Daddydavek

The tragedy that occurred in Ferguson could have happened anywhere in the suburbs of any large American city. An unarmed eighteen year old male was shot by a policeman. Mike Brown was black. The officer Darren Wilson was white. The whole confrontation lasted only about a minute and half. Mike Brown was confronted by officer Wilson who was driving in his police SUV down Cannfield as Mike was walking down the middle of the side street in Ferguson. The officer ordered him to move to the sidewalk. Mike Brown evidently thought he was being harassed by the cop and ignored him and kept on walking. Wilson meantime heard a description over his police radio of a shoplifting in a nearby store and the suspect was described and the description matched Mike Brown who was wearing distinctive colored socks and clothes. The officer put his SUV in reverse and backed up quickly and turned his vehicle to block Mike Brown and words were exchanged, a scuffle ensued, shots rang out and in a minute and a half, Michael Brown was dead. The Wiki article provides much more background and is not sensationalized like the news media reports. Here is the link:: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting_of_Michael_Brown That Mike Brown died was a tragedy. The fact that officer Wilson killed him is indisputable. That Wilson was not indicted by the Grand Jury is also a fact. I give the Grand Jury the benefit of the doubt and believe they fulfilled their duty under the law and followed their consciences as well. Eyewitness accounts are often notoriously unreliable and because of this everyone is clamoring for police to wear body cams. Even if such a camera had been worn by the officer, it might have become dislodged and destroyed in the initial scuffle and may not have even been turned on in time to capture what happened. Still it is a resource that is worth pursuing. What is lost in the whole picture of the ensuing demonstrations and subsequent confrontations with shots fired and buildings looted and burned is that this could happen anywhere in the USA. From my own personal point of view, there is more disaffection, sense of futility and anger in America than at any time since the riots in the 1960's when Watts and many other flashpoints erupted. The income disparity has worsened between the rich and the poor and the middle class has contracted so much as to almost have disappeared, especially among minorities. And while people who are comfortable have ignored that fact, the rest have not. The promise of the election of the first African American President has been stymied in the minds of most people working for $20 an hour and often much less. So while some people bemoan that an unarmed black kid was shot and others think the thug got what he deserved, I wonder whether the country will realize that this is a wake-up call and that things could get much worse if we as a country don't begin to do something to make the country a land of opportunity for all. If that doesn't happen, I foresee more violence and rioting ahead.... Some people are reluctant to say we are in the beginning of a new class war, but I fear for my country that I served in war. Michael Brown RIP

Still the day before here in the American Midwest, but it is past midnight in Aditus' location, so: & Many, many more!

Compassion is a large part of what makes us human. So is the ability to laugh. I hope the James in this chapter, can find something to laugh about and realize the absurdity of life in the larger cosmos.

I agree with most of what Kitt says. The only exception is that Will made the point, when is enough, enough? Turning to JJ, I am stunned that there has not been more mention of his dealing with the flashback of his forced encounter by the coach during his anal sex with Alex. For all his high maintenance, JJ seemed to work through that moment exceptionally well. While I realize he had some significant counseling, that he handled as well as he did, speaks of some real strength of character as well. Way to go JJ! Some have spoken of their disappointment in Wade, but I really see Mark's point. This is the Gay Games and they are not an old settled couple in their thirties, but still young and raunchy in their early twenties and Wade realized there would be temptation that almost no actively sexual gay man could refuse.....

In 1995 we took my middle school daughter and freshman in highschool son on a vacation to Paris in late May. We walked a lot of the city to see the sights and my kids were astonished by all the PDA going on. It was only heterosexual couples, some of vastly different ages as well. It was fun explaining that it was a cultural difference. I wonder what they would think today as I expect there would be more same sex PDA as well.....

