Self Reflection: I will deal with things

     Recently I found myself in the middle of a moral dilemma in which I believed that I may have acted inappropriately some time ago.  After some time thinking about it and talking about it with friends I have come to the conclusion that I didn't do anything wrong.  However, I did discover that some people just don't know me as well as I'd assumed. 

     Those I spoke to about this matter were often good enough to hear me out and let me explain what the issue was; the problem came with how they tried to help me deal with that problem.  Those that have only known me for a few years or less would offer advice and end that advice by expressing the idea that I was over reacting and that I should 'let it go' because 'it's in the past.'

      Those I spoke to that have known me for years and years listened to what I had to say, offered advice; and more importantly, asked me questions.   They would ask what I remembered about the issue, what it would mean if I had acted inappropriately, what could be done about it now, did I believe that I would act in such a fashion in other circumstances, etc... 

     The point of what I'm getting at is: I try to not push my bad decisions away or excuse what I've done just because I didn't realize  how bad I had erred previously.  If/When I realize I have made a mistake or a bad decision I prefer to handle it at that time, assuming I'm able.  Being as human as the next man, I will make mistakes, but I try to minimize them and to make amends for them.  I want to be a good person and endeavor to be diligent about the actions I take. 

     I also want to take the time to say Thank You to all of my friends that took the time to hear me out and tried to help me with this situation.  Not everyone fully understood how best to help me, but everyone did try and for that I am truly grateful.

Criminal Justice - Debt to Society

     As we should all be aware, when one is convicted of committing a crime, it is a public acknowledgment of the violation of the public trust that serves as the basis for all society.  Hence it is that those released from incarceration say that they have paid their 'Debt to Society.' 

     Of late I have been considering this and I'm not convinced that jail/prison time is the appropriate way to pay me and the other citizens of my county and/or country back for endangering our way of life.  Depending on the nature of the crime I think other avenues of debt repayment should be used more often.  Violent criminals that are likely to continue to cause harm to others are welcome to stay in a cell where they pose less of a threat to the general populace, though as part of their debt they should probably learn how to deal with their violent tendencies in more productive ways. 

     Non-Violent convicts should likely serve time incarcerated depending on the nature and severity of their crime, but should in almost every case also be sentenced to community service.  I would be much better served by having CEOs, drug dealers, and Jay walkers who didn't spend a great deal of time in a cell, but rather cleaning up highways and parks, and doing minor maintenance on municipal properties.  Fines are also a good idea, using the money of criminals to pay for the police, or C.O.s that handle them. 

     To be fair I'm not all that familiar with the way the various judges and laws address sentencing for various crimes, it's just a thought I had about collecting what we're owed.

Story from the Bar: The One Minute Shit Storm

     It's after 10 p.m. on Ash Wednesday, I'm sitting at the bar after Trivia and a few games of darts talking to my friend P., when a man with an ashen cross on his forehead walks into the bar.  He stands next to me and asks for a Guinness.
      As the bartender goes to pour him one, he starts to shout, "Hey.  Hey.  You got tequila?  You got Patron?"  He then pulls a small flashlight from his pocket and shines it on the bottle of Patron clearly visible on the bar.  To his credit the bartender remains calm and says, "Yeah.  We have tequila, Patron, okay.  What do you want; a shot, a glass, a mixer?"  All this as he moves away, intent on pouring this gentleman's original request for a Guinness.
     Apparently that didn't suit our customer, who moved to the side of the bar that the bartender was now on and asked, "Are you Klan?"
     "What?"
     "You Klan? Who's Klan up in here?  I'm Klan.  I'm a general of this"
     It's at this point that I relate to the reader that our new friend was very clearly Dominican or of some other Hispanic/Caribbean decent and probably the least "white" person in the bar.  P's. friend B., who was almost asleep, raises his fist to just off the bar and without a hint of sincerity says, "White Power."
    The bartender steps in before The General can get too upset, and asks him to leave.  A little bit of back and forth as to whether or not the bartender/manager on duty has the right to evict him and our new friend leaves in a huff.  Barely more than one minute after he had came into our lives, he was gone again.

So it begins

This is my first blog.  I like beer, and I like Philosophy; I often have my best philosophical thoughts when drinking beer.  Hopefully that trend continues and I will have a great deal of fodder for my little posts.

As it stands, I expect most of my posts to consist of the following:


- Beer; my affection for it, favorites, what I'm drinking now
- Philosophy; my affection for it, favorites, what I'm thinking now
- Stories from the bar; when you are at the bar as often as I am, you're likely to hear/see some interesting stuff
- Whatever; in the end it's my blog and I'll post whatever I feel like as the mood strikes me

If you end up reading any of my ramblings, I can only hope that you find some of it interesting and if nothing else that you are at least somewhat amused by them.