Awaiting the Redemption of Integrity

This blog was intended to be fun, inane, a place to keep up with Bone Rice Films' videos and hopefully be mildly entertained at the same time. In this post I am switching gears.

Last night I stumbled upon a website with two of the most sickening, disturbing, outrageous videos -- maybe the most upsetting I have ever seen (if such a qualification can be made). I almost shut the first video as soon as I realized what it was I was hearing but I was so repulsed that I kept watching like the rest of the students in the library. Were I a religious person I would be muttering, "my GOD..." "Jesus Christ..." "God Almighty..." like my fellow-students did as we watched the twin towers fall when we were 17 and sitting in our video productions classroom, but I'm not. Instead I am shocked into enraged silence, fighting the urge to don warpaint and dump a shiteload of tea on the lawn of the White House, at the very least. I am now in concurrence with the bumper sticker that reads, "If you're not outraged, you're not informed."

This is the website (and if you haven't noticed yet, this is actual footage. It's disturbing. That said, this is not a warning to not watch if you are faint of heart. By the stars, this is a warning that after you see these first two videos you will be so sickened that you will feel you have to do something about the injustice and abuse of power)

Shame on you, Senator Kerry, for passively watching this happen. Shame on the UCLA police and administration for condoning the actions of the police against their own student. Welcome to the ranks of Stalin.

Fear. That's what I sensed at these events and what I felt watching the footage of them. To be honest, fear is what I feel right now for exercising my First Amendment right by sharing this information and that is the most sickening sentiment of them all. I am a US citizen sharing information and outrage over how these two situations were handled, and I am mildly afraid of the consequences of my actions in doing so. A part of me worries I'll be blacklisted while another part of me wants to raise my head and say, "bring it on." Translated from Irish, Welsh and French, my full name means "Audacious brave woman warrior pearl." And I have rarely been so eager to cause change.

The only incident in my life that I can compare it to is (and those of you who have followed my every video on YouTube will have seen these) the injustice I felt at the treatment of one of my loved ones by the US Government. It prompted me to make a video project (that failed miserably in the face of the complacent, complaining public) called "YouTube: Enlighten America." After some criticism of my vagueness in discussing the source of my dissatisfaction with the state of the nation, I was requested to record my story, so I did that as well... and creatively called it "My Story."

I've witnessed violence before. I grew up with it. But abuse of authority disgusts me to no end. Even the other day on the bus the driver decided to talk to a passenger as if he were mentally incapable (he later claimed the man was drunk but he just seemed a little slow to me) and deny him a ride. This was the last bus leaving downtown past 10 at night. When the man tried to pay and meekly asked, "why you gotta be so uptight?" the bus driver called the police. We all got to wait around until a cop who looked like he was all of my age arrived. It was midnight by the time I got home. Okay, I get it - the driver thought the guy was drunk and didn't want him on his bus. So instead he left him stranded in downtown at the middle of the night. It makes a lot of sense to discourage drunk driving then refuse the intoxicated public transport, doesn't it? It's as asinine as the police breaking up a rowdy party and standing around, watching all the party-goers get into their cars and drive away. Real f*@!ing smart.

I am a paradox - I'm a patriot and love my country. I listen to Country music, I proudly wave the American flag on festive occasions, and one of my closest friends is an Iraq War vet who is a strong Republican Christian. And yet I live in the city who was the first US government to denounce the Iraq War, I often wear a bracelet with Bob Marley on it, and I am afraid of the police. I'm afraid of all in power in this country and that sickens me. It raises my hackles. But it is because of my love of my nation that I want it to change. I still believe in the words of our Founding Fathers and while we haven't yet become the nation they envisioned (hell, even their grand Enlightenment ideas included an economy built upon slavery and expansion based upon the extermination of the original inhabitants) but I think we still have a chance of making it there.

I will not conclude with a shattered utterance of "God help us..." If I were religious I know I'd be thinking, "Shoot, the Dude let us get into this mess because he wants us to get ourselves out." instead I will remind anyone who is reading this that regardless of religion or nationality, this middle-earth is our domain. We are Humanity's keepers -- we are responsible for each other and our own actions or inaction. Pray if you must. But my mantra is, "may we save ourselves."

We are waiting on baited breath for the redemption of integrity.

The pictures are of my town's Memorial Day Parade 2006 and the inside of our local covered bridge near the festivities of the day.

Melissa - I'm glad you're making progress with your video! :oD