No one wins in Trayvon Martin Case

This is a lose lose proposition

If we as a country cannot improve the tone of racial discourse, we will continue to scream at one another every time a perceived injustice takes place. The Trayvon Martin is the latest saga where battle lines have been drawn in bold black and white strokes, even though Zimmerman has been labeled a "white hispanic," whatever that designation means. Through all of the bantering back and forth, we forget there is the judicial system that should be allowed to work through and process a difficult legal decision. Some people sit nervously by and await the verdict, others have already made up their mind on Zimmerman's guilt or innocence. Still others have threatened to riot if the decision doesn't go in their favor. Spending equal time in the #justicefortrayvon chat room and justiceforzimmerman chat room, I found they appeared to align along racial lines for the most part. I don't understand why this case has been elevated to the level of creating such racial animosity. For what reason? When will we able to move on and pull together as a nation to face our problems together, instead of the continued bickering and strife that creates division and separates us. I fear for the worst and hope that no one riots, if Zimmerman is found non-guilty. Whatever happens, we must allow the judicial system to function without the court of public opinion unduly influencing the outcome of the case. If that happens, another travesty will have taken place. Our legal system does not follow the Code of Hammurabi, as we do not subscribe to the practice of an eye for an eye. Like it or not, George Zimmerman deserves his day in court and an impartial, uninfluenced jury to weigh the evidence and render a judgement and verdict. Anything short of that will be considered a sad day for the American legal system.

Interview today.

Without going into too much detail, I had a job interview this morning for a social studies position at a private school in the area. After finishing the 60 minute q and a, I sat in my car reflecting on the events that transpired over the past hour. Could I have done anything differently? Did I talk too much? Was I actively listening throughout the interview? These queries were part of my self-critique checklist and "personal debriefing," which we all do after "being evaluated" by potential employers, bosses, etc. because we want to improve and learn from each experience. Instead of just conducting a self-assessment, isn't it equally productive to imagine the conversation that will obviously take place between the interviewers after you leave the room? What were their impressions of the meeting? Were they similar to yours? Dissimilar? Did they think you answered all of the questions? Would you be a good fit at the school? Attempting to place yourself in the role of the interviewer is challenging, especially when those out of work want to procure employment. How did these educators feel about working on the day after July 4th when many of their peers are out on vacation? How would they deal with a vacancy that opened up in July, several weeks before school is ready to open for the fall semester? We all have our desired objectives, but it helps to keep things in perspective when you can imagine "walking in the shoes" of the other party to an interview. If one can successfully do this, its a win-win for both interviewer and interviewee. For those looking for employment, I wish you the best of luck in your job search.

Declaration of Independence

Text of Declaration

Most of our patriotism is heightened or depressed based on external factors such as Olympic hockey games, terrorist attacks, governmental policies, presidents, taxes, and special days of the year. On July 4th, it is assumed we will pick up and wave a miniature version of "Old Glory," march in a local parade, sing patriotic songs from the rooftops in full voice, and dispense fireworks from a 12 ounce coke bottle, all the while celebrating America's Independence Day with full jingoistic bluster. Unfortunately, I wasn't overcome with this emotion most of the day, even though I tried a final jolt of "CPR" patriotism  by watching the live concert on PBS from Washington D.C. Barry Manilow blurting out "I write the Songs" just didn't do it for me. External stimuli be damned, or so I thought, until I decided on one final act to find the patriotic fervor that had eluded me most of the day. With the prompting from a "tweet" on Tweeter asking people to read the Declaration of Independence, I pulled up a copy online and spent the next 15 minutes of my evening. This was the antidote to my patriotism blues. Incredibly moved, I absorbed each line of the text, combing over the  carefully chosen words that would impact so many Americans for generations to come. "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" are unalienable rights given to us by our Creator. I hear John Philip Sousa's march dancing in my head. Im back. Give me the darn flag so I can wave it from atop my house. U-S-A-U-S-A-U-S-A. Long live the United States of America, the greatest country on "God's green earth," to steal a phrase from Michael Medved. Im back baby. "Oh say can you see...

Thomas Sowell: Another piece of literary brilliance

The failure to acknowledge the existence of evil.

Motivation for this blog

isolato \ahy-suh-LEY-toh\, noun:

a person who is spiritually isolated from or out of sympathy with his or her times or society. This May 28th, 2013 word of the day has resonated with me for quite some time and serves as inspiration for the title of my blog.

Egypt Summer 2013

What's happening in Egypt is absolutely incredible. Although unconstitutional and treasonous, the military and a majority of the population decided to topple  Morsy's duly elected government. After a little over a year in power, the people said, "enough is enough." How long should a people give a duly elected leader to carry out his program/reforms before evicting him from office? It seems that one year might not be a sufficient enough time, but how much accountability falls on Morsy? If a president runs on a certain platform and then once in office, suddenly ignores the will of the people, doesn't the voice of the population deserve to be heard? Should the Egyptians have waited until Morsi's term in office expired and then, chosen someone more to their liking? After all, the opposition had their chance in the last election and lost.
Interesting take From an Egyptian Blogger