Duck by ~blacksparklymagic on deviantART
most of us have heard of a little something affectionately called ‘the duck law’… it states,, that if it walks like a duck,, and it talks like a duck,, chances are very good,, that it is indeed a duck… believe me when i tell you, that such is the accepted perspective of law enforcement in our society.. i know first hand,, as i have been arrested for it… only in texas, they call it manifestation…. you don’t have to be caught in the act of actually doing anything illegal,, you just have to look like the kind of person that would in fact be doing something illegal, if given the chance,, or be in a place that is frequented by those that are known to be on the look out for something illegal to do… that’s all it takes…
the supreme court of the united states of america has evidently taken the ‘duck law’ one step further.. they have decided that,, a black man,, any black man,, that stands accused of killing a white police officer,, looks right for the part.. they don’t care whether or not he is guilty.. they are not concerned with the fact that there is more than reasonable doubt surrounding the circumstances under which this man was convicted.. they have chosen not to inconvenience themselves with such trivial matters,, as the lack of physical evidence, the inability to provide a motive, the retraction of seven out of nine (coerced) eyewitnesses testimonies,, or the fact that someone else (who just happened to be a star witness for the prosecution in the original trial),, has allegedly confessed to the crime…. nope… to them,, a duck, is a duck, is a duck…..
as america stands poised to vote in an historic election,, the first in which a black man has, not only run for the presidency of the united states,, but is at the present time,, if one is to believe the current polls as published,, is leading the nation in electoral votes- another black man sits in the state of georgia,, on death row,, awaiting execution… as the media pats white america’s back,, congratulating us on our showy display of racial diversity,, and staunch voters claim to be far too evolved to allow the color of a mans skin to influence their decision making abilities,, troy anthony davis, awaits the third, and perhaps final, notice of his own execution…
despite the fact that he, and a sizable entourage of noted legal professionals, are confident they can prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that he did not commit the murder of which he has been convicted,, the supreme court has cast off his last remaining appeal.. it is evidently, a lot easier to just allow a duck,, to remain a duck….
These are the names, of the 9 Supreme Court Justices that hold each of our civil rights in their hands:
William Hubbs Rehnquist, John Paul Stevens, Sandra Day O’Connor, Clarence Thomas, Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Antonin Scalia, Anthony M. Kennedy, David Hackett Souter…..
i cannot help but wonder which among them will cast a well researched,, intellectually sound,, bias free vote for the man, they feel will do what needs to be done, in order to bring our country out of the economic cycle of self destruction in which we currently find ourselves… or is that a moot point,, considering that they have already cast their vote,, and in their esteemed opinion,, a duck,, is a duck,, is a duck….
October 16th, 2008 at 5:06 am
Good post. But I’m curious as to why you won’t vote? Given the terrible prospect of McCain and his idiot bride, and Obama’s seeming decency………
October 16th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
That makes me sick to my stomach. Literally.
And one of the MANY reasons I AM VOTING this year.
For Change.
McCan’t will keep asshats on the supreme court which will continue to uphold those ideals you wrote in this very post. And I dont want my son living in that kind of world.
October 16th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
I have often read your posts with interest, for many months now, and as I am sure you have noted that I have left a few comments that don’t seem to have ever been acknowledged by yourself, you do write a lot about the rights and wrongs, which is quite surpising as I feel its wrong that you don’t acknowledge certain viewers to your site, which is a shame considering that I thought the blog o sphere was a way of uniting different bloggers (despite whether a style of writing is different from your own)….me personally, I feel that it is polite to respond to ALL viewers of your site, and not just a chosen few.
October 16th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Jodi, this is sickening to hear. I feel there is still racism in our country and maybe the next president can make a change. Whom ever wins will have his hands full and will be highly scrutinized. You couldn’t pay me to take that job, but I’ll be voting.
October 16th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
I can’t say I know anything about this particular case, so I will not talk specifics. However, this is why I cannot support the death penalty. It has been proven beyond doubt that being black makes it much more likely of being sentenced to death. It has also been proven that far too many innocent people have died after being wrongly judged. Is this guy guilty? I do not know. But his skin color was a major strike against him even before he set foot in a courtroom.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Paisley, I am quite sure that I understand how you feel and, considering the stupidity on both sides, the republicans and the democrats, for the choices they choose to run against the worst administration in this history of the United States of America, I smypathize with you on this issue. However, remember, a person who either does not vote, or votes for an independent, whatever that means, is merely “washing his or her hands” of the entire miserable situation. Such a person can claim later, “Don’t blame me. I didn’t vote for the bastard,” but the fact remains. One of the two choices will sit in the Oval Office after Bush leaves. It boils down to this. Which one of the two do you think would be the worst choice and then, vote against him.
October 16th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
I am deeply sorry for the plight of Mr. Davis. Deeply sorry. I’m not sure what else to say…
October 17th, 2008 at 7:58 am
I have always believed the death penalty was criminal. And in recent decades as it’s becomes clear that the government murders an innocent person more often than not, I speak up when I can. Write the powers that be when I have the energy.
I always vote, while holding real sympathy for your conscience here, paisely. Elections are such a show. But this time around I agree with those who say, not voting amounts to voting for McCain and Palin–a very scary prospect. What else can we do, after all? Staying home doesn’t help–that’s clear. And a possibility remains that voting might–small chance but still a chance–help.
That said, you should know I admire how distinctly you express yourself in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry, especially when your ideas run counter to the popular consensus. Keep doing what you’re doing.