
Hello everyone, how are you doing this week? So far so good? Are you really doing okay? How is your neck? Are you suffering from a little pain cause by the whiplash that seems to be making you switch your head back and forth among all the weeks’ chaos, drama, and craziness? Maybe you can’t seem to keep your head on straight with all the nonsense that creeps up and slaps you? Do you feel like you need to hire someone who can keep up with all the specific things you need to be informed about? Maybe like a “News Czar?” Not to be confused with a “Street Czar” like they have up in Seattle Washington (https://komonews.com/news/local/new-city-contract-with-seattle-street-czar-under-scrutiny). A “street czar” is a person who has a particular genius in a particular area, according the their city administration. By the way, their “Street Czar” was a well known pimp before landing this new job with the city, so I guess he has the credentials for the gig. He’s also getting paid $150,000 dollars yearly for this job. Where do I sign up for that kind of job?
Of course, what else would you expect from one of the most weird cities in America. Well, it could be worse, or maybe it will be, at this point I really don’t know because it’s getting too easy to lose count of all the tactics used by those who want to distract us from what we really should be focusing on. It’s not easy, but I do try to keep aware of the things that are lying under the cloud or mushroom head. We’ll talk much more in detail about mushrooms later. This week has been like the media is trying to treat us all like mushrooms: feeding us manure and keeping us in the dark of what really needs to be discussed, but no, they insisted on making COVID-19 deaths and cases their main political weapon and how this current administration is at fault for everything.
Here’s something that I want to cover before we dive into the main course in the food for thought arena. First off, the internet is back in the sights of the Department of Justice. The DOJ dropped a proposed “recalibration” of one of the most important laws governing the US Internet into Congress’s lap and urged legislators to act to remove a liability protection on which nearly every website and app currently relies (https://www.justice.gov/file/1319331/download). “Section 230” is the nickname for a very short part of the law under which Internet companies have been regulated since 1996. The key part of § 230 of the Communications Decency Act currently reads: “No provider or user of an interactive computer service shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider.” Under the proposed new bill legislation also adds several parts to be removed from the law. The first is a “bad Samaritan”, exempting a platform from qualifying for section 230 immunity if it “acted purposefully with the conscious object to promote, solicit, or facilitate material or activity… that the service provider knew or had reason to believe would violate Federal criminal law.” They also talked about “Criminal material” that would require platforms to remove or restrict access to that material and report it to law enforcement as soon as they received notice of it—a mechanism seemingly inspired by the way copyright takedown requests work today. Last but not least, the phrase “judicial decisions” was mentioned. If a court rules that any content posted to a service is “Defamatory under state law or unlawful in any respect,” platforms would have to remove that content as well. Social Media giants like Facebook and Twitter are already nervous about that last part. This will be very huge impact if this passes and it will affect Social Media platforms in a big way.
A grand jury has indicted a fired Kentucky police officer on criminal charges in the Breonna Taylor case, but not for her death. Officer Brett Hankison was charged yesterday with three counts of wanton endangerment. The FBI is still investigating potential violations of federal law in connection with the raid at Taylor’s home on March 13 (https://onenewsnow.com/ap/united-states/louisville-police-officer-shot-amid-breonna-taylor-protests). Ben Crump, a lawyer for the family of Breonna Taylor, denounced the decision as “outrageous and offensive,” and protesters shouting, “No justice, no peace!” immediately marched through the streets. As I expected, riots broke out not just in Louisville, Kentucky, but also around the nation after a grand jury declined to charge police officers in the death of Breonna Taylor. Governor Andy Beshear said he authorized a limited deployment of the National Guard. Governor Beshear also urged the state attorney general to post online all the evidence that could be released without affecting the charges filed. Hours after a Kentucky grand jury brought no charges against Louisville police for the young lady’s death and protesters took to the streets, authorities said two officers were shot and wounded last night during the demonstrations expressing anger over the killings of Black people at the hands of police (https://news.yahoo.com/grand-jury-present-report-breonna-152536781.html). Interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said a suspect was in custody but did not offer details about whether that person was participating in the demonstrations. He says both officers are expected to recover, and one required surgery. Tonight, I ask that you please keep the officers, their families as well as the family of Breonna Taylor in your prayers because this is just one more fire during an already hot and bothered year.
