Kangaroo Courts

It is disturbing what our society has come to. We live in a time where instead of resolving issues at the lowest possible level and in the appropriate time and place, it has become accepted (and even encouraged, by some circles) to hold off until the opportune moment and in the most ideal settings that would render the most damage possible. If you don’t like a person or if you disagree with their ideals or if you have a vendetta against their particular demographic, you can effectively nuke that person’s life, livelihood and reputation (without regard to the collateral damage and how your reprehensible acts set precedence), and you don’t even need more than a mere accusation or shard of verbal “evidence” (often which is taken out of context) - to try, convict and sentence your opponent in a kangaroo court or in the court of popular opinion. 

I believe in the constitution, and in due process and I believe that if criminal or civil charges are brought against a person, there should be a formal complaint filed and the accused has a right to a fair and speedy trial, with impartial judges and jury. Evidence should be brought forth and credible witnesses should be heard and all those who are subpoenaed are to appear in court to give their testimony and be subject to being thoroughly cross-examined (including the accuser). Due process not only has the power to convict those who are guilty, but it also has the put at liberty and exonerate those who are wrongly accused. 

We must come to the understanding that just because someone is being accused and just because the accuser has an emotional appeal, does not by itself imply guilt on the party of the accused. We must also come to the understanding that accusers often have ulterior motives and may even be backed by a party with a particular agenda bearing a specific narrative. We can’t automatically assume that an accuser has nothing to gain - either personally or as a representative of a commercial entity, a religious affiliation, a political party or a social movement. Any investigation should take into account such motives and affiliations for relevance in a case. 

We must also come to the understanding that while it is easy now to destroy a person’s life and reputation using the tools of social media and the Internet in general, that decisions to do so aren’t always in our best interest. These decisions set precedence and patterns that are destructive and divisive to our society as a whole. They weaken confidence and undermine bold attempts that are necessary for risk-takers: innovators who shape our culture in a positive and constructive manner and who inspire greatness by their endeavors. We ALL have things in our past that are regretful and embarrassing and if brought to light by the tools of gossip and public shaming, could destroy our reputation, livelihood and will to move forward in life.

Let me share a relevant personal experience. As a youth, I grew up in meager circumstances. Our parents couldn’t afford many of the luxuries that many of my peers enjoyed. I was bright, but eccentric and for reasons I am just now starting to understand, I was an underachiever. As such, I was the subject of merciless bullying. Most of the time, I would just try to ignore the bullies or find activities that kept me away from them. Instead of going out to the playground or “hanging out” in the hallways at school, I would often spend my recess time in the library, reading encyclopedias and other reference or non-fiction books. Ironically, I had a thirst for knowledge, but a disdain for the public education process. It probably had a lot to do with having to be subject to the verbal, physical, emotional, and yes… even sexual abuse by early elementary teachers and classmates. This abuse followed me all throughout school. I was also a scrawny kid, which made me an easy target for bullies. Some of those who are in my present social circle - even on social media - are among those who were guilty of bullying. Ironically, some of the most vocal on Facebook about “social justice” are those who treated me with such disrespect when I was in my most vulnerable years. I won’t call them out… you know who you are. I am also a forgiving person and would never consider doxxing or publicly castigating those who took part in making my early years almost unbearable. I also believe that people change and as we become adults, our embarrassing years of youth can be a thing of the past. I also was guilty of things I wasn’t proud of. I wouldn’t consider myself a bad kid, but I did a lot of things out of curiosity and exploration, but also I often responded defensively - and many times was out of line.

