Let's Be Foreal About Tucson

All day and all night the Tucson shooting has been on the news channels and they've been trying to point out that there is no way to definitely say the shooter was influenced by the Tea Party rhetoric. They want to be sure not to "politicize" this shooting... That's impossible since this was political from the first shot. The target was a sitting U.S. congress woman, it gets no more political than that. Her opponent in the congressional race was Jesse Kelly who told her supporters to come shoot a fully automatic M16 with her. No, really.

What then can we expect this shooting was motivated by? If the shooter had walked in a mall and started shooting people that would be one thing. But he picked his target some how, and it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to take a stab at how. The Tea Party makes some very good points, and have gained considerable ground. Their view that the Constitution should be followed to the letter is super correct. Their view that government spending can and if not checked will spell the end of this great country is spot on, so I can't and won't condemn the entire organization. The thing is, Tea Party members are now acting like what they've said and the violent message they've put out has absolutely no bearing on what this idiot did. That to me is ludicrous. Of course the Tea Party's rhetoric contributed to this heinous act. Now the question becomes what are you Tea Party members going to do about it? The Tucson area Tea Party has already said they won't change their rhetoric. They lean on freedom of speech. Freedom of speech is one of our most important and sacred rights in this country, no doubt. And I in no way advocate tampering with that right in any way shape or form, but with rights come responsibility, and if your going to take and use that right, you must take and use the responsibility.

We know there are mentally unstable people in our country and we must take that into consideration when we use or freedom of speech. How is your political campaign enriched by shooting a fully automatic M16? Or posting a map with cross hairs pointing out congressional districts? What's worse is this kind of nonsense is coming from the LEADERS! This isn't some rhetoric from the fringes, this is front and center thought, so, Tea Party members, supporters, and sympathisers most all either take responsibility for this or stop talking recklessly.

It's super denial to sit here in front of the whole country and act like it was not your intentions to incite violence. The thing is I think you all wanted the violence to be directed at your enemies, not a nine year old girl, but that's the thing about violence, it has no age limit. I don't know if Tea Party leaders and member's are aware or not, but the Boston Tea Party incident lead to a war were many people died.

To the rest of us and all the media outlets, we must condemn all this type of rhetoric, no longer can we stand by and let this go unchecked. It's ridiculous! I'm not saying to restrict any ones freedom of speech, what I am saying is to make it known that this talk won't be tolerated any longer. Humans have a need to be excepted so if we stop excepting people who talk this way they will stop. And if they don't, then we will know that these people have no use or intention but to incite violence. And the next time God forbid, we will know without a doubt whom to blame..

Chris Anderson: How YouTube is driving innovation TEDtalk

What do you think?

Ignorance of the Law is not a Defense

Imagine having to read for your life. In prisons across America this is exactly what hundreds of thousands of prisoners must do. with a prison system the size of a small country the cracks are bigger which means more fall through them, and more mistakes happen. It's a prisoners job to go over his/her case with a fine tooth legal comb and give his lawyer some thing to work with.

Not all prisoners know this but the ones who do are some of the most proficient legal speakers, researchers, and over all lawyers I've ever seen.

They read law codes daily or as much as they can according to the Law Library hours and prison rules. The best ones get a job in the Law Library for maximum access. I met one of these great minds in Greaterford prison in 2003. He was from my neighborhood and his name was "Pop." I never asked him his real name, because it wasn't any of my business. In prison you learn fast not to ask questions, just listen and watch. He'd been in prison for 20 years. Two thirds of my life. He was a legend in the prison system, but to a 24 year old off the street, he looked like a law library clerk. But in prison he had got at least 60 cases overturned in his 20 years, most of which were capital cases, he was a good lawyer.

He committed a murder in the early 70's in a gang war, and instead of turning his gang in he plead guilty and got natural life in prison.

He says this was his biggest mistake, pleading guilty was anyone whos ever plead guilty worst mistake, in his opinion. Since then he's been on a mission to educate all who will listen about the law(his words, not mine.) In the mean time he has become a crack pot lawyer. Long talks over longer chess games (he took, no lie 35-37 minutes to move almost every move.) During those games I learned critical thinking from a mind that I know could hold it's weight in any arena, law, business, even war strategy.

It struck me how sad it was that he would never get out of prison because "Ignorance of law is no defense" as he would say at least 16 times a day.

When I got close to coming home he started telling me more and more what my responsibility to the world was. He didn't word it like that, but that's what it amounts to. At the time I didn't understand what he meant by "You have responsibilities." He would say this followed by "learn and teach your peeps, if you don't do that your not fit to be on the outside, and you'll be back in here." I'd learned a lot in the 3 years I was in but not enough, because it wasn't my last trip to prison. I was on the same old tip only I knew I could read entire law books and connect the legal dots, something that was foreign to me before. But I didn't want to hear about responsibility, I wanted to get back home to that 8 birds that I heard through the grape vine my crew had just landed.

So, for almost 2 months I avoided him until the day before I went home when I took him a walkman I told him I would leave him. He said, "I'll hold this for you, because you'll be back." I walked away smiling trying to cover my anger. I chalked it up to an old man in prison talking just to talk. Well, hindsight is 20/20 like a mofo, and nobody knows the future, but the educated can make an educated guess and get it right. I didn't come back to that prison, I got arrested in New York a little over 1 year later.

This is my salute to one of my teachers, a great mind the world at large will probably never know... He could have been on par with Johnny Cochran if not for ignorance of law not being a defense.

Got the pic from his daughter and I promised to give it back... And I will.

Much respect O.G. Pop.