Jena 6 - Are you kidding me?

I'm very bad at keeping up with the news, always have been, probably always will be. Every time I actually watch the news, it's just depressing. In light of this, I had no idea of the "Jena 6" thing that is happening in Louisiana today.

I'm probably going to piss off a lot of people (god I am so good at that) but it's my blog, so I'm giving MY opinion.

This whole thing is just ridiculous. Plain and simple, 6 black kids beat the shit out of a white kid, and from what I've read today, it's not even one of the original 3 that started the "race issues" in the town.

So early September last year 3 white boys hung 3 nooses from a tree in town, apparently a tree that white kids hung out at a lot. Pretty awful and stupid, yes, absolutely. Apparently this was done the day after one of the black students made a joke publicly about the tree. Asking school officials if "anyone" was allowed to hang out at the tree. It was laughed off (not the nooses, the comment), by whites and blacks both as ridiculous, as this town did not feel it had issues with racism.

WRONG

So some other events happened, the school was torched, all kinds of "made for TV movie" drama (you know it will happen) there were some fights, usual stuff. The white kids were not punished all too well, just got suspended. OK, that doesn't seem right, that's a pretty hateful thing to do, I will completely agree with that.

BUT

6 black kids jumped a white kid in school and beat the living shit out of him. They even had other students and such blocking teachers from breaking it up. Pretty much a "hate crime" to me, don't you think? Well apparently the boys were given much more severe punishments that the white kids got. Big surprise? No, not really. What people are failing to forget though, is that some of the Jena 6 actually have prior records, some of them pretty bad. HELLO!

The press and media and of course the lovable Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson have made this a race war. Apparently thousands were in Jena today, protesting and asking that they "Free the Jena 6" with signs and shit. Please. These boys beat the crap out of the kid, like beat him unconscious on the first blow. Like kept kicking and beating on him, even though it appeared the first blow rendered him unconscious. Again I will say HELLO.

The ONLY thing I'm going to agree with on this thing is that the punishments do not fit the crimes, I will completely agree with that. But thousands flocking to protest? Really?

Has everyone forgotten about this thing happening called WAR? Why are thousands not flocking to the White House to protest the WAR. Seriously.

Google Jena 6 for full details. I'm over the whole thing, but felt I had to voice my opinion on the matter. Hate me if you will, but I read it how I read it, and I think it's a bunch of bullshit. Is there rampant racism going on in America? Fuck yes there is, and there always will be, but it's NOT just an American thing, it's a WORLD thing people. It's not just whites hating blacks, it's everyone hating everyone.

Civil Rights in the 60's was about leveling the playing field, not giving Black Americans an excuse for what "our people" did to them hundreds of years ago (yes Dave, stole this from you). I am sorry that they were enslaved, I really am, but it's over now, if racism is ever going to get better, the one's screaming about it need to take a long, hard look in the mirror.

Progress!

So for those of you who have read me since my blog birth, you know that when I bought my current house not only was it a big deal, but I really wanted to re-do the main bathroom, especially since Georgie flooded it the 3rd day we lived here, and the pressure from the water shooting out the back of the toilet ripped paint off the wall and it's been that way since.

Well wouldn't you know it, I finally got it painted, removed some hideously old items and put up some new. Still a work in progress as I want to research the staining a bit more before I dive into that, but I think it's much improved. Dave's not too keen on the color and one minute I love it, the next I hate it. For me, I'm still working on my decision. The Ralph Lauren color I chose, did not seem as bright as it is, but oh well.

OLD BATHROOM

Brought the camera out a bit late, there was an ugly brown thing above the toilet there, to the right of the window, it was fabugly!

Please note in the bottom left of the pic, that is where the water from Georgie biting through the toilet water line and flooding the bathroom tore the paint off the wall. It's been like that since the 3rd day I lived there.

Eighties mirror, was useful as each of the 3 mirrored doors opened...but the usefulness of it, far outweighed the visual appeal.

And to make it more "let's do some cocaine in this bathroom in 1982" let's put these lights on top, yeah, that's right, you look like a STAR in these lights.

Getting Dad to come over to help install new light fixture.....$the cost of a glass of tea

Getting Dad to cut all corners and around moldings and trim because he's been a painter for over 30 years and can do it in minutes and not use painters tape......priceless

NEW BATHROOM (a work in progress....)

Ahh, new appealing, soft glow light and shiny new mirror

Shower curtain #1, too much goin' on with the yellow? This is where the concern comes in.

The other shower curtain, lighter, and crisper yes, but does it make the yellow even more yellow? Ralph Lauren paint swatches may have let me down either way.

So...what's happening in the next installment will be the staining of the woodwork, which it will be a dark ebony, not black, don't let the word fool ya, just some imaginations at work with the color of the stain. Just think Pottery Barn dark "espresso" if you will. The brushed hardware is already bought and ready to apply. I'll save pics of that, for when we get to that stage. There will also be some buying of some assorted things to hang on walls, to hopefully soften the yellow glaring of "oh my god this color is so bright but I am not painting it again damn it" paint color.