As we talked about before on “Bravo Sierra with Big John” back in June (https://thebigjohnshow.com/2020/06/04/united-on-division/), Breonna Taylor was an emergency medical worker who was shot multiple times by white officers who entered her home on a no-knock warrant during a narcotics investigation. However, the State Attorney General said evidence revealed during the investigation showed the officers announced themselves before entering. The warrant used to search her home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. But State Attorney General, who is the state’s first Black attorney general, said the officers acted in self-defense after Breonna’s boyfriend fired at them first. He added that Officer Hankison and the two other officers who entered Breonna Taylor’s apartment announced themselves before entering and so did not execute the warrant as “no knock,” according to the investigation, but since then, the city has since banned such warrants. He also said that an FBI crime lab determined that officer Cosgrove fired the bullet that killed Breonna Taylor. Her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, opened fire when police burst in, hitting officer Mattingly. The boyfriend told police he heard knocking, but didn’t know who was coming in and fired in self-defense. Officer Hankison was fired on June 23. A termination letter sent by interim Louisville Police Chief Robert Schroeder said he had violated procedures by showing “extreme indifference to the value of human life” when he “wantonly and blindly” fired his weapon.
Since then, Officers Mattingly, Cosgrove and the detective who sought the warrant, Joshua Jaynes, were placed administrative reassignment. Although last week, the city settled a lawsuit against the three officers brought by Breonna Taylor’s mother, agreeing to pay her $12 million and enact police reforms. Something else I find interesting that came from yesterday’s press conference was that the Kentucky Attorney General warned people in the state not to listen to celebrities and influencers upset by a grand jury’s decision to bring no murder charges against Louisville police officers for the death of Breonna Taylor (https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/kentucky-ag-daniel-cameron-celebrities-influencers-breonna-taylor). “There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who having never lived in Kentucky will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, that they know our community and the Commonwealth better than we do, but they don’t,” the Attorney General said. Shortly after the announcement came from the grand jury, several celebrities took to social media to voice their outrage over the decision.
As you may know, social media is a mega harping tool that gives people the platform to announce their displeasure of current events, from both no-named individuals looking for their five seconds of fame to those obscenely rich folks who are so out of touch with reality giving advice on how we should live from their point of view. Those of us in the middle are left torn apart because one side tells us what they call the facts of life while the other claims to give us the truth. Either way, you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t listen to them. Personally, I choose my own methods of research and thought process to determine the correct answers before opening my mouth. I may be a little slower to react to current events, but I always lean on real evidence before making my decisions. I will say this, I don’t know what all happened because I wasn’t there, but if I had to solely depend on the Mainstream Media for my information, I would probably be quick to strike back against the police and defend Black Lives Matter just like actor George Clooney (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54277220), actress Kerry Washington, and so many others who jumped on Social Media. Granted, I think they all got the right to have and share their opinion, but the difference is they have influence over their followers and fans which can manipulate their emotions one way or the other. As in most cases that we’ve seen this past Summer, it can be very destructive and deadly.
In my humble opinion, the celebrities who claim to care about people need to be the ones who step out in the name of peace and love, not justice and injustice. I say this because we are already divided and it’s like pouring salt on a gushing, bloody wound each day these people don’t use their influence to bring us together. Starting a charity to feed the homeless and hungry is one thing, but when it comes for food for thought, there seem to be a plague of starvation that has no end. Folks like George Clooney has the ears of certain world governments in which he has helped. Why can’t he contact some of those folks to help ease tensions that are cause by these so-called “protesters” in other parts of the world? Has he even tried? I’m not picking on him or trying to start a fight, I’m just wondering because I know he has helped so many people before. Why can’t he apply that same logic now? Even here in the United States? The Black Lives Matter movement is demonstrating and rioting in Britain (https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-54277992) and Australia (https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/cricket/ponting-says-black-lives-matter-most-important-issue-in-society/news-story/495e18f1a803cee3ef68ab16926bd7d9).
With the way 2020 is moving along, I suppose it seems fitting that in one town in Michigan decided to let everyone start feeling better via natural chemical enhancements. No, I’m not talking about Marijuana. Although I knew people who do that and I’m not saying they are wrong. The city of Ann Arbor, Michigan has passed a resolution that plans to decriminalize psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms (https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/ann-arbor-city-council-takes-up-resolution-decriminalizing-magic-mushrooms). The group lobbying for their decriminalization has been lobbying members of the city council for months. Decriminalize Nature Ann Arbor, or DNA2, has argued psychedelic substances like shrooms offer several benefits for those in need of medical assistance. One of the city councilmembers said “Decriminalization of naturally occurring medicines is necessary for progress. We can no longer turn a blind eye towards the wisdom of indigenous peoples, and the bounty the earth provides. I have been moved by the testimonies of those who have found profound relief from the use of entheogenic plants”. Because Michigan legalized medical marijuana in November, 2008, becoming the 13th state in America (https://potguide.com/michigan/marijuana-laws/), many believe magic mushrooms could be the next natural substance to be legalized for medical purposes. Decriminalizing the drug would lower it on the police department’s priority list among substances they investigate and arrest individuals for.
