Trayvon, Sam, America

"If A goes to America, will she be shot?"

This was asked by my friend's daughter, who has a West Indian nanny, after watching some of the coverage of the Trayvon Martin case.

You have to wonder about America sometimes.

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I get most of my news these days from Facebook, so it wasn't until Trayvon's picture began popping up that I began paying attention.  I had to go to numerous news sources to get coverage; the story hadn't gained traction at that point up here in Canada.  It was hard to get a timeline of events and an understanding of what exactly had happened.  That a boy was thought suspicious, followed and shot. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and carrying tea and skittles.  That there is a law in Florida called "stand your ground." (Query: why do we need Florida anyway?*)

The more important questions: Why did this other person need/have a gun? Why didn't he call the police and let them handle it, if he was truly concerned for his safety? Why are we so distrustful as a society?

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Yep, all people in hoodies look pretty scary to me. We wear a lot of hoodies in Canada. It is cold here, and we like to cover our heads.  It wouldn't occur to me to think something else.  Rep. Bobby Rush wore a hoodie on the House floor today. He was escorted off because of a rule that says there are no hats  in the house chambers.

Question: Does that also mean no yarmulkes? No head coverings when an Islamic woman is finally elected?

 Bobby Rush in a hoodie, above, and below, without. Just so you can compare. 

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Now I understand that there may have been a smear campaign about the reputation of Trayvon, and that Zimmerman's supporters are reluctant to speak up.  Compassion is warranted all around.  For a man who shot someone else without thinking about what he was doing.  Compassion for the parents of Trayvon, who have lost a child, and have to suffer that unthinkable loss in the bright light of the media that surrounds this story.

This story is a loss for our country. Not for the families, but for our country as a whole, that we have developed to a point where people feel the need to carry guns to keep them safe, shoot people without confirming they are dangerous, and defending their actions in a media court instead of a court of law.

Lives are worth more than this.







*It is a TERRIBLE state. Hanging chads, stupid laws, corrupt politicians. And DisneyWORLD.

Roll Up the Rim

While there are lots of good questions out there, like when we are moving (June, maybe?), the more consuming issue in our house is, "Are we going to win the camping package from Tim's?"

Josh is barely Canadian, donating his Canada Day t-shirt* and actually driving through a Tim Horton's and not getting coffee during their promotion, Roll Up the Rim. For those Americans too far away to understand what I'm talking about, Tim's runs a contest where you actually roll up the rim of the cup to see if you win a prize, from a free coffee to a new car.  That link is actually incorrect, in that I use my teeth to roll up the rim.  In any case, if you win you rip off the rim to redeem your prize. The first time I won, I brought in my entire cup and faced the disdain of the Tim's clerk.

Ellie is obsessed with Roll Up the Rim, urging me to go to Tim's (like I take any urging!) so we can win the camping package. She also suggested we stop and collect a cup at the side of the road because that could also be the winning cup. My mom also suggested this, which shows the Ellie Apple does not fall far from the tree. (Sam just wants to eat Timbits.)  So far, I've only won 2 free coffees, but it is better than last year, when I only won one free coffee.



*Which is actually fine, because he will be getting pants with maple leaves embroidered on them, like the rest of the gentlemen on our street. Like his hula dancer pants, but Canada-style. Or we could just get these, which also come in shorts and skirts. This is a fabulous pair of pants.