So , I've enjoyed being lazy with regard to this blog , but this morning , yes , 6 AM on a Saturday , unable to sleep , I've decided to share some of my thoughts . As I'm sure you all know , Ferguson , MO , has been a war zone for a week now .
 After a 2 hour delay caused by lack of electricity , I have gotten Things powered back up and ready to run , if I can still find the ambition to write . And now , at 11 PM , after more delays and disturbances , I'm saving this to try again tomorrow . God bless .
   And , suddenly  , it is nearly 8 PM on Sunday , and I am tired as always , but it's been a pretty smooth day overall . Now , back to our main topic , the protests and rioting in Ferguson , Missouri . You and I don't , and may never , know what transpired between Officer Wilson and Mike Brown , except that Brown was shot to death by Wilson . More than that , it is not our job to judge either of them , God will take care of that . What I really want to talk about here is the aftermath of that tragic encounter . If this young man was your child , your kin , or your friend , your anger and grief are understandable . Sometimes folks act "inappropriately" when they are overcome by emotion . Except for public comments and peaceful protest , Mike Brown's family did not lash out in anger at the community , or engage in criminal behavior , to the best of my knowledge . Certain other elements in the city , however , did . They looted and set fires , threw firebombs and other objects at police , brandished and fired guns , and generally acted as fools . Here's my main point , and the ones that really matter . If you desire something so ferociously that you must steal it , and do , you are a thief , not a hero or role model . If you set property afire , for whatever reason , like destruction of evidence , you are an arsonist . If you try to intimidate others to express your point of view , you are a bully and a thug . If you are ok with this misbehavior ( doesn't that sound fairly harmless , "misbehavior" ? ) , you are no better than those actually performing the acts . There is no "gray area" in rioting and looting , this is the United States of America , and 99.99% of us are better than that . You don't get "caught up" in this type of civil disobedience and "carried away" with criminal behavior . You make a conscious decision to participate , or you walk away . I do understand some of the psychology of mob mentality , and I believe if you are at all intelligent and mature , you do not lose the capacity for free will , or choice of action . To become part of a mob , defeats the purpose of your protest , especially in the eyes of the public at large . As most people realize , you are responsible for your own actions , be they good or bad .
   And then we have the opposition to those rioters and protesters , law enforcement . When your lack of competent training allows you to ignore the first sparks of disorder , then swoop in like an impotent army , you need to re-think the purpose of your profession . When you bring military equipment to bear on mostly unarmed innocent citizens , blast away with tear gas , rubber and wooden projectiles shot from firearms , and sonic disruption devices , you are the same type of arrogant thug as those you seek to subdue . When you position yourself atop an armored personnel carrier with a military-spec rifle , aimed at the crowd , fully exposed because you feel invincible , you are just another power-mad asshole . One or two half-decent snipers could easily take out dozens of police before the officers retreat to their armored vehicles . Just pray your nutless supervisor doesn't lock you out . And MRAPs , what is the point of that ? Bragging rights ? How many IEDs and anti-personnel devices do you encounter in St. Louis ? So , when will this nonsense come to a conclusion ? Tune in tomorrow for more on this and a few other subjects . In the meantime , treat each other well , pray for peace for all , and may God's blessings be abundant according to your needs .