Zimmerman Verdict, Race, Media and Wannabes

“We Are All Trayvon!” reads one of many signs held by several hundred people demonstrating on the streets across the country since the verdict in the George Zimmerman Trial was announced. People are angry and disappointed with the legal system because they disagree with the outcome. Though I accept our rights as Americans to peacefully assemble to protest any grievances we may have, I also understand and accept that all may not agree with what it is being protested.

With the story involving Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman, I happen to have a different point-of-view than most of those who have a camera and microphone. While the loss of life is always a tragic ordeal for all involved, I realize that death is a fact of life that we all deal with at some point in our life, some sooner than others. During this life I’ve learned that for every cause there is an effect. That being said, brings us to my unique take on this story.

For Starters, I just want to discuss the issue of race and whether I think George Zimmerman was motivated to follow and kill Trayvon Martin because he was black. I don’t think race was an issue in Zimmerman’s mind. One reason is initially when asked about the race of the suspect he was calling about, George was unable to offer that information until he was able to get closer to him. Secondly, George has a history of community work that included mentoring young black men. There are other things such as prom dates, etc. that are not being covered by the mainstream media, Why is that? So with regards to the issue of racism, I believe that the media is to blame for inflaming an issue that is so close and personal to Black Americans with the intent of driving a bigger wedge between White and Black.

In regards to the self-defense claim and the use of the Stand-Your-Ground Law, I do think that Zimmerman was justified in using lethal force.  First of all, why did Trayvon throw the first punch?  I’ve always had the understanding that if I threw the first punch i’d be one, committing a crime and two, putting myself in a situation where I can be hurt. Secondly, is because of the pounding that his head took on the concrete. Concrete can definitely cause serious damage including death. I think George made the logical decision to pull his weapon and shoot. I mean what did people expect him to do, wait until he was unconscious to where he would have been totally vulnerable or even dead from head injury? If that is what they expected, they obviously have never been in a serious street fight and have no real credibility to speak on the matter.

Now comes the Media and the role they have played in the matter. The media again have disgusted me in how they reported the story. They seemed to have had an agenda on where they wanted to steer this case from the onset. The first story that was released dealt with the 911 audio tape that had George reporting the suspicious person walking in the complex where there had been a high break-in rate by people who, in dress and race, matched the description of Trayvon Martin. However, the audio tapes released by the media were edited cutting out the part where the 911 operator asked him for a racial description of the suspect. The audio tape released for the country to hear had George volunteering the information of his race. Other parts of the tape were edited to purposely change the character of George Zimmerman and turn him into a hateful racist in the eyes of the public.

The media was grossly irresponsible and should be called out by the people but unfortunately are not. Instead, the people have bought into the lie being fed to us by the media. At first I thought, “How can people not acknowledge the truth after it was revealed that the media was misleading people?”  I immediately went on to message boards, Facebook, Twitter, etc to see what the mood was and was again disappointed in what I read.

People online did not care or even tried to listen to those who were saying that the media had mislead us into thinking that George Zimmerman followed him specifically because Trayvon was black. That was not important because the fire had already been lit and, although false, justification for the outrage was provided. That led me to believe that people in the world are looking for any excuse to justify their hatred for a fellow human being.

Another issue that bothered me was that those in the media led the assault on Zimmerman and all Neighborhood Watch volunteers across the country by attacking them personally calling them “Wannabe Cops” all the while uplifting Trayvon Martin, a Wannabe Thug, to the status of saint. Didn’t they see the pictures that he posted online showing him without a shirt posing with a pistol while smoking a marijuana cigar? Why did they not acknowledge the fact that he had texts and online posts talking about selling weed?  So he was a wannabe thug at best. Not only was he put on a pedestal by the media but athletes, actors, singers and others in the entertainment industry as well.  Labron James and the Miami Heat had their Hoodie wearing tribute while “Million Man Hoodie March”  demonstrations were held in major cities across the country.

