Post Racial America? Not Good News for the News

I am going to wade into unfamiliar waters here and talk about a tragedy that has captured the nation, the death of Trayvon Martin.  It's all my 19 year old wants to talk about.  We (my family) rushed to judgment and convicted George Zimmerman as a racist murderer before all the facts started coming to light.

 There's a reason our justice system is set up the way it is and there is reason the media should not report with bias or without all the facts.  Remember the rush to judgment in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing back in 1996 when Richard Jewel, a security guard, was tried and convicted by the out of control reporting of main stream media? Later, of course, Mr. Jewell was cleared, turns out he was doing his job well and had the police been able to do their job without the media's minute by minute commentary Mr. Jewell would have been cleared of suspicion without the ruining of his life.

Remember the bold claims that the Phoenix shooting last year were done by an out of control "right-winger".  How'd that turn out for the media? Wrong again weren't they? It was the irrational act of an irrational mentally unstable man, no political motivation, just crazy.

As more and more facts come out regarding the death of Trayvon, there is no doubt this was a real tragedy. You know, George Zimmerman was out patrolling his neighborhood and due to a rash of recent break-ins it seems he was over zealous in his pursuit of Trayvon Martin, the young man who stood 6'3" and was unfamiliar in the neighborhood. Mr. Zimmerman obviously made a bad decision in continuing to follow the young man and a terrible decision in leaving his vehicle.  Bad choices don't make this a matter of hate, they make it a matter of poor judgment. Trayvon made a few bad choices too, not responding to Mr. Zimmerman's question of why he was in the neighborhood was one, assaulting a man with a gun was another.  Tragic. Senseless. Terrible. Yes, all those and so much more. Hate crime? No, I don't believe it was. Recent information shows Zimmerman to be a man whose friendships were diverse and whose mentoring of two black children was unquestionably selfless.

 In Kansas City, Kansas two weeks ago two black teens poured gasoline on a 13 year old white boy while making remarks about his whiteness about his deservedness for this burning of his flesh as he stood on the porch of his own home while they lit him up with a Bic lighter. Hate crime.  Any of you heard that story reported? If not, ask yourself why not?  I believe it is because the story doesn't fit the media's need for stirring up dissension and a sense of injustice in the black community.

The Black Panthers $10,000 bounty for the head of George Zimmerman is a disgusting display and an outright illegal one at that. They demand an eye for an eye, justice for all. Where were they two weeks ago?  Where did they stand at the execution of Troy Davis, who in appeals that went all the way to the Supreme Court was found guilty of the murder of a white police officer in Savannah? Were they applauding the "eye for an eye" in his case or bemoaning the injustice of his capitol punishment?

You know,  I can only imagine the pain and sorrow felt by Trayvon's parents. The loss of  such young life and all it's potential is tragic. The chaos and circus like atmosphere now surrounding the death of their son has most certainly been feeding the justifiable anger they must feel. Are we helping or hindering their plight?  Stop vilifying Zimmerman, don't try to vilify Trayvon or hoodies. Let facts and reason prevail.
Surely when the police and courts are able to do their jobs, justice WILL BE served.

Can we hope for a country where race is never at issue again? Sure. Will we get it?  I don't think so, there will always be bigots, prejudice, rushes to judgment and the threat of injustice (perceived or real). And so long as ratings matter more than truth the national media will focus it's attention on those types of stories and we will continue to be swept along by the current they've created.

Sweet Sixteen

Allison has turned 16 and she, eager to taste the sweet freedom that comes from having a driver's license, was ready to get it as soon as she became eligible. Since her dear daddy (to whom this particular chore was assigned) has been out of town for three weeks it fell to me to get her to the test.  Just to set the record straight, I HATE the Department of Drivers Services.  I'd say it's not their fault but, well, it is (that's another story).  I had hoped that because I followed the department's advice and made an appointment for the road test it would be less unpleasant an experience. Didn't work out quite that way. Going through the doors was good for a laugh there was a scrolling "welcome!"sign.  I couldn't help but feel like fly being welcomed to a spider's web.  Another sign stating "we care about our customers" was attached to the wall above the scowling woman we were lucky enough to see after our hour long wait. Can you imagine if she didn't care?

The office was crazy crowded. There were seventeen counters but only five of them were manned and at least sixty people were waiting to be called. I took my Kindle, loaded with good reads, only to have the battery die 10 minutes after arrival. So, people watching became the best way to pass time. Upon scanning the crowd, Allison declared us to be "pretty normal looking". I'm not sure what passes for normal these days but she kept her seat beside me, so I guess I didn't embarrass her too much. The waiting area had hard plastic seats that were not quite solidly backed.  There was an opening about two inches high and twelve inches long located exactly where pants and tops should meet. FYI  people-low rise jeans are not your friend.  We saw more of several folks than they intended. What I saw in that room made me really wish I'd checked the Kindle battery's charge and helped me decide to keep my light jacket on despite the sweating.

Anyway, after being called for our turn at the counter we were sent outside to await a tester.  Another hour of waiting.  We watched person after person return from road testing and by the looks on faces it was obvious these testers were failing most of the young hopefuls.  Allison had a lot of time to get nervous, the dreaded parallel parking loomed large in her mind, even though she had written how-to instructions for it on her forearm. (I have no idea how she thought that was going to work out).  Finally, she was up.  I stepped out of the car and off they went.  While she was gone I saw quite a few tears, a couple of smiles and bore witness to one major screamfest ( Not a good day for Instructor Hernando).  The longer she was out the more nervous I became and just when I started to wonder if she'd wrecked, I heard the squeaky brakes of my ride approaching and saw Allison trying not to grin.

 We added a newly licensed driver to the Cagle bunch. Yep, Allison is on the roads so you'd better watch out.

Kickin' Chicken Cagle Style

Big, big fans of the Zaxby's Kickin' Chicken sandwich here and guess what? I've figured out how to make my own. I assure sure it wasn't very difficult but it is much less expensive this way, plus I can turn up the heat if i want.

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken breast strips breaded and cooked (buy the prepackaged or make your own I've done both)
Hot sauce
Butter, melted
Texas Toast
Provolone cheese slices
Ranch dressing

This is pretty vague I realize, we make them individually and I make them for us all some nights.
Mix 1/4 cup hot sauce and 1 tablespoon melted butter for each four strips of chicken. I put the sauce in a Zip-Loc bag and shake to coat the chicken.
I butter and toast 2 slices of bread for each sandwich  in a hot skillet, then put the seasoned chicken strips, cheese slice and a drizzle of dressing onto the toast. If you want your cheese melted just nuke it for 15-20 seconds and you're good to go.  Yum~