Constitution of The United States of America - Article I

Article. I.

Section. 1.

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Section. 2.

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.
No Person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the Age of twenty five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State in which he shall be chosen.

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three Years after the first Meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every subsequent Term of ten Years, in such Manner as they shall by Law direct. The Number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty Thousand, but each State shall have at Least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be made, the State of New Hampshire shall be entitled to chuse three, Massachusetts eight, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New-York six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten, North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.

When vacancies happen in the Representation from any State, the Executive Authority thereof shall issue Writs of Election to fill such Vacancies.

The House of Representatives shall chuse their Speaker and other Officers; and shall have the sole Power of Impeachment.

Section. 3.

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof, for six Years; and each Senator shall have one Vote.

Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.

No Person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen.

The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall have no Vote, unless they be equally divided.

The Senate shall chuse their other Officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the Absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the Office of President of the United States.
The Senate shall have the sole Power to try all Impeachments. When sitting for that Purpose, they shall be on Oath or Affirmation. When the President of the United States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no Person shall be convicted without the Concurrence of two thirds of the Members present.

Judgment in Cases of Impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from Office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any Office of honor, Trust or Profit under the United States: but the Party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and subject to Indictment, Trial, Judgment and Punishment, according to Law.

Section. 4.

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.

Section. 5.

Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.

Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly Behaviour, and, with the Concurrence of two thirds, expel a Member.

Each House shall keep a Journal of its Proceedings, and from time to time publish the same, excepting such Parts as may in their Judgment require Secrecy; and the Yeas and Nays of the Members of either House on any question shall, at the Desire of one fifth of those Present, be entered on the Journal.

Neither House, during the Session of Congress, shall, without the Consent of the other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other Place than that in which the two Houses shall be sitting.

Section. 6.

The Senators and Representatives shall receive a Compensation for their Services, to be ascertained by Law, and paid out of the Treasury of the United States. They shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses, and in going to and returning from the same; and for any Speech or Debate in either House, they shall not be questioned in any other Place.

No Senator or Representative shall, during the Time for which he was elected, be appointed to any civil Office under the Authority of the United States, which shall have been created, or the Emoluments whereof shall have been encreased during such time; and no Person holding any Office under the United States, shall be a Member of either House during his Continuance in Office.

Section. 7.

All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.

Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his Objections to that House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the Objections at large on their Journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such Reconsideration two thirds of that House shall agree to pass the Bill, it shall be sent, together with the Objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a Law. But in all such Cases the Votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and Nays, and the Names of the Persons voting for and against the Bill shall be entered on the Journal of each House respectively. If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

Every Order, Resolution, or Vote to which the Concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of Adjournment) shall be presented to the President of the United States; and before the Same shall take Effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the Rules and Limitations prescribed in the Case of a Bill.

Section. 8.

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;

To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;

To establish Post Offices and post Roads;

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;

To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

To provide and maintain a Navy;

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;

To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;—And

To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.

Section. 9.

The Migration or Importation of such Persons as any of the States now existing shall think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the Year one thousand eight hundred and eight, but a Tax or duty may be imposed on such Importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each Person.
The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

No Capitation, or other direct, Tax shall be laid, unless in Proportion to the Census or enumeration herein before directed to be taken.

No Tax or Duty shall be laid on Articles exported from any State.

No Preference shall be given by any Regulation of Commerce or Revenue to the Ports of one State over those of another: nor shall Vessels bound to, or from, one State, be obliged to enter, clear, or pay Duties in another.

No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law; and a regular Statement and Account of the Receipts and Expenditures of all public Money shall be published from time to time.

No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.

Section. 10.

No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.

No State shall, without the Consent of the Congress, lay any Imposts or Duties on Imports or Exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's inspection Laws: and the net Produce of all Duties and Imposts, laid by any State on Imports or Exports, shall be for the Use of the Treasury of the United States; and all such Laws shall be subject to the Revision and Controul of the Congress.
No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit of delay.