Zimmerman Verdict, Race, Media and Wannabes

The death of Trayvon Martin has been a tragedy mainly because nothing is being learned from the loss of his life. Instead of addressing the issue of dress and explaining that we are judged by our appearance. It may not be right, but it’s the way it is. People who have taken a communications class realize the difference between verbal and non-verbal communications. Non-verbal is our body language and appearance while verbal communication is obviously what we say. According to studies, 80% of what people judge us by is our non-verbal communication. If your argument is that we shouldn’t be judged according to our appearance and how we dress, try showing up to your next job interview in a hoodie and non-groomed facial hair rather than cleanly shaven, shirt and tie, see how far you get?

That brings me back to cause and effect for every decision made. Do we really think that Zimmerman would have honed in on Martin if he hadn’t fit the description of a thug based on his dress? I don’t think so and I have my own personal experiences with profiling that formed my opinion. Instead of urging better dress, supporters of the Martin cause are urging people to wear hoodies thus further contributing to the main reason that caused Zimmerman to focus on Martin in the first place.

If we continue with the same game plan or decide to increase its intensity we shouldn’t expect a better result, in fact we should only expect the same or worse.

Barrera’s Blabber

Inspiration

Throughout recorded history, we can see that all great accomplishments were a result of man or woman being inspired by their passion to make a difference in the world. We know that Gandhi was inspired to successfully protest, in a non-violent way, by the writings of Leo Tolstoy. St. Augustine, one of the greatest contributors to Christianity, inspired to give his life completely to Christ when he heard the singing coming from the church choir. These are just a couple of examples of how a person is influenced to make change in the world.

For me, inspiration comes from the realization that Jesus died for even those who mocked and persecuted him. Through God’s grace, I am slowly coming to understand that I cannot hate those who persecute me or those who think like me because we choose to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. I now understand that though Jesus is God in the flesh and could have destroyed those who put him on the cross He didn’t. Rather, He chose to pray to God to forgive us for not knowing what we were doing.

Knowing this, I’m inspired, by Jesus, to deal with those who hate and persecute me in the same way. I know that I have the power to easily destroy the physical nature of those who hate and cause me or my family harm but I choose to handle them differently now. I pray for them because to make the world a better place we must begin with cleaning our own house.

If I am to inspire others to do the same, I must show them by example. Since none of us are perfect, we must have patience and support those who are noticeably trying to make a difference for the better. If we are unable to show support to these people than at least try not hinder by being a stumbling block for them, taking from them their inspiration. You never know what kind of impact that person might have on the world.

Marcus

Money Can’t Buy Happiness!

Money can’t buy happiness!” is what I’ve heard my entire life and for most of my life I disagreed with that statement until recently. Growing up in a society that placed such a high importance on wealth had naturally embedded in my mind that money was the source of happiness. My argument against that statement was, at least from a personal point of view, that the lack of money was the reason for my unhappiness. I would argue that with more money I would be able to pay off debt, plan for the future, travel, etc. Than the drama of these two made me reconsider my place.

Multi-Millionaire slave to drugs.

Multi-Millionaire slave to drugs.

”

Charlie Sheen for one. He is part of the Hollywood Elite, has millions of dollars yet is mentally enslaved. During his most recent bout with the self-admitted addiction to the drug called “Charlie Sheen,” he would often release media online that showed him in what could have only been a drug induced state where he would ramble on about trivial matters also often making accusations against his former boss. With large amount of money at his disposal, Sheen did just that, he disposed of much of his money on his partying. During these escapades he did happen to find himself involved on the wrong side of Law Enforcement which did result in him being placed under arrest. Not a good thing.

Do I Look Happy To You?

Do I Look Happy To You?

