The Assholes Always Lose

For some reason, I don't ever see myself writing for some other site as a very likely possibility. Actually, the reason is probably that I'm primarily an opinionated jackass. Which means, of course, that I naturally don't know when to shut up at times. Good thing I've got this outlet. Otherwise, I might have to start drinking...

At least then I'd have an excuse for wearing this cape...

That being the case, I still seem to be better about putting my foot in my mouth (both literally and figuratively) than even I would expect. And I know this because I realized one simple truth in life over my limited years: You don't always decide where the line is drawn.

Here We are Again, Huh...?

Terence Crutcher, an unarmed Black American dealing with car trouble, was shot and killed by police officers from the Tulsa PD. The initial report from the officer (Betty Shelby) who fired the fatal shots claimed that he was "uncooperative" and did not hold his hands in the air for full visibility. Well, that's a lie.

And she's not the first to lie about the interaction with a black person shortly before the untimely death of that black person. Even worse, Terence Crutcher wasn't even the only unarmed Black American to be shot and killed by police within a week, and as I'm writing this sentence, it's ONLY FUCKING THURSDAY!!!* Can you believe that we're still in a place where we have to talk about this type of thing? Given all that we've consistently seen, and yet this is still where we are. No change. No progress. Just the same excuses.

That Morgan Freeman Clip Makes You Look Stupid

This is getting ridiculous. What am I saying? It always was, and it's getting worse. I'm burying the lede here, so let's just get right to it, huh?

Walter Scott.

By now, you and every other person you know have probably seen the video(s) that amount to the last moments of this man's life. I'm not gonna share it here, but not for that reason. There's a degree of dehumanization to the viewing and reviewing of the footage and footage like it. I'll try to explain that in detail as we go. But there's also the fact that we've seen ALL of this before in one form or another. Walter Scott isn't the first to have his murder caught on camera (or even the most recent), nor is he the first to posthumously be the center of a public debate over his death and events surrounding it. There are a LOT of horrid and saddening aspects to this story and others, but the most troubling or at least one of the most would have to be that nothing has changed.