Future Writer's Running Amok

There was grand battle in my living room this past Friday that rolled over into Saturday morning. It was EPIC - in every sense of the word. I had such fun watching and listening to it all.

At play, running throughout my entire main floor, were a 7-year old girl and an 8-year old boy (one borrowed from a friend, the other from next door). They are new friends and fast friends. Two very smart young minds with energy and rapidly switching priorities that somehow manage to keep up with each other.

I listened and watched raptly as they choreographed and narrated the battle on the fly. Pantser, the both of them. I can imagine great D&D games in their future. It would not surprise me one bit if one, or both of them, become writers in the future. This is the most imaginative play I have seen since my siblings and I were kids.

My nephews didn't play like this, they're more rough and tumble, sports-oriented boys. Although when they weren't playing they could be found glued to some electronic device like so many of today's younger generations.

My Little Ponies were at the core of this epic battle, along with Equestrianas (I sure hope I got that straight), there were hidden relationships - "Rarity, I am your Mother!", "Pinkie, I adopted you after having Rarity" worthy of Star Wars and Shakespeare's tragedies.

At risk were the ponies lives and homeland, requiring some of the ponies to travel thru time, going back through the Roman Empire, glancing in on a gladiator fight, back to Ancient Eygpt, were a special magically amulet would bring an assassinated pony back to life (only to find out the resurrected pony's arch enemy was none other than it's birth mother). Lives were lost, resurrected and lost again. Unicorns were sacrificed to save ponies, and many wardrobe changes for the Equestiranas were needed.

During a lull in the battle, a game of Disney Trivia was started up and during another lull Battleship was broken out (the manual kind, not electronic). Rules were modified to make them "speed' games, which was just as fun to watch as the entire battle.

I'm looking forward to the next epic battle they chose to start up. What will they think up next?

Mad Hatter Haunted Tea Party

A friend of mine posted this question on Facebook today:

If the Mad Hatter was throwing a Haunted Tea Party for his daughter what would it look like?

 An image immediately popped into my head and I knew there was no way I could describe it in the mere space of a Facebook comment. If I had my aunt's artistic talents I would have immediately drawn it up, but alas, I don't have those skills.

So what would a Haunted Tea Party, thrown by the Mad Hatter, for his daughter look like?

First, my version of the Mad Hatter looks very much like Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. The large eyes, crazed with the agony the Red Queen put him through. His hair is more a silvery grey though, his over-sized top hat a battered crushed velvet in deep purple. The velvet is worn in places and he has a piece of tattered, yellowed lace as a hat band. His coat used to be a bright Kelly green, but it has faded with time, the elbows are worn through, the collar and hemmed edges are raveling a bit. His pants are also tattered, black, a bit too short, and shiny with wear. His shoes are over-sized wing tips, one is black, the other brown. His nails are bitten down and there is dirt until the very short nails. He has a threaded needle holding a dead rose boutonniere  on his lapel. His grin is rather schizophrenic, with crooked yellow teeth. But he is happy, after all his daughter is alive!

Next, there's the white rabbit. His fur has dirty spots, one of his ears hangs down while the other is straight up through his top hat. The hat is a glossy black, while his vest is a deep forest green with black embroidery used to depict a scary forest scene of dead trees with reaching, leafless limbs. His pocket watch is tucked safely in a small pocket on the vest, the watch fob is a tarnished gold that attaches to his paw. His eyes occasionally go in different directions as he laughs in a psychotic fashion.

The door mouse is simply adorable, with the plain brown fur of a field mouse. His hat is a teapot lid, his only clothing a black lacy tutu. He holds the teeniest tea cup I've ever seen in his paw. It's chipped on one side, covered in an intricate, yet tiny depiction of lilacs. The saucer is a mismatch, bright red with cobwebs hanging from one side.

Tea is set on a large, uneven, wooden table. Large black spiders are at the corner of every table leg (there are six), most are working on their webs or winding up their prey. The largest is sitting in the middle of her web watching the going-ons. Treats are scattered about on plate stands holding anywhere from three to eight plates. Tiny sandwiches are scattered across those plates, some showing definite signs of mold, some with ants and cockroaches crawling over them, others draped in cobwebs.