Lindsay Lohan is another multi-millionaire who just doesn’t seem to be able to get her self into a mode of behaving responsibly. She has all the money to be able to live the kind of lifestyle that she chooses yet is still unhappy. I don’t see how anyone can say that they would be happy getting caught up in legal problems and becoming a slave to a drug that completely takes over the way a person is able to think and reason. This is the kind of lifestyle that her wealth has made possible.

What I have come to realize from the unfortunate choices that Charlie and Lindsay, just to name a couple, have made is that happiness comes from within. A person is able to live in happiness regardless of personal financial wealth. Myself such as, I am not a financially wealthy person but I am just as wealthy as Bill Gates when it comes to family and faith. I did not always realize that. When I thought otherwise, I thought that money would make us happy so not having any naturally made me unhappy. Since realizing that my wealth exceeds those of the rich that I have observed, I am thankful for the blessings that I do have which has caused me to become a happy and stress free person. Not only on the inside but from what those around me told me, my outside as well. For me, this realization was made through me becoming more familiar with my Catholic faith and putting it to use in my daily life.

I don’t think that people should have a problem with me sharing what worked for me to become a happy, stress free person, especially if they would be very welcoming to someone with a more “New Age” idea. Thanks for being patient and reading the blabber of a man of conviction after contemplation. Rediscovering, and not leaving, the faith that I was born into brought this peace into my heart. Peace be with all of you. I sincerely mean that because I do wish for all to be able to be relieved from the stress and become happier people.

The Loss of “Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are terms that seem to not have much meaning in today’s America. If you disagree, I will give a couple of examples that support my position. Starting with Life. The most dangerous place for a child in America today is in the mother’s womb. Abortion is used by many irresponsible women as a means of birth control and are likely to consider it again if needed.

The second in the list is Liberty. We are currently experiencing an attack on our individual freedoms like none I can remember in my short life. I will first point to the attack on our “Religious Liberty.” Through what is called “Obamacare,” Health & Human Services will be mandating that all all Americans be provided with health insurance that includes coverage including contraceptives. Part of the coverage will include the abortion inducing “Morning After” pill.

As a Catholic, It is bothering my conscience that my money and my Church’s institutions are being required to support and provide people with an occasion to commit, what we believe, a condemning sin. We are protected by the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution the freedom to practice our religion unhindered by the Federal Government.

I also am concerned about the “Show Me Your Papers” portion of Arizona’s controversial immigration Law known as SB1070. Being American of Mexican descent, I’m troubled by what I see as a violation of my rights guaranteed to me by the 14th Amendment. I have the right to live in liberty without being harassed to prove my citizenship because I may fit the profile of someone likely to be in the country undocumented. My father drew and shed blood for our country and our constitution.

The third subject in my writing is that of the false idea of the Pursuit of Happiness. I do believe that one can become successful in our country more easily than in other countries but the likelihood is slim. The reason for this is because of the clandestine network or what I call America’s Aristocracy. Few things under the sun can frustrate me, but I’ve got to talk about one of those here today, Celebrity’s children.

  In a world where we are forced to compete with others in a shrinking job market, it frustrates the hell out of me to see when children of celebrities are forced on us while blocking out opportunity for others who don’t have the same access to good connections or networking circle that children of the priveledge do. Whether it be music or movies, all I see and hear are those who are related in some kind of way to another established celebrity.

That’s just to speak of the music and movie industry. These celebrities also have family members who invest in other industries where they become great influences in not only policy but who is allowed to make the big money within those industries. Those posts and opportunities are unfairly reserved for friends or family. Douglas, Sheen, Sutherland, Smith, Clooney, et. al, are all examples of this Aristocracy. Another example of this greedy, uninclusive aristocracy is in the animation industry. Why must a multi-millionaire get the honors and big money for playing the voice of an animated character? These positions should be aimed at unknown up-and-comers if there are such a thing in Hollywood.

These are just a few reasons why I feel that we are far from what the “Founding Fathers” intended for our society. I love America, but I feel that America doesn’t love me in return.