I came across an interesting article which reported a survey on American attitudes on public displays of affection (PDA). It used several scenarios and the results were interesting. Here is the link: http://www.livescience.com/48820-americans-gay-legal-rights-pda.html And here is the article! Americans Support Legal Rights, But Not PDA, for Gay Couples by Kelly Dickerson, Staff Writer | November 20, 2014 07:28am ET [/url] Credit: Aleksandar Stojkovic/Shutterstock.com View full size image Many Americans support legal rights for gay and lesbian couples but still don't think those couples should kiss in public, a new study suggests. Over the past two decades, same-sex couples have made great progress in terms of legal rights in the United Sates. Gays and lesbians can now get married in 33 states and the District of Columbia, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month cleared the way for same-sex marriages in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. And yet, the new research shows that deep-rooted prejudices against same-sex couples may manifest themselves in more subtle ways. The experimental survey revealed that heterosexual people are equally supportive of legal benefits for same-sex couples and heterosexual couples, but are much less supportive of public displays of affection (PDA) for same-sex couples than for heterosexual couples. [10 Milestones in Gay Rights History] Perhaps more surprisigly, the study revealed that some gay and lesbian people were more supportive of heterosexual PDA than they were of same-sex PDA. The results seem counterintuitive at first, but gays and lesbians are much more likely to be victims of harassment or hate crimes. The lack of support for same-sex PDA is likely out of concern for safety, study lead author Long Doan, a doctoral candidate at Indiana University, told Live Science. In the new study, more than 1,000 volunteers (male and female, gay and straight) read a short story about a gay couple, a lesbian couple or a heterosexual couple who were living together but were not married. After reading the scenario, each volunteer answered questions about what they thought of the couple. Questions included whether the couple should be granted legal rights, such as hospital visitation, health insurance and inheritance rights. Other questions included how acceptable it was for the couple to tell people they are in a relationship, or to engage in PDA, such as holding hands, kissing on the cheek or French kissing. Heterosexual participants generally supported same-sex legal rights; for example, they were almost equally in favor of inheritance rights for heterosexual, gay and lesbian couples (with 70 percent, 69 percent and 73 percent in favor, respectively). But heterosexual study participants were pretty negative across the board about granting some informal privileges to gay and lesbian couples, Doan said. Of the study participants who read the scenario about a heterosexual couple, 95 percent approved of the couple kissing on the cheek. For comparison, just 55 percent approved of a gay couple kissing on the cheek, and 72 percent approved of a lesbian couple kissing on the cheek. The gay and lesbian volunteers were generally positive about these privileges, except for PDA. That's why Doan and the researchers think the lack of support for same-sex PDA is related to safety concerns. The results also showed that people were more tolerant of lesbian PDA than gay PDA. This could be more evidence that research on same-sex attitudes and prejudices should not lump gay couples and lesbian couples into the same category, Doan said. The findings fit in with a growing body of research that explores modern prejudice — the term psychology and sociology researchers use to describe the more subtle prejudices and racist attitudes that still persist after legal rights are granted to various racial groups, sexual orientation groups or genders. Doan's research addresses the difference between old-fashioned gay prejudices that are rooted in long-held religious beliefs and moral objections and modern prejudices that are more nuanced. Doan also noted that while heterosexual people were generally supportive of gay and lesbian legal rights, they were still largely unsupportive of same-sex marriage. (Indeed, a Gallup poll in May found that 55 percent of Americans are in favor of same-sex marriage. That's the highest level of support Gallup has ever seen, but it shows how divisive the issue still is.) This discrepancy suggests that heterosexual people view marriage as an open display of commitment and affection (a privilege) rather than a contract solidifying a partnership (a legal right), Doan said. Gay and lesbian people, on the other hand, are more likely to view marriage as a legal right. The research appears in the December issue of the journal American Sociological Review.

Yeah, what happens next? We wait another week.....

Didn't get on the site yesterday and so...... Belated Happy Birthday Louis! I hope it was fabulous!

When everything seems the worst, smile!

Happy Birthday!

Will is still a shit disturber even if he was right. The fact that it bothered Stef and Brad so much showed he had a point. Alex had anal sex and liked it. JJ seemed to get past his past nightmare. Hammer got skewered! More please!

Thank-you! However, I wonder how much help the soldiers will be without their equipment for a couple of weeks..... As usual George has excellent instincts. More please!

Or maybe he is just a born archivist......

I think the fact that they are both telepathic allowed them to get to really know each other much faster. Opening your innermost thoughts to one another is not something people normally do,but for telepathic it makes sense. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

There has always been war profiteering and just because it is so, doesn't make it right. However, several companies profited as a result of that war while the off the budget financing of the war added at least three trillion dollars to the US sovereign debt and what did the country do, but extend the Bush tax cuts for the upper brackets, over and over and over again. The new congress will probably make them permanent. I'm like JP in that I still get upset about it even as we are sending troops back to Iraq. I know this is historical fiction, but it really does strike a nerve.

?No more running? Then why is this a flashback from when he ran off to Italy? I think there is more to the story that needs some explaining! More please!

Frustration can make you do surprising things and I think Mark had about more than he could handle. That Trey's mom and dad stood by him after being treated so rudely by Mark's family says a lot about them too! They are good people. Brent sounds like he may be headed for a split with the witchy sister too. More please!

Alex does seem to be interested in getting back into JJ's good graces, but it will bae a challenge. Especially after he confesses about hooking up with Mary Ellen. Matt and Wade seem to be in a good place which is good as Elizabeth is too good to be true and the other shoe seems ready to drop..... More please!

Happy Birthday KC! & Many, many more!

Apparently all of Jonah's friends are into making his life interesting.... More please!

There usually is a method to Mark's plot lines, and that usually involves trying to surprise us just every once in a while. We just have to sit back and wait for them to develop. The next chapter may just leave Wade et al in Virginia and jump directly to JJ on the West coast to see whether the "streak" continues!

re: Tim and Kevin's comment: I think in the last chapter, Alex and JJ agreed that JJ needed to show everyone that he could do well even when Alex was not there. I found it much more interesting that Wade has finally figured out that everything with Elizabeth is viewed as a transaction. That insight may help him deal more effectively with her on an ongoing basis. I do feel sorry for Hammer, as I suspect something unpleasant will happen and come out of nowhere..... Alex and Mary Ellen, wonder how that will progress....or not? More please!

Well that's torn it. Mark's biological family has just ended any remaining relationship. It appears he is well rid of them.

Well I am shocked at Jackie and disappointed too. As for as Mark's dad, he is a piece of work as well. I've never understood people who think the world revolves around them and expects everyone else to feel that way too. His rudeness is the mark of a small minded person. Jackie is going to have to really turn herself around if she ever expects Mark to consider her as anything other than a relative in name only. Trey's parents are probably now realizing just why Mark was so reluctant to visit even though it was because of the death of his mother. Arghhh! Now I have to wait for the next installment....

Democracy is a messy business.....