Whaddayaget? . . .

“In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, bloodshed. They produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland, they had brotherly love, five hundred years of democracy and peace. And what did that produce? The cuckoo clock.”
- Orson Welles (from The Third Man)

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Lest We . . .

. . . forget . . .

. . . there was another pope, in our lifetime, with the same potential as Pope Francis.  Tragic story though. . . 

(from http://www.nairaland.com/3339/murder-name-god-slaying-pope)

Pope John Paul I died only 33 days into his Pontificate (August 26, 1978 - September 28, 1978). It was one of the shortest reigns in the annals of the papacy. The official cause of death was myocardial infarction (a heart attack). But there was a great deal of confusion in the details of his sudden death, and many were crying - murder! 

The "Smiling Pope," as he was affectionately called was born Albino Luciani on October 17, 1912 near Belluno, Italy. He was ordained in 1935, made Bishop in 1958 and became patriarch of Venice in 1969. He received his cardinal's hat in 1973. He was a staunch believer in ecumenism and the reduction of Church wealth. He was warm, humble and had no aspirations for the papacy. After Pope Paul VI died, Luciani was elected on the second day of the Conclave in 1978. He refused to wear the papal tiara or to be carried in the gestatorial chair. He was praised as a liberal reformer who read Mark Twain. He was on a mission to reverse the Church's position on contraception, cleaning up the Vatican bank and dismissing many Masonic cardinals. 

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If I Were. . .

. . . the Pope . . .

Yeah. I said the Pope.  Don't know why, but I dreamed the other night that I was elected Pope (and I don't recall that I was even running).  Well, actually I do know why I dreamed I was elected Pope.
I recently read "In God's Name: An Investigation Into the Murder of Pope John Paul I" by David Yallop and am in the midst of "Illustrissimi: The Letters of Pope John Paul I" by Albino Luciani.
Not that by any stretch of the imagination do these things qualify me for the office of Pope.  Obviously tuna salad with extra onion and two boiler-makers do indeed qualify me to DREAM that I have attained the office of Pope.

The first action that I took in my new position, if I recall the dream correctly, was RUN.  I'm not sure why I ran nor why I was being chased.  But run I did.  And all the while I was pondering the great changes that I will make as the new Pope.  I almost made sense that I was being chased in light of the radical nature of those changes.  

Not sure if I would have been a good Pope. . . or a BAD one. . .

. . . but then we'll never really know.  Will we?

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Two Cents . . .

. . . of mine. . .

The George Zimmerman trial has consumed the American public the past two weeks and certainly for good reason. I may as well weigh-in on it like everybody else because, hey, I'm not above it.  As a matter of fact, no one is. 

First, the obscene quote and knock-knock joke by the prosecution and defense respectively were totally out of order - especially the joke.  On one hand, seeing photos and film of Zimmerman and hearing comments from his parents, I can't help but think that Zimmerman sorely regrets what he has done.  He just appears to be a bit tortured.  (It's just a feeling I get.)  But that doesn't mean that what he did wasn't wrong and that he should not pay some penalty for taking an innocent, human life.  You can't antagonize someone to the point of confrontation then pull out a weapon and kill him in the name of self-defense. That appears to me to be exactly what happened. 

It also seems that by strict letter of the law, in a trial for 2nd degree murder (or manslaughter), one and only one thing has to happen.  The prosecution must prove that Zimmerman killed for reasons other than self defense. And the prosecution must convince the jury that Zimmerman killed for reasons other than self defense beyond a shadow of a doubt.  The defense only needs to place that doubt in the minds of the jurors.  And that is exactly what, I believe, happened in that courtroom.

So I do believe that by the time that George Zimmerman pulled that trigger, he did feel that his life was in danger.  Trayvon Martin was by that point very angry.  Trayvon Martin was provoked.  Trayvon Martin felt that his life was in danger. The trial did not broach anything remotely close these questions.

The trial also failed to address the series of events that occurred prior to that pulling of the trigger that led to that awful, crucial moment.  The trial failed to address how Trayvon Martin must have felt when he finally, and mistakenly, confronted George Zimmerman. Sure, it would have been better to walk away.  But it was not the absolutely-required thing to do.

Finally, if we learn anything at all from the Zimmerman debacle, it is that the contention of the NRA that the more guns we have in society the better off we will be is sheer and utter nonsense. No one should have to fear the prospect of a loaded gun being carried by another human being who is foolishly taking comfort in a law that is cartoonishly named the "Stand Your Ground" law.

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My View. . .

I could be wrong, and I certainly am no lawyer, but it seems to me that in the George Zimmerman  murder trial,  some of the defense's arguments are just plain missing the point.  If Trayvon Martin  actually texted someone in the past about purchasing a weapon, does that mean he deserved to die?
If Trayvon Martin actually had traces of marijuana in his system, does that mean he deserved to die?  If Trayvon Martin was on top of George Zimmerman at some point in the scuffle, does that mean he deserved to die?  George Zimmerman was intentionally following Trayvon Martin for a period of time.  When the two finally clashed, Trayvon Martin actually put up a fight. Does that mean Trayvon Martin deserved to die?

In many photos of George Zimmerman, he appears to be introspective to the point of remorse.  The entire situation was most certainly unfortunate, to say the least.  Maybe the prosecution was overzealous in seeking a second-degree murder charge?

And without a doubt in my mind, Florida's 'Stand Your Ground' (or as I prefer 'The Cowboy Law') is one of the most stupid laws of which I have EVER heard!

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This town's like the one . . .

. . . sang about in 'The Green Green Grass of Home'

This photo of Gingerbread House is courtesy of TripAdvisor

All the perfect picket fences
And gingerbread cottages in a row
Brightly colored walls on every house
And if figure on the lawn
Peace and calm
I found where I belong
Til the murder in our Avalon

You could hear the children laugh and play
All their games on any day
Pretty Moms and Handsome Daddies
Would walk hand-in-hand down the street
Any summer night
You could never find another place
Where your life would be so good
I considered this my jackpot won
Til the murder in our Avalon

Now and air of uneasiness
Pervades everything
I can't seem to get any rest anymore
Might have been a heaven on earth
A place we could be
Safe from all the rest of the world and humanity
There was no stranger
No homicide
You killed our love
It was clearly a job from the inside

Now the trees are greener than before
But a chill is in the air
People go about their business
And everyone acts like I'm not even there
I've been told it's time to move along
And that life continues on
I've described your heinous crime in song
It was murder in our Avalon

AVALON
© 1997 Raymond M. Jozwiak




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