That’s not the only place in the United States that is considering a similar resolution. While they can’t technically make it legalized, they can just lower the punishment to just a misdemeanor, or no more than the cost of a jaywalking ticket. However, the study of psychedelic drugs is seeing a resurgence and the University of California at Berkeley is going to take part, university officials said last week (https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/09/18/berkeley-uc-berkeley-to-take-part-in-resurgence-of-research-of-psychedelic-drugs/). The university has launched the UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics to work with research being done at Johns Hopkins University and Imperial College London. The drugs may be able to give people a different perspective on their mental illness, such as major depression, which involves low self-esteem and low motivation. The second reason they are doing this is because psychedelics may be able to help us as humans gain a better understanding of the human mind and brain and a better understanding of ourselves. Third reason for this research they claim is that psychedelic drugs can allow people to have very powerful mystical and spiritual experiences. At UC Berkeley, those experiences will be compared with non-psychedelic experiences. Research into psychedelics at UC Berkeley will. Researchers claim they will be very careful as they work with people and will educate the public about the research.
It’s no secret that several agencies regulate and monitor the research into psychedelics including the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, various state agencies as well as as a network of universities. Researchers claim they will be following the guidelines set forth by state and federal agencies, but that won’t stop the folks who want to make their own psychedelic drugs in storage sheds, makeshift labs, rural fields, and in their own homes. Yeah, some will do it for their own recreational purposes, but only a small fraction while most will do it for the money. Believe me when I say that there is a big market for psychedelic drugs of any kind. Believe me, it already is in some schools. I remember when I was in highschool, there was this one time a friend of mine tried shrooms and he was tripping all day. He had several classes with some friends of mine and we all watched him. Luckily, he didn’t get caught by the teachers, but we all gave him hell for doing it after he came down.
Speaking of schools, COVID-19, and a bunch of manure, figuratively speaking of course on the latter, many schools across the country and back in session, some strictly virtual. It’s funny that a little think like a Presidential banner / sign can set off or “trigger” a teacher to go full on “Karen” on a student because he seems to have a different opinion on his future. A student at Southridge High School in Kennewick, Washington claimed to get kicked off a Zoom online class by a teacher because of a Trump flag that was displayed on a bedroom wall (https://keprtv.com/news/local/southridge-student-says-he-was-kicked-off-zoom-class-for-displaying-trump-flag). The flag reads “Trump 2020 No More Bulls—.” According to the parents, their student was attending an English sports and literature class when the incident occurred. The parents said they understand that there is profanity on the flag; however, they believe their child should be allowed to hang the flag in a bedroom. The parents said the teacher allegedly warned the student through the chat function of the Zoom meeting but the child did not see the message from the instructor. The student’s parents said their child was then removed from class without further warning. The teacher allegedly asked the student if the messages were seen prior to removal from the class and the student said they were not. Parents of the student also say that their child has been told to remove a Trump hat during a different Zoom class. The parents worried about their student’s future in the class. A spokesperson for the Kennewick School District responded with the statement: “We are aware of the alleged situation. The school administrators are in the process of doing their due diligence by conducting an investigation with staff and students to get all the facts.”
Another case from the “Karen” files involves a nine-year-old 4th grader in Arlington, Massachusetts that was sent home from his school because he was sneezing (https://boston.cbslocal.com/2020/09/22/arlington-student-sent-home-from-school-after-sneezing/). The fourth grade student was told he could not to return until he gets a negative Covid-19 test. The boy said sneezed two times then the teacher told me to go to the nurse. He said felt fine, but those sneezes sent him to the nurse’s office where he had to wait for his dad to pick him up. The next morning, the boy’s father got a call from the school nurse that caught him by surprise. The dad said his son was Okay when he left for school and also had no symptoms when he picked him up. Now he says his son needs to take a Covid-19 test to be allowed back. So he reached out to the media to let them know what was going on and even took his son’s temperature in front of the local tv news camera to show he doesn’t have a fever. The father said they will get a test, and hopefully have the results quickly so his son can get back to school. The school said in a statement: “A student at Bishop Elementary School was sent home early today after he displayed COVID-19 related symptoms. This decision was made both out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with district protocols related to COVID-19. This isolated incident is not indicative of any need for wider concern of COVID-19 exposure. Per district protocols, the student will either have to produce a negative COVID-19 test, written documentation from a health care provider stating it is an alternative illness or be symptom free for 10 days following the start of the symptoms.” I can only imagine how annoying this is for the family, the father had to miss work because he couldn’t leave his son at home alone and his son couldn’t go to school. Policies like this tied to knee-jerk reactions without logical thinking is going to keep not only this country, but our children’s future in jeopardy and it needs to stop.
