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Been a little vague in the posting lately, part self-censorship, part lack of time - for some reason I think Yvonne would’ve gotten a kick out of the comment, don’t know why exactly.
so far I’m enjoying my evening summer class, and new assignment at work. It has been a bit of an adjustment not having to go to class 4 days a week and reading dozens of cases every week for class, but it has been a nice change of pace for sure. been ducking the heatwave more or less at work and at the gym, I’ve been trying to get back into shape and cut off some of the 0.75L flab that stuck to my sides. The weight isn’t as much of a factor, but worth mentioning, i gained back about 16 pounds from the start of school, but haven’t really noticed it, which makes me think that at least part of it is muscle mass besides I’m still about 15lb lighter than when I first moved out here two years ago.
Went to the client’s office buildings today to meet with staff and go through some documents and make some copies for our future work. Ended up running into a classic lesson in organizational bureacracy and the tendancy for the least important individuals in the chain of command to feel the need to exert their miniscule and limited authority. I’ll probably elaborate more on this later, it drew a lot of observations to say the least. I couldn’t help but get a chuckle out of it despite my irritation. Did I mention it was fucking hot as hell today?
Got my grades for the first year of night school, looks like I survived but of course would like to do better next semester. I ended up having better estimate on how I did on each class relative to each other. In retrospect I can say that I learned a tonne, I just wish the grades were more reflective of that. Either way I’m planning on sticking it out, which would mean committing to about 3 or 4 more years now depending on what bar I take. Been thinking about buying a house in the district, been a little tempted by the for sale signs popping up in the neighborhood, I found a 2 story, 2 bedroom townhome on craigslist going for 900K - amazing, especially thinking about the $1.3M 3 bedroom that was sold last year before the market started to tank. I think I’ll wait up for a while more.
Been observing and somewhat participating in the rise of internet media movements by way of the video age - You Tube, google video, and a number of online video-clip post site. I spent several hours watching clips of Okinawan music and sipping awamori, then checking out random commentary by web denizens that all have very important things to say. Later on I read an article about a growing concern of fight clubs broadcasting their bouts on the internet. I couldn’t help but notice that that observation has to be pretty outdated by now. I remember watching clips a couple of years ago even of kids getting into some pretty mean scraps on the schoolyard, skater vs. security guard fights, gang fights, chick fights, and one of the meanest, this big black dude named Kimbo or something kicking the shit out of guy after guy.
Another random observation, these hot summer nights I seem to keep end up watching replays of the perverted justice series on MSNBC, the one where they entice perverts chatting online to come to some house wired up with dozens of cameras, a pissed off reporter and a couple squads of cops waiting outside. I think they’re on part IV or V or something by now. While its a pretty good thing they’re doing overall, I kind of wonder what exactly is the point they’re trying to make after all these episodes. I mean there are some sick and disturbed people out there on the street and roaming the internet, just outing them on national TV isn’t going to much to combat the substantive problem. It just suceeds in disgusting the viewers and making us more paranoid about society in general.
First of all there’s the media smugness factor - of the things I’ve noticed in all the episodes is this implication that the cops in the jurisdiction haven’t been doing their job, the only way they could catch these creeps was with the help of a plucky reporter with a mic. After a few cases the self-rightousness of the reporter starts to irk me. So you catch a bunch of perverts being perverts online, and you egg them on with a seemingly willing and able victim behind a keyboard. You invite him over to a house promising him his paraphiclic drug - sex with a young girl/boy, even if he shows his concern and hesitations, you egg him on, give him directions to a house and tell him that the kid is both wiling and able to act out any or all of the pervert’s fantasies, the kid’s parents aren’t home - and then act surprised when the sick fuck actually shows up on the doorstep?
And of course the cost-based analysis - after they get booked and charged with the media hype of the TV show theres no way in hell that the judge is going to do anything with the cameras rolling but lock the pricks up in prison, and give the max sentence for the max crime regardless of any mitigating factors that were conviniently omitted from the TV broadcast. Afterall, all of these guys are guilty and beyond any hope of rehabilitation in the court of public opinion, they are scum of society, lock them up and throw away the key. A very flashy and sexy message from the TV point of view, makes good headlines and gets the reporter exposure (no pun intended) but meanwhile since these guys have to get locked up in prison the taxpayer then has to foot the bill for the housing and warehousing costs (instead of rehabilitation, since this kind of reporting laughs in the fact of any prison rehabilitative program). As I’ve said before in previous posts and converstations, being tough on crime is fine as a political platform, but like any other social service that society expects government to provide, costs money. lots of money, I think something like $40,000 a year now for medium/max security prison. civil committment (which I think might be even more effective) try something like $100,000 a year.
I’m sure this point would evoke the comment of implementing capital punishment for all sex offenders, which I hear a lot when people talk about this subject. I think hearing about a child rapist getting 60 days prison and another child violator getting 10 years probation for being too short only fans the angry flames more. But it doesn’t make sense to start killing people for every outrageous crime. I thought we were supposed to fiar and just country, a people of laws and higher morals, not of emotions. social deviants have and always will exist. I would hate to live in a society that is so quick to just kill each of their members who are disturbingly different just when they pop their heads up. I’d be more for social ostracization and branding before captial punishment.
One more observation is that the whole thing really does pushes the line between vigilante justice and legitimite law enforcement, although it is good to see perverts caught and locked up. maybe its my overall distrust of the media advocating their own part in the mix of things, the ones holding the camera and telling the story will look the best no matter what. Also some of the dialogue that the “decoy” uses seems too alluring, as a non-deputized law enforcement I’m curious to what level of immunity they’re given. Bottom line I think this sort of operation should be limited to law enforcement, mainly for legal and safety reasons - god forbid if any of these perverts they catch is a really bad dude that shows up at the house armed and dangerous.
Meanwhile the other type of character that I seem to keep on running into is the poor and unfortunate panhandler with an elaborate but somewhat believeable story. I hope that braddah who needed to get to Manassass, VA go there OK with my spare change and couple bucks change I got from the post office. otherwise I’m just a fool to fund someone’w forty appreciation fest.