1. If George Zimmerman is criminally liable for Trayvon Martin’s death, then any extra laws (like a Trayvon Martin Law) would not make him or any other person in the same situation any more guilty of murder. Once you are guilty, you are guilty. This is the same with the “Vulnerable Roadway Users Law” here in Austin. If you violate the law, you have also violated the existing traffic laws. News laws are usually not the answer, better enforcement of existing laws is the more effective option.
2. Keep in mind that in this country people are innocent until proven guilty. George Zimmerman has not been proven guilty so let’s not go out ant get him “dead or alive” as some people have called for.
3. I do not understand why people are calling for George Zimmerman’s immediate arrest. One of the following will happen:
• George Zimmerman is not criminally liable, district attorney will not have enough evidence to press charges, and he will never be arrested. [Justice Served]
• George Zimmerman is  criminally liable, district attorney will not have enough evidence to press charges, and he will never be arrested. [See #4 Below]
• George Zimmerman is  criminally liable, district attorney will have enough evidence to press charges, and he will be arrested when charges are filed.  [Justice Served]
4. If you are upset about possibility #2, move to a country that assumes guilty until proven innocent.

My personal thoughts are if George Zimmerman is criminally liable, he should be brought to justice. If he isn’t he is innocent and we  should stop harassing him. There is no way of knowing until we see all the facts in the case. Until then, let the police and district attorney do their job. The more you protest and make a fuss, the less personnel they have to properly investigate the case.

Now The Drafthouse, has a policy that around 4pm they will start handing out the tickets and you do not have to wait in line. While this is a great change, there was one problem with it: the policy change was never announced!

• I am not upset that I didn’t get to see the movie.
• I am not upset that I, and others, traveled all the way there to see the movie.
• I am upset that I could have gone at 4, picked up tickets and then came back at 7:30.

And to top it off, The Drafthouse promised me a free ticket because my wife-elect and I didn’t get into a secret screen that occurred last year. My point is not to bash Alamo’s Drafthouse’s policy change, my point is Alamo doesn’t seem to communicate their policies. No where on their site are any policies published.

UPDATE:

Response from Alamo Drafthouse:

We have talked with the promoter of the screening you attended, and I believe that for promotional screenings we are going back to the old system where people will start lining up as early as they want and simply wait in line until the theater is seating. We hope this will simplify things for everyone involved. This new system for seating regular Alamo movies is still in the test phase, but it seems to be working pretty well. We welcome your feedback as we work to perfect it for our regular shows.

I am glad they are clarifying the process.

You can also see a transcript of the video here. Jefferson brings up a topic that have been mulling over for the past few years spirituality and the Church. As a cradle Catholic – one who was born into the Church – I have been going through a slow discernment process that started in 7th grade when I was confirmed and is continuing today. Yes, I was confirmed in 7th grade but that is a different story. Through my discernment I have been figuring out who I am; who I want to be; and where spirituality, religion, and the church fit in.

Figuring out who I am and who I want to be is still a work in progress, but I am bringing my spirituality into focus.  In my many years of theological classes that I took in the Catholic middle and high school I attended we discussed many topics from learning all about the Catholic Teachings to Catholic history to a review of the different religions of the world. Through these classes I have learned enough to know I do not know it all. However what I do know is where to start:

One of the scribes, when he came forward and heard them disputing and saw how well he had answered them, asked him, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus replied, “The first is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” – Mark 12:28-31

God is the one who started it all, and God is what is most important. You know what is not most important? Me, You, The Church. This is the order of importance: 1) God 2) God’s Creations 3) Creations of God’s Creations. This is why people are more important then a human creation.  This is why the Body of Christ is more important than the Church.  God has given us this amazing beautiful Earth on which to live. God has provided us with the ability to create tools to help live our life and one of these tools is religion.

The Holy Roman Catholic Church is a man made tool box. The Church contains tools,  and ,like all tools, must be used properly. What I think upset Jefferson and what really upsets me is when this amazing set of almost 2000 year old tools is not used properly. I know that in the history of the Catholic Church things were done that do not make me proud, but there are also things that do bring me joy. What I had to realize that since God is what is most important, my spirituality is not defined by the church but is enhanced by it. My faith journey does not lead to the Catholic Church but is guided by it towards God. So what does this mean? This means that I am a Christian led by the Catholic Church, also known as, a Catholic.

