despite my own disgust even I would have to find Zimmerman not guilty according to Florida Law. We can however use Trayvon's memory to make a real difference in changing the laws that makes it legal to stalk and execute without warning. For those who think Zimmerman got off easy, he will suffer the rest of his life for his cowardice and bad decisions. He will live as an outcast in financial ruin. He won't be able to use his own name. I saw a meme going around that says he will now feel like a black man in American by missing out on jobs and being treated "unfairly", I can say that being a black man is nothing to the sad life Zimmerman will have from now on. 

In the end human beings are human beings. We are flawed, we make bad decisions under pressure. We get excited and do things we have no business doing. Zimmerman did all of the above and the Florida laws allow it. In fact some say they encourage it. It is extremely racist to call a black teen a suspect merely because they are black and wearing a hooded sweatshirt in the rain. If Trayvon were white Zimmerman would have had to actually see something suspicious to make him believe that Mr. Martin was a threat, unfortunately he was not and that is why he is now dead. I support lawful gun ownership but I do not support having the free reign to end life no matter who starts a situation just cause you feel "threatened". I do not support mandatory minimums that allow first offenders in extenuating circumstances such as Marissa Alexander to go to jail for 20 years. Judges need to judge and be fair, discreation should be used, and reason should have a very prominent place in a court of law. There are laws that take that power out of their hands. Self defense existed long before stand your ground and it will long after. Let there be a real movement, to charge laws and be involved in the politics that create them. Learn who your local politicians are and make them earn your vote. Learn their platforms and lobby your state legislature. Make a real difference and honor Travon in that matter. Mr. Martin was not perfect, but he did not deserve to die. Keep his memory alive the right way, in the ways of Martin Luther King, by fighting peacefully to fix the real injustice, the laws of troubled States.