One such instance came to mind due to recent controversies. I was in 7th or 8th grade (about 13 or 14) and the usual bullying was taking place. Some kid came and punched me in the arm. It was excruciatingly painful. I was distraught and took my big thick math book, chased the guy down and beat him over the head with it. A faculty member witnessed it and we were both pulled into the vice principal's office. When the vice principal asked what happened, I said that he had punched me in the arm and that's why I hit him with the book. Then the kid that I had accused of punching me responded, "It wasn't me, it was ________." At that moment, I realized that I had been mistaken. I had retaliated against the wrong person. I could have spared him from punishment by admitting that it was a case of mistaken identity, but I didn't. The guy that was sitting in the principal's office was mean to me on other occasions, so I didn't bother to recant my account at this time. It was the perfect opportunity for revenge. The vice principal was not impartial in this case because the kid was already labeled as a troublemaker. I was excused and the other kid was left in the office to receive his unjust punishment. I've thought about this many times since then and felt bad about it and didn't know how to rectify my error. I'm glad that it didn't lead to a person innocent of a crime going to prison or ruining his life and career. At the time, I was only concerned about my own reputation and avoiding punishment. I don't know what mechanism there was that made me accuse the wrong person. It may have been because I was so distraught that I lashed out at the nearest person that represented a bully to me. It may have been because that since it appeared that he laughed, he was the one who punched me. I do know that when people are under duress, they are more subject to errors in judgment and errors in memory. Eyewitness accounts by those who've experienced a traumatic event are subject to errors in their reporting. This is a known fact. To the best of my knowledge, both of the young men that were involved in the incident grew up and grew out of their bullying ways and the one who punched me in the arm has become a successful and reputable person in the community. While this is not always the case (many abusers continue this pattern throughout their lives), there are also those who rise above their childhood and become respectable, productive and positive influences in society - whether you agree with their particular set of values or not. We have to believe in the power of redemption and forgiveness and be willing to forgive those who have offended us or we become embittered, poisoning our own souls with resentment and vindictiveness. 

One of the great ironies that I’ve seen is that those same people or social entities that believe in programs geared toward rehabilitation for crimes and other offenses, are some of the same who would be willing to lock offenders up and throw away the key or at least to bring their life as they know and enjoy it to ruin - if the offender’s values or opinions don’t line up with their own views and agenda or if the offender is of a particular demographic (race, gender, religion, political affiliation, social status, vocation/income bracket, etc.). When claiming to be tolerant of diverse factors, we must also love and be inclusive toward those we disagree with and of ALL demographics, otherwise such claims are null and void. 

My plea is that we all do some introspection into who we are personally, and what we want to accomplish within our social interactions. If we want to become more loving, forgiving, accepting, inclusive and compassionate people, then go forward and live those principles. If you want to allow your anger, bitterness and vindictiveness to overtake you, that’s your decision too. Be honest with yourself and own it.

The Boon of Plastic

There's been a lot of talk about plastics lately. I've read people's comments and heard conversations about how "plastic is poison" and that we should ban plastics. Okay, what are the alternatives? It's pretty ignorant to think about reverting to a world without plastic at this point - especially when voiced by people who rely so heavily upon it. I find it humorous that the people are making these comments are using devices made almost entirely of plastic to voice their opinions.

Plastic is perhaps THE ONE thing that has enabled us to advance into the age of technology. Without plastic, the world would definitely be different - but not necessarily in a good way though. There are devices and processes that would not even be possible. Virtually every modern essential uses plastic in some way, shape or form - from communications to construction to transportation to medical to educational to food and agriculture - plastic is the one common denominator that makes it all possible and in the least expensive, most durable and most hygienic way possible.

With every advantage, there's also going to be drawbacks though. As with all our resources, we need to be good stewards or there will be adverse consequences. Although plastic is fairly inert, the mass quantity of plastic that enters into the waste stream seems to be unmanageable. Though in North America (and other industrialized areas of the world) we have infrastructures in place to manage recyclables, we still can do better. While the vast majority of the plastic that enters into oceans and other bodies of water are from third-world countries that don't have and infrastructure in place (or don't really care about the environment), there is still a notable amount from the U.S. that makes it into the oceans and litter our public lands. This is unacceptable. But calling on outright bans of certain plastic items... or worse, all plastics, not only demonstrates the ignorance of those calling on the bans but demanding such radical decrees is detrimental to the industrialized infrastructure that is in place. Since this notion is absolutely absurd anyway, such a ban isn't going to happen.

I have worked with materials (wood, metal, plastic, glass, ceramics, etc.) for most of my life and just in the past 50 years or so, I have observed the evolution and progress that has been made with technology and manufacturing. We can make things now that weren't even a possibility just a few decades before.

As stewards over these resources, we need to be responsible at the consumer level. We can't and shouldn't expect government regulations and decrees by political figures to solve problems that we personally are a part of causing. It's fair to say that most of the population does not know where plastic comes from, the differences between types of plastics or where it goes when it's disposed of. One of the things I want to do in my life is to not only be a part of educating others about the benefits of materials and how to be more resourceful, but also to be more of an active part in the chain of reuse/repurposing of such and proper disposal of that which is no longer usable. It's quite a learning curve. I've been doing this for most of my life, but I still have a lot to learn and as technology advances, we have to keep up with that as well.

Stay tuned for more specifics on what I'm doing and learning and what we're doing as a family.