I'm Engaged and 2 major issues going on in the World

The last blog I wrote was May 8, 2015. Oh how my life has changed since that day.  On May 8, the most important thing to write about was the worst Reds that came to my mind.  On May 9, my life changed.  I had my birthday party May 9.  I turned 30.  Yes, time flies, but turning 30 wasn't the reason May 9 was so significant (my actual birthday is May 12, but that's not relevant to the story). May 9 was significant because on that day, I asked the love of my life, Amy Moses, for her hand in marriage.  I did it after the crowd sang happy birthday to me, and I faked a low blood sugar episode.  I had the DJ play a song that was near and dear to us, and she was shocked he would know to play it.  I may have had something to do with that.  Anyway, to those of you who don't already knew, she said, yes (after saying 'What the hell' as I fell to my knee).

Photo Courtesy: Brad McIntosh

Since May 8, I have been busy getting my life together.  I miss writing and I planned on making a comeback, but I didn't know when the time would be right.  I had been working hard to get a promotion at my job, which finally came last month.  I have been busy with Amy running all over the place (not literally running as you can probably gather from my figure).  I have been really into the Bengals season this year, especially with their best start in history.  I could've written about any of those things, however during my hiatus, life as we know it has changed and the world around us has gotten a lot different.  The Republican race is lead by a reality TV star, Gay marriage got legalized, but I want to focus on two major issues our world is going through right now...

1. The ISIS Attacks

ISIS has been on our minds for a while now with the be-headings and all the videos where they talk a lot of smack to the U.S.A, but now with the Syrian refugees attempting to come here and ISIS trying to disguise themselves as those refugees to come to American soil, ISIS has been a major topic of discussion.  Paris was attacked savagely by ISIS. ISIS shot up and bombed several locations in Paris as you all know and there is nothing to say it won't happen here.  In fact, the San Bernadino shootings appear to have an ISIS link now. San Bernadino isn't a big city like Paris, but it happened there.  ISIS could come anywhere at any time.  I must say it frightens me now more than ever that I work at a large building in our city.  ISIS could potentially take it out or have a mass shooting. That scares me.  I am a sitting duck at the office.

My fiance, friends, and I went to see Creed and 5 Muslims walked in with backpacks and sat a few rows behind us.  When the opening credits began, the backpacks unzipped.  It was a scary moment.  It happened to just be food for sneaking in, but with the theater shootings lately and all of the ISIS fear, it wasn't easy to sit back and not profile.  I know it's politically incorrect to profile, but I'm not going to let politically incorrectness get me killed.  I am sorry, but these people looked like the bad guys on television.  They may be super good and friendly people, but look at San Bernadino, that dude was a co-worker who was considered friendly.  I have to keep one eye open now walking downtown.

I tend to stay away from political debates and any issues surrounding politics, because everyone is entitled to an opinion; however I must say I do not support refugees from Syria coming here until we can be sure that not one of them aren't an ISIS member.  I do not care about politics; I care about safety and being secure and even if they let one ISIS member in, he could potentially blow up the White House or Madison Square Garden or Great American Ballpark. How can we let people in knowing one could be a terrorist?  Does San Bernadino change the mind of the president and others?  I am not against helping out people who need our help, but not at the expense of jeopardizing other lives.  So if they can prove that 100% of these people have no connections to ISIS, let them in. If not, no one can get in.  Suspend. Now.

2. Racial Cop Shootings

We had a shooting here in Cincinnati where an unarmed black man was killed by a police officer.  The man was pulled over for not having a front license plate.  Needless to say, this is uncalled for.  The Baltimore riots was for a black man who died in transport.The Chicago video that just came out shows a very disturbing teenager getting shot over and over again and then the cop said the boy was lunging at him.  All of this is very inappropriate behavior and the Cincinnati Cop and the Chicago Cop deserve to be charged for murder. My take on the situation? Don't give them a reason to shoot. No, I don't know what it's like to be black and no I don't know the struggle.  I do, however know what it is like to be profiled.  I was pulled over just for being an 18 year old out at 3:00 a.m. The cop insisted I was coming from a party, which I wasn't. He insisted I drank, which I didn't.  I remained calm, and he wrote me a ticket, but I did not try to run and I did not try to argue even though I still don't think I did anything wrong.  

Now this is not near what a black person goes through when they get pulled over and gosh there are so many racist cops out there who want to blow their heads off for no reason, but don't give them any reason.  Stop running.  Let them pull you over, just remain calm and it gives you a better chance to survive.   I can say all of this, but some blacks may respond with "Well you aren't black, you don't know the struggle." That's not the point. The point is Black Lives Matter endorse hating whites. Blame whites for your struggles, blame whites for the cop killings, blame whites because you haven't made it. Always blame someone else, because you are black. If you cant rap or play basketball you are screwed right? It's funny because watching Mike Tyson get out of poverty, it wasn't white people holding him back, it was the thug drug dealers on every corner. He was dealt a crappy hand but he worked hard every day, trained twice as hard as a white boxer with his talent, because he had to, and he made it out and he's unstable. If he can do it, you can do it. Life is what you make it. It's the situations you put yourself in. Don't talk back to the cops and you may get a warning. Don't give them a reason to arrest you.  I'm sorry but to blame whites is a cop out, maybe you were dealt a crappy hand, but guess what we all have problems and doors shut on us, doesn't matter the color of our skin or how much money we make, we all have struggles we deal with. I have to fight to live every day, and I hate it sometimes and sometimes I don't feel like taking medicine, but I do it, because I have to. This isn't much different. It may suck being black. It may be the worst thing to be (black in America -- I'm sure its not the worst but let's say it is) --but its as simple as getting up and persevering, don't make excuses, because excuses make you seem weak. "I'm black so life is so hard." Well I have news for you, life is hard and we all have different challenges but to make a simple excuse, because I'm black, is a cop out.

I'm not saying there are dirty cops that will shoot these people anyway, but not all cops are racist, and not all of them have our best interest at heart.  Their job is to protect and serve and several incidents lately show they are taking the law into their own hands, which is not right and those men are bad people, but to blame an entire race is exactly what slave owners did in the 1800's and Hitler did in the 30's.  It's not an entire race causing you harm. It offends me that people think all whites are the problem.  We aren't.  You can't lump an entire group of people into one group.  That's stereotyping and exactly what the people complaining don't like.