Barrera’s Blabber

My Strange Experience!!!

    The following is an account of an odd experience of mine. I recall It as it was yesterday but this event occurred in May of 1993. My pregnant sister, her husband, myself and mom rented a nice home in a very quiet, middle-class suburban neighborhood.

    The day was nice and warm when we moved in. We had a lot of heavy lifting to do and since it was late afternoon we decided to unload some boxes and out temporary fold-out bed, fit only one bed and sleep in those for the night. Besides, my bother-in-law had just suffered a brutal beating that resulted in a broken jaw which required his jaw to be wired shut and medication that made him a cheap date. We ordered some Italian, mushed it up and fed him through a tube and enjoyed the rest of the evening. It got late, so we decided to turn in. Goodnight everybody!…snore, snore, snore!

    I open my eyes to complete darkness, hearing an eerie, loud, constant noise that I can’t compare to anything in words but can replicate with my mouth. I recognized that I was still in a laying down position but was completely paralysed from the neck down however I still had limited movement in my wrists and feet. My face felt as if I was being forced down in my bed or whatever I was laid out on. My facial skin literally felt as if it was being stretched down from gravitational force. Best I can describe it was from a commercial I later saw of a guy on a new roller-coaster and the speed was causing his facial skin to push back, well that’s what I felt.

    The noise continued and I felt feelings of complete dread and fear. Those were feelings I have never experienced before nor have I since. I didn’t know what to do as I attempted to call out for my family who were all in the same room, the living-room, sleeping but was unable to shout out. What happened next is even more amazing to me.

    I don’t know why an organization my aunt told me about was next. I either called out or thought of “The Blue Army and The Virgin Mary!” and immediately the paralysis, noise, fear and darkness subsided! I remember still being in the same laying down on my back position but now I had light and was able to see. Above me, a few feet, was what appeared to be a cotton sheet that surrounded me like a dome. It was light-blue and was gently flapping as if air was keeping it raised over me. Behind this sheet was a bright single light that illuminated everything.

    No longer did I feel dreadfully fearful, quite the opposite. I felt a feeling of complete love and peace. I looked down by putting my head to my chest and was able to see that I still had the clothes that I went to sleep in. The next thing I remember was waking up and it was daytime.

    I told my family about it as they woke up, but since our family, as well as myself, have previously experienced things that are not ordinary, we just went on with our day. I have never experienced, to my knowledge, the same thing again.

Barrera’s Blabber

   

Relationships: Husband, Wife, Children and Other Family

I love my wife as myself but if she ever demanded that I abandon our kids to be with her, I would have to let her down. I’m not saying my wife has no say however, my children are an extension of me, they have my blood flowing through their veins.

I would choose my wife before my parents, sibling and all other family except for my children. I am obligated as a father to be there for my children whenever they need me. Besides, I would never anticipate that my wife would do that to me but in the event she did, I would hope she would understand. If she is unable to, too bad, so sad…I’m just sayin’.

Barrera’s Blabber

Moummar Gaddafi Sodomized While Hearing Shouts of “Allahu Akbar!”

“Allahu Akbar!” (God is Great) was shouted by an angry mob of rebels as the bloody and broken down deposed Dictator Moummar Gaddafi was pulled from sewers in his hometown of Sirte, Libya. This marked the end of an eight month battle between rebel forces and Gaddafi loyalists. Gaddafi was hated by many in his country for various crimes against his own people that spanned over four decades. The fate that Gaddafi faced after he was pulled out of the sewer was one for the history books.

The Once Proud Despot Moummar Gaddafi

After being pulled out of the sewer like a rat, the rebels began to beat and publicly humiliate the once proud dictator. Pulling hair out from the root, punching, kicking and slapping the deposed despot Gaddafi was all caught on camera and released for the world to see. Also caught on video was a despicable man who appears sodomizing Col. Gaddafi with a foreign object. Some describe the object as a possible bayonet, knife or stick. Gaddafi was paraded through the streets while rebels shot their AK-47’s in the air in celebration.