Additional treats include cupcakes topped with crunchy crickets and spiders, candies in bright primary colors are scattered across the table top, all guarded by an army of somewhat friendly scorpions. A variety of teapots, many being held to the table by yet more cobwebs, are all filled with varieties of tea. Some have tea bag tags hanging out the side, others have metal chains showing from the diffusers hidden inside them.

I am fascinated with the teapots. Each has it's own pattern. A yellow one has depictions of the Red Queen playing croquet with a flamingo, beheading a peasant, and petting the Jabberwocky. A beautiful silver one has airy pictures of the White Queen working on various potions and healing an injured citizen. A blood red teapot has dancing skeletons across the entire body of the pot. An ivory colored teapot shows pictures of a little girl, her chest pierced by a sword, blood dripping down her white lace dress. On the opposite side is the same girl, sword in hand, piercing the Jabberwocky's chest with a triumphant smile on her face. Tea cups are scattered about, none with matching saucers, all showing signs of wear and damage, most are covered in flowers, one is covered in spiders.

Trees ring the entire scene, their leaves are either gone or shades of red and orange. The sky is a gloomy grey, bits of grass stick up between the leaves on the ground. A light breeze makes the air feel more chilly than it is. A few of the trees have bits of fabric blowing from their branches, as if they were banners announcing some big event.

A sweet, heart shaped faced, young girl sits at the head of the table. The adorable door mouse is to her left, the White Rabbit to her right. The Mad Hatter is at the other end of the table, smiling broadly as he sings an unrecognizable song. She smiles and the scene is less gloomy. Sun seems to peek through the clouds. Her dress is a bright red lace overlay, a black shift underneath. The blood red sash at her waist is tied in large bow on her back.

Her honey colored locks lift lightly in the breeze. She has a very pale face, tinged with grey and with large inset deep green eyes. She has smudges of dirt on her cheeks, her hands are clean, but her fingernails are still dirty as if she just dug herself out of the grave. Scuffed Mary Janes are on her feet, her anklets are mismatched, one black with black lacing edging the top, the other a dirty white with red lace on top. She swings her legs casually underneath her too-tall chair as she hums along with her daddy's uneven song, clearly enjoying herself.

In the clearing Alice appears, Cheshire cat in tow. They wave hello to the odd conflagration at the table. Smoke from the catepillar's hookah pipe swirls up among the tree branches. Just another Halloween in Wonderland.

The Drop heard around the World

I am admittedly not an Apple Fangirl/Fanboi/Fanatic. Decades ago I applauded Apple for daring to challenge IBM in the realm of personal computing, that has changed since Apple has stayed with a proprietary hardware platform.

That said, I still had to laughingly groan with the unlucky soul in Perth, Australia, who - in his eagerness to show off his "score" - dropped his just acquired iPhone while trying to show it off to the media. He hadn't even taken the plastic off the face of it yet. A worldwide groan went up from the Apple fan base over that one.

Still...it's a PHONE. It's not a God, demi-God, shapeshifter,  or answer to all your prayers. I will never understand waiting in line for days to get a phone that will be outdated in a year or less (actually, it's already outdated, Samsung, HTC and LG beat Apple to the size boost, chip speed, and display quality at least 2 years ago). 

There isn't any technology, game, or other item that will convince me to give up my comfy bed to stand in a line to obtain it. I prefer to think I'm "too sane" to do that, but really, it's because I work in tech all day and don't want to deal with it when I'm home. Unless I'm writing, or killing alien creatures on alien worlds with really cool alien weaponry.

Now, if the next iPhone comes with a cool shapeshifting feature where it can become a cup of coffee, a handgun, a baseball bat, or a studly baseball team sans shirts then maybe, just maybe I'll get one. In the meantime, I'll get the least expensive smart phone that I can find and ignore the fan-person zealotry.

Found It!

