Ready, Fire, Aim

I have a question for all of us: When did we stop thinking?  Perhaps the question should be when will we start thinking again.  In various situations criminal, political, and tabloid alike there is a tendency not to think our actions through.  The long term effects (mainly consequences) are not considered which could be an embarrassing moment to the cataclysmic loss of life.  More and more I believe (and outraged) that we acting more and thinking less.

Here in the Bay Area, we have another subway transit controversy.  A man who is allegedly mentally disturbed was forced of a subway train by a transit cop and forced into a window that broke while he was being arrested.  The man allegedly was disruptive and was trying to pick a fight with other riders.  Fortunately this was also captured on You Tube just like the shooting that happened on New Year's Day of Oscar Grant.

Speaking of police and crime I have always wondered why police shoot to kill in situations other than when they have been fired upon FIRST.  I thought once that ever since police are expert (or supposed be) marksmen (and women) that they should be able to disable a suspect without killing them in most cases.  I thought that they would want to question suspects to find out why they do the things that they do.  I thought that they like to solve cases and not create new ones.

Unfortunately, as I said this is more universal than just crime and a worse example of ready, fire, aim exists in Washington, DC too. Remember the Patriot Act, the one that was passed in the middle of the the night.  The law that no member of Congress read.  Everyone in the Congress knew that something had to be done in the wake of 9/11 and haste overreaction and fear caused us to roll back civil rights 30 years. Even TARP which is now equally owned by Bush and Obama was and is still being handled too hastily.  Where were the Congressional hearings and the debates like the ones that we are now having on health care?  Where were the accountants, CPA's, and financial experts if there were a such thing?  Add to that the wars, the deficit, and the economy.

Tragically, what should be the least important is what we ironically talk about most.  Today is the last episode of Jon and Kate + Eight (smile).  I know that the tabloids will be sad as this alone has sold enough as revenue for the year alone there is also the Michael Jackson saga and his parents who want more and countless other stories what waste even more time that I will not mention.  The lengths that are gone for the exclusive usually results in inaccurate information.

There is plenty