Video shows a downed Gaddafi with what appears to be a gunshot to the head and torso. Reports were released stating that Gaddafi was shot in the crossfire. I for one am not buying that report and after witnessing their twisted display of jubilation, I suspect that Col. Gaddafi was murdered in cold blood at the hands of his captors.

Despite the fact Gaddafi was a despicable despot deserving dissension, the dehumanizing disrespect he endured before his demise was downright disgusting. I refuse to accept this form of torture as an acceptable practice even though in this case the recipient was reaping what he sowed.

More troubling is the thought that these are the people who will establish a new government. The last I hear, the new government immediately lifted the ban on polygamy and stated that Libya will now be ruled by Islāmic Sharia Law.

God is Great indeed but for gods sake, we can use His help right about now. Call it what you want but I choose to call it Barrera’s Blabber.

Family Time In America

I love family time. You know, the kind of time when you sit down and watch a movie or tv show with your family. There are not much things that can compete with the feeling I get when I’m sitting watching a movie with my wife and three kids. From the looks in their faces, I think they feel the same way that I do.

In my Mr. T voice, “I pity the fool” who don’t give a damn about their family. I know and understand that some women out there are drama but I know, from personal observation from dealing with and encountering many people in my life, to know that most cases of single-parent households can be avoided. What it takes is effort and the willingness to deny ones self interests. I’m not even going to point to statistics because people aren’t trying to hear all that.

People seem to have a problem submitting to the requests of their partners. It doesn’t really surprise me with the current mainstream thought that permeates western culture. Don’t get me wrong so let me clarify, I am not a hater of western thought. This way of thinking is one that is obsessed with ones self and nothing more. With this mindset that has become embedded in most of the younger generation, It should not be a surprise that the family unit has taken the hardest hit in many of our communities.

My suggestion to these father’s who leave their kid or kids to be raised by somebody else is get your mind right. Learn and accept that you no longer live for yourself so act like it! Stop making the excuse about the mom of the child making it impossible for you to be a dad.

If you are a soon to be dad or a new dad or planning on someday being a dad, don’t look for the first reason to leave your family. Make sure that you choose a girl who takes her position as a mother serious and doesn’t look for the first chance she has to chop you down.

Spending time and seeing the development of your child is like no other feeling and I’ve had many. I don’t know if my observation or opinion will make a difference but I just had to get it off my chest.

Latino Exodus From the G.O.P.

Today I sit at my computer with mixed feelings of anger, frustration, betrayal and disappointment. These feelings have been festering for a while and I will try and help my readers understand the reasons for these feelings by explaining my perspective. That being said, I am dealing with a topic that I am passionate about so I will try and keep it nice but understand that it comes from the heart so this is my disclaimer. I apologize if anyone is offended by what they may read.  First, let me explain how I know my culture to be. This point of view is a direct result of my experience growing up in it as well as understanding its history.  My culture is one that works hard, preaches self-reliance, and demands respect whether it be for faith, family, friends, tradition, culture and land or environment. Many, if not all of these values tend to fall in line with what some people may consider conservative values. 

Many Latinos here in the United States who are familiar with the American political system understand that we have two political parties that have the greatest opportunity to govern the country, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. To go deeper into the political process and choosing which party to affiliate one with we read the platform for each party. Many well informed Latinos have come to recognize that the Republican Party is the party that seems to be most closely aligned with the culture that they belong to. President Reagan once made the comment, and I’m paraphrasing, Hispanics are republican, they just don’t know it yet.” Reagan, in my opinion, had the greatest understanding of our culture than any other president in the 20th century. However, he made a major blunder by not making a conscious effort to directly or indirectly communicate to all who received amnesty. In my opinion, he had the Latino vote solidified for the Republican Party but let it slip through his hands by lack of communication. President Reagan was right and his words rang true until recently which leads me to the meat of the matter.