For some time I've been testing out handguns and borrowing a idea from Laurell K. Hamilton (of Anita Blake fame) and carrying a few different handguns around to see how they feel and fit in my hand. All of this has been done for several of the characters in the Jess Barker Mystery series I'm trying to finish up and get out there.

I started with the idea that Jess would need to carry something for her own protection, but learned that due to regulations in Texas she most likely would be denied a license. She ends up with something else to protect herself with, but I don't want to spoil the fun. Cora (aka Molly - I'm still vacillating on changing her name) and Maggie will both end up carrying a gun, but in different books. I'm still not sure what model is right for each of them.

Then there's Matt. Matt, is a friend of Jess's and has a large presence in all of the books I have mapped out so far. Matt is a large guy and can hold his own in a fight. He's also the most likely to carry on a regular basis given his job. But, I hadn't been actively searching out his gun. Until last night.

What was special about last night? Well, my favorite shooting range and training center was having a big sale. I was checking out several guns, one of which is a great carry option for the girls, but too small for Matt. There was a Stage Coach rifle that I really wanted to get my hands on for myself. It's nice, but I need more training on long guns before I decide to spend that much money. Plus, I haven't received an invite to go hunting with anyone this year, so I don't really need it. Even if it is really pretty.

As usual I was drawn to the Smith & Wesson and Ruger cases. They fit my hands the best and Jess and Maggie have assured me that if a gun fits my hand, it will fit for them. Nothing really grabbed my eye in the Ruger case but I saw a large .45 in the S&W case that caught my attention.  Way too large for my hands, but a nice size for a big guy.

And then I saw it.

A twinkle at the corner of my caught my attention. I swear the gun really did "twinkle" at me. The second I saw it I had to hold it. It felt right in my hand and I knew right then and there that this was going to be Matt's concealed gun. He'll get the big gun too for work, but this little gem will be stuffed in one of his boots on a regular basis.

Want to see it?  Here's a picture I lifted from the Smith & Wesson page:

I really, really like it's weight and how it felt in my hand...as it if simply belonged there. It's really well balanced and small enough to not be annoying in a holster; it also fits easily in a purse. That's something I don't hear people talking about a lot when it comes to concealed carry. What it's really like to wear a holstered gun isn't discussed much.

Here's a tip - if you're a chunky, cranky old broad like me, having a holster on the inside of your pants can be very uncomfortable, regardless of what's in the holster. It'll poke you in the side, assuming you can get it inside your waistband, and drag your light weight pants down. Good, solid belts are a must with a holster. It's more comfortable to have it shifted around toward your back, and Matt assures me that when he carries it that way he doesn't notice it much. (How he knows without me actually walking around with it I'm not certain).

Chances are it won't fit well on your thigh either - assuming you can find a holster big enough - and down at your ankle isn't all that ideal. (For one thing it may slip down and rest oddly on the top of your foot). That being said, if you are in amazing shape like one of my favorite instructors, a gun on your thigh is amazingly easy to hide.

A shoulder holster may be a better option, but I'm still holding out hope that the Double Diva's girls will make a trip to my town and I can get them to make me a custom bra to hide a gun in. They've done it once already for a buxom police officer, maybe they can figure one out for me.

Yesterday I saw an awesome concealed carry corset. A CORSET! And with two pockets no less. What an awesome idea...it will work great for Maggie as she's the perfect build for it. The demo video showed a young lady in great shape carrying two guns, one on each side of the corset. I admire her, I would love to be that coordinated to be able to handle two guns at once.

So, I finally found at least one fit. Now to narrow it down for the girls. Maggie really liked a little red .380 Ruger, Cora was leaning toward a purple one. I'll have to rent those along with Matt's guns to get a good idea of the kick so I can accurately describe the feel of shooting them should they ever need to. At this point in the story lines the only shooting that is done is for practice and only paper zombie targets have been harmed.


In case you're curious, you can find the info on this particular handgun at Smith & Wesson's website: S&W 1911 Pro Series - Matt's carry gun

It's Never Done Is It?