While I’m on the topic of children and things that need to stop, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is trying to stop the biggest thrill for most children on Halloween from happening here in the United States. Yes, that’s right, the same agency that can’t make up its mind about if COVID-19 is spreadable through air or not (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2020/09/21/covid-19-cdc-updates-then-backs-off-guidance-airborne-spread/5854419002/) is recommending that we avoid trick-or-treating this year (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html#halloween). To be fair, they are saying that “If you may have COVID-19 or you may have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you should not participate in in-person Halloween festivities and should not give out candy to trick-or-treaters.” I understand that is “safe”, but they say to avoid these higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
- Participating in traditional trick-or-treating where treats are handed to children who go door to door
- Having trunk-or-treat where treats are handed out from trunks of cars lined up in large parking lots
- Attending crowded costume parties held indoors
- Going to an indoor haunted house where people may be crowded together and screaming
- Going on hayrides or tractor rides with people who are not in your household
- Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
- Traveling to a rural fall festival that is not in your community if you live in an area with community spread of COVID-19
Honestly, I don’t see any kid willingly giving up participating in the traditional form of trick-or-treating. The CDC is also advising to avoid participating in “Día de los Muertos” (https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/day-of-the-dead) also known as “The Day of the Dead”. (el Día de los Muertos), is a Mexican holiday with blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture where families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink and celebration. The holiday is celebrated each year from October 31- November 2. While October 31 is Halloween, November 1 is “el Dia de los Inocentes,” or the day of the children, and All Saints Day. November 2 is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead. According to tradition, the gates of heaven are opened at midnight on October 31 and the spirits of children can rejoin their families for 24 hours. The spirits of adults can do the same on November 2. During which time (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html#mexican-day-dead), the CDC suggests to Avoid the following activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
- Attending large indoor celebrations with singing or chanting
- Participating in crowded indoor gatherings or events
- Having a large dinner party with people from different households coming from different geographic locations
- Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
So yeah, this Halloween is going to suck if we listen to the CDC verbatim. And guess what folks, it’s not going to get better for Thanksgiving either, nor will it be by Christmas. I’m not even looking at New Year’s Eve yet. Nope, for Thanksgiving, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says Thanksgiving is a time when many families travel long distances to celebrate together (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/holidays.html#thanksgiving). They also say that travel increases the chance of getting and spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. So it would be best to just stay home to protect yourself and others. People should avoid doing the following higher risk activities to help prevent the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19:
- Going shopping in crowded stores just before, on, or after Thanksgiving (buzzkill for Black Friday shopping, right?)
- Participating or being a spectator at a crowded race
- Attending crowded parades
- Using alcohol or drugs, which can cloud judgement and increase risky behaviors
- Attending large indoor gatherings with people from outside of your household
Well, if we do that, it’s going to be a very depressing Thanksgiving and the rest of the Holiday Season. Remember when we covered suicide and depression on Bravo Sierra a couple of weeks back (https://thebigjohnshow.com/2020/09/10/suicide-dissolution/)? Yeah, get ready for it. I guess it’s a good thing that the United States Congress approved the new suicide hotline number, 988, but unfortunately, it will take no more than two years for it to be working nationwide. A bill to designate 988 as the three-digit telephone number for the national suicide hotline is headed to President Trump for signature. The new number is meant to be easier to remember than the current number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 800-273-8255. The Federal Communications Commission already went through its own process to designate 988 as the number for the national crisis line. Once signed, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-116s2661enr/pdf/BILLS-116s2661enr.pdf) will designate 988 as the three-digit dialing number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The act establishes rules that all telephone service providers to direct 988 calls to the Lifeline by July 16, 2022. The legislation will also enable states to provide resources to the mental health crisis line, as well as established specialized services for vulnerable populations, such as LGBTQ youth, minorities, veterans, and those in rural areas.
To be honest, the past seven days has been one of the busiest I’ve seen in the news, not including the main discussions of the Election and Covid-19. One thing I want to ask before I end it here, please continue to pray for our country, our first responders, police and fire departments, as well as our state militias because they are caught in the middle of all this. Please pray for the families of those involved, for the people who are still struggling from the recent hurricanes and tropical storms as well as the fires out west. As we head into Fall, what is supposed to be one of the most festive seasons of the year, it is also the most depressing times. I invite, no yet, I challenge you to turn off the TV news, put down the newspapers and magazines, turn down the radio news, and focus on yourself. Regenerate those positive feelings and vibes you need in your life. Come up with a game night with your family and friends. Volunteer and be the hope you want to see and need in your life if you need it. Become a beacon of light and let love and peace shine from you to those around you. Show compassion and maybe you will get a little grace in return from our heavenly father. People need it right now, more than anything.