Firstly, let me just apologize for the incessant flower shots and worse yet, it's not even in focus. For this particular post, if I had a crack pipe, I would have taken that instead. Unfortunately, all of mine are loaned out. What? ... ummm, yeah, us in the crack smoking community often lend our pipes to each other ... umm ... right!?!Secondly, I *may* be in the process of moving this site to wordpress (http://stinkyfishphotography.wordpress.com/). David DuChemin recommends it over blogger so I'm giving it a good hoohaw and ... so far ... NOT luvin it.
Ok, so why the reference to crack pipes? On the way to work today, there was an article on NewsRadio 1060AM of a man who lives in Philly who appeared at a council meeting with a sack filled with dirty needles and crack pipes. That by itself is nothing strange. In Philadelphia, it's kindof like collecting shells at the seashore. However, he walked up to the council table and dumped his treasures in front of the council and demanded that they get to work. I already like this guy.
Now here's what set me off. The council charged him with endangerment and threatened to arrest him because the stuff was 'hazardous material' and could have hurt someone.
OMMGG!!
WHAT!?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?! So the law that protects the council from the dangers of crack pipes and dirty needles does NOT protect the citizens from the very same things? This council was exposed to a small sample in a clean room on a clean table for a few short minutes and the law protects them but this man has to live IN THE MIDST of it every day. He has to step over it and around it and possibly get poked with it and the law does nothing? In fact, when he brings his neighborhood landscaping with him, it suddenly becomes illegal because it comes too close to affluent people? The law ends up penalizing HIM!?! Now that's irony. Those laws are laws that favor the affluent. Those are laws that are inherently inequitable.
Ok, so I get the fact that we can't run around with dirty needles in paper bags and stuff. I get that two wrongs don't make a right. No issue there. But when a man who lives in an inequitable situation every day of his life simply because he is poor, tries to make a point and gets threatened with arrest!?! ... I DON'T get that.
I'm gonna go take some pretty flower pictures in my pretty little suburban house in my pretty little suburban neighborhood and cool down. Of course, I will also be planning my annual trip to Kathmandu soon. To visit orphanages and slums to help in any way I can.
Peace out bean sprouts,
Glen
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