Stop Protesting and Start Studying The Laws That Truly Govern

In a page torn from the history books of the 1960s civil rights movement, we witnessed Senator John Lewis and other Democrats "sit in" and protest against current gun legislation.  Although I have to applaud the Senator for his valiant efforts to bring about change, we must realize that these tactics are both ineffective and outdated.

As time has marched brutally forward, new innovations have taken hold and we must learn to embrace these changes if we are to impact any type of civil legislation.  The Republicans simply snubbed the idea of a sit-in and moved on with their day.  They ignored the Democrats because the gun lobbyists who line their pockets with hush money were not impacted by the idea of a room full of protesters who barely took up fifteen minutes on the evening news.  Paul Ryan was even quoted as being completely dismissive by saying, "...this is a stunt because they know it is not going anywhere." 

So, if the Democrats already knew that the bill had failed to receive the required number of votes to be passed into law, what good was a civil protest?  We must realize that the civil rights tactics used in yesteryear's history books were only effective when they  began to negatively impact the pockets of big business.  

The march on Selma was, initially, a failure as thousands were beaten back with rocks and batons.  Had it not been televised and a cause for southern shame, the same march would not have been successful on its second attempt.  But, even then, we did not ask for change.  The Pettis Bridge, itself, is still named for the founder of the KKK and the national flag of racial hatred still flies above it.   The Montgomery bus boycotts went on for over a year without notice and it only became effective when it finally began to disrupt the economic infrastructure of the city.  As soon as the bus company started laying off it's non-black workforce, they finally began to act as if they cared about our concerns.

Gun control will continue to be an ongoing issue as long as a major company can keep paying for the  vote of our governing parties.  We must begin to fight on a monetary level if we truly intend to effectuate change.  We must align with companies who see our numbers as economic might.  We must vote for members of Congress that represent our interests and also demand that there be an end to "lifetime politicians" who create this "good ole boy" mentality.

More recently, the name of Alton Sterling was added to the growing list of unarmed black men who have been slain by police.  It is truly sad.  The store owner who gave Sterling permission to sell CDs in front of his store provided the video that he shot with his cell phone to his local news.  He opted not to give it to the police because he felt that it would be destroyed or altered before being released.  

Police stated that Shelton resisted arrest, pulled a gun and presented a threat; however, the video reveals his empty hands and a gun later pulled out of his pocket after being shot in the chest four times at close range.  The officer's camera is seen dangling behind him after the shooting.  Witnesses say he removed the camera, himself, prior to shooting Shelton.  He was unaware that two bystanders recorded his every action.

I have already concluded that these same police officers will get away with their crimes because the courts will attempt to prosecute for murder instead of involuntary manslaughter.  If they try to prove murder, then the court has to prove premeditation which no one can ever prove.  If they attempt to prosecute the officer who fired the gun (repeatedly) with manslaughter, then he could possibly get up to 20 years for unlawfully discharging his weapon.  

As of today, over 500 people have been killed by policemen all around this country. Not amazed, I see that nearly all of these shootings involve minorities.   Here is a website that keeps "tabs" on our protectors: Counting .

Think about it: the courts continually attempt to prove murder in these cases because they know it will appease the black community; however, they always acquit because there is no proof of premeditation.  We have to get wiser about what the courts are doing.  We have to stop allowing these killers to go free.  Protesting does nothing, but knowing the law of the land and using it to our advantage could make a change. 

But, then again, these are the rantings of ONE Man's Opinion... What do you think about this subject?