I'm beginning to think that a book is never truly done. As evidenced by my current re-working of a cookbook. I had it all self-pubbed, thought it was all wrapped up until I looked at the paperback copy one more time and realized there was a mistake - a big one - with the table of contents.

I hadn't caught it in previous reviews, why I have no idea. I know what I meant for it to have and for some reason read it that way. Lucky, only a few of these got out into the general public.

Here's the good news: I figured out the formatting on my own and due to the kindness of one of my photographers, I'll be getting another section picture to add to the book.

Still reformatting and repaging the file, which takes time. But I'm on vacation...so far I've been cleaning the house in between working on this book. I want it done, like now, because I really, really want to get back to the Jess Barker series. New ideas have popped up over the past few days, all to be fed into the second thru fifth books in the series.

I really need to win a lotto so I can retire from my full time gig and just get to play with my characters and books.

Interesting Question on Ferguson Protests

My friend Jenny Trout from GRRWG posed an interesting question on Facebook regarding Ferguson and it had nothing to do with race. I had a fairly quick response, but have been thinking about it, so here's my longer answer to her question.

First, what Jenny asked was along the lines of Second Amendment supporters always bring up the point that we need to continue to hold onto our rights in order to fight against our government if it becomes too militarized.  So why weren't they in Ferguson helping fight against the police? That's a paraphrase, and I may have paraphrased her incorrectly, but that's the jist I got, and that's what I'm responding to.

I think there are several reasons there wasn't a "Second Amendment" response to the unrest in Ferguson. One, it was an "isolated" response. Similar events seem to happen in Los Angeles on a frequent basis and ever since Rodney King the community tends to protest more peacefully, rather than ransack their own neighborhoods. In fact, there was a protest in Los Angeles while Ferguson was in an uproar. Unfortunately, the LA protest was overlooked by the media, even though it involved another unarmed, young black male. I don't remember if the race of the officer was called out in the blurb I'd run across about it, but for those that don't know California has been having issues with the police departments in several large cities, but we aren't seeing the rioting and looting we used to.

Second, the vast majority of conservative supporters of the Second Amendment were already aware of the militarized police presence. I've known about it for several years already, so it was no surprise to me that these tactics would be used by the local PD. My larger concern is whether or not the police in that small department had proper training on those tools and why the hell didn't the Governor get the National Guard down there right away? I think that a response from the National Guard would have had a better effect in calming things down, with less damage/harm/injury (take your pick) to the under-served black community there.

Third, by the time the media got the word out, most of the streets into Ferguson were already blocked. The few that may have already been there were probably standing with their neighbors to protect their businesses or families as the police had basically stopped responding to the looting due to being outnumbered.

Don't get me wrong, we need to take a close look at the Ferguson PD, how they've been treating the minorities (racial or economic) in town, and their use of military force - as we need to do across the country. I think it's wrong for local Police Departments to have this much force, that's what the National Guard is there for, and that's where the equipment should go.

I feel bad for the residents of Ferguson, there's a lot of damage to repair there and it's something I'm not really used to. Originating from the West Coast I hadn't been exposed to such blatant racism (on both sides) in many decades. It's really disheartening to see the country going backwards on this issue.

The worst part is that there will never be any real justice. The media has already tried and skewered the officer involved without knowing or presenting all the facts. Just as the video shown of the robbery that may or may not have started this all has put a stain on Michael Brown's legacy. A young man is dead before his life could begin and the officer involved cannot go back to a "normal" life.

We have forgotten an important fact: we are fortunate in America to be legally considered Innocent Until Proven Guilty. That goes both ways, for Michael Brown and for the officer involved. Our media seems to have convinced the vast majority that the media knows "everything", when in reality, our media no longer holds to the original ethics of journalism. It's all about what sells, damn the facts.

I pray that Michael Brown's family will find some peace and a way to allow their community to help them heal as the community heals.

There is one good thing that came of this though. If it weren't for Michael Brown, I don't believe that the militarization of our police force would have been so readily addressed or pointed out by our media. I only hope it brings about a positive change and raises the awareness of our representatives in Washington, DC who don't come home to see what's happening often enough.