With all the negative rhetoric going on in the political arena and media at this time, it is no wonder that the current sentiments towards anyone Hispanic is one that is in reflection of said rhetoric. This growing trend of Hispanic demonizing had it’s inception after the”Tea Party” lost its battles against the Obama Stimulus, Omnibus spending plan and Obamacare. After those battles were lost, the organization needed their next target. This target, low and behold was you guessed it, Latinos. While the economy continued to go south and unemployment continued to rise, the rhetoric on news outlets like Fox News and Conservative Talk Radio started to fire up their lynch mob torches. Focus started to shift away from crucial social issues, for instance, traditional marriage, pro-life issues as well as faith being accepted in public institutions. These important social issues, that were being lost by lack of a large enough conservative voting blocks, caused the “conservative” to turn and attack the only true ally they had in regards to conservative voting, the Latino.

Recently, the man who is in the lead of the republican primary early polls is a man who has recently earned the name Herman “The German” Cain because of his Nazi like ideas on boarder patrol. Mr. Cain, who is an African-America, twice made comments during his campaigning that he would build a fence that would be one flowing with electricity which would electrocute anyone who is attempting to cross. Mr. Cain also stated that a moat with alligators would also be a good idea to eat any of those attempting to enter this country.
He was criticized after making the first of his insensitive comments and responded that he was making a joke and that Americans needed to get a sense of humor. Understanding personalities of different cultures, I decided to give the man a pass but was going to keep an ear open from that point on. This past weekend, Mr. Cain made his second well documented remark on boarder security. He again responded to critics by stating that he was only joking and that Americans need to develop a sense of humor. This time, I interpreted his response as him saying that Americans need a sense of humor and not be offended because they weren’t the target, but Mexicans aren’t citizens and he didn’t address the non-citizen in his response. Mr. Cain just like the rest of the G.O.P. has failed to realize is that our people hold ourselves up to a high standard of demanding respect for our traditions and culture not only from ourselves but from others. We do not like or sit back when our culture is attacked. We will not sit back and say nothing and allow our people to be treated like animals. Our history shows it will take wiping out an entire civilization before victory can be declared. This issue will prove to be nothing different.

The attacks that have been tolerated ignored and even embraced by many in the G.O.P. has been the cause for a majority of the Latinos who identified, supported and gave their vote to the Republican Party to pack up their stuff and leave the tent. I am one of those who identified with the Republican Party because the congruency of their platform and my culture. Not so anymore. With insensitive jester jackass’ like Herman Cain and others who have seemed to hijack the party making offending remarks, we have been alienated and are now in the wilderness similar to Moses after leading the Israelites out of Egypt. Many of us have found ourselves in a dark forest and are trying to find our way to the promise land. The frustrating part of it is that though I agree with most all conservative ideals and would be willing to help advance them, this issue and how it has been addressed by the conservatives has made me realize why conservatism is diminishing and may have seen its better days. I refuse to give my support to the other side because I don’t believe they have the best interest of our community at heart either.

Obama promised that he would push for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in his first year in office. We all know what he and the Democrat controlled house and senate did with their political capital, they forced through Obamacare. Apart from that, under Obama’s administration, we have deported more undocumented than ever before. I believe the reason for this extreme treatment and lack of compassion for our people by Obama is due to the fact that Latinos overwhelmingly supported Hillary Clinton for president. Understanding Obama and his politics, I believe this is payback.  The question now is, where do go from here? Do we compromise our core beliefs to oust all who oppose our idea of acceptable immigration reform and put in power those who are at odds with the rest of our values? Do we grin and bear it and continue to support a party who views people who look like us as possibly undocumented and violate or civil rights? Or do we sit home on election night? I will leave it up to you to decide, but I have made up my mind and that is to leave the party of Lincoln until it gets back in line with its core values. Until that happens, Adiós cabrones!