I find when someone doesn’t like the Catholic Church, they actually dislike people they have met who mis-represented the Church or mis-used the Church. The Church is made of people. And since people are imperfect, so is the church. All the horrible things I hear about the Church having done have actually been done by people. These people who have sinned, which Christ preached to as hypocrites, will be forgiven when they repent, yet, that forgiveness doesn’t seem to be given to the Church. While members of the Church have probably murdered millions of people in the last 2,000 years, the Church has helped Tens of Billions of people. Now obviously the Church has no immunity from sins, but if the person who commits sins repents and was forgiven, why would you still resent the tool that they used? For example, if someone used a computer to hack into your bank account and stole all your money, would you resent all computers and the Internet?

Basically my point is: the Church gives us tools to use in our spiritual journey, and when used properly, amazing things can happen. I do not want to get ride of tools just because a few people have abused them. That logic would cause to want to eliminate cars, computers, alcohol, phones, electricity, and much more. What our society has come to discover that the regulation of tools is not what is best, what is best is the proper usage of those tools.

Below are so other responses I have found that you may find relevant:

• The way the current system works
• Their inability to be able to succeed in the current system
• The widening gap between the rich and the poor
• Corporate Finance of Political Campaigns

Now do not get me wrong, I agree we have issues and the need for reform. I personally am frustrated with

• The amount of land that is owned by Banks (I read an article last year that I think said 70%, but I am not sure and I can’t find it)
• The waist-full spending done in charities for unnecessary “administrative” and “legal” work. [ Susan G. Komen Foundation suing other charities]
• The waist-full spending in government.
• T.S.A.( See Lady Liberty post)
• [more to be listed later]

The difference between me and the protesters, which is also the difference between me and those who stand on the sidewalk at the University of Texas at Austin preaching we are all going to hell if we do not repent, is the method. Do I think that setting up a camp in the middle of a city is going to do anything but annoy the other members of the 99% group that you claim to be fighting for? No. Do I know what is a good method? No. You can sum up my frustration with occupy movements with the following quote:

“I walked in supportive and left unsupportive,” said 69-year-old Mary Ann, who declined to provide her last name. “I’m turned off by the negative shouts, repetition, and all I can think about is a cult. And I believe in every one of their damn principles.” [http://s.rj9.us/jiqqs]

What I do know is that when Occupy Oakland, a group that has been plagued with violent encounters with law enforcement, takes their money and opens a Wells Fargo bank account, they really do not seem to have the commitment, or the priorities straight, to affect change.

So I have asked myself, since people in our society need motivation to change, what would motivate the “Top 1%” to join the rest of us? A threat to their way of life. I have realized that all great revolutions have been violent. I have been praying every time I see a news piece about “Occupy [LOCATION],” I pray that a violent revolution doesn’t come. I do fear that unless there is an effort buy the general population to demand that the government bureaucracy is changed, we may have an ugly 2012 on our hands.

“Give me Liberty, or Give me Death!” is a quotation attributed to Patrick Henry from a speech he made to the Virginia Convention. It was given on March 23, 1775, at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia, and is credited with having swung the balance in convincing the VirginiaHouse of Burgesses to pass a resolution delivering the Virginia troops to the Revolutionary War. [Wikipedia]

This also reminds me of a quote attributed to Benjamin Franklin:

“They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” This was written by Franklin, with quotation marks but almost certainly his original thought, sometime shortly before February 17, 1775 as part of his notes for a proposition at the Pennsylvania Assembly, as published in Memoirs of the life and writings of Benjamin Franklin(1818). A variant of this was published as: “Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” This was used as a motto on the title page of An Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania. (1759); the book was published by Franklin; its author was Richard Jackson, but Franklin did claim responsibility for some small excerpts that were used in it. [Wikiquote]

When you look at the legislation and the enforcement of those laws since September 11th, 2001, it causes me to wonder in these words of our founding fathers were taken into consideration by our congress and executive officials. I am reminded of a quote I heard in a YouTube video that I have been trying to find for the past couple of months:

“Our founding fathers said: ‘give me liberty or give me death!’ And now when we are faced with the slightest possibility of death, we are so willing to sell out Lady Liberty!” [Unknown]

I am also reminded of our decleration of independence which states:

“But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”

What most people do not realize that this is not talking about security in the sense from criminals or terrorists. This is talking about security from government abuses. Protection from government abuses is the whole reason the Bill of Rights exist! Should we take steps to protect ourselves? Absolutely! But, should we impede on our citizens by exposing them to back-scatter x-rays and other such intrusions  for the sake of ‘safety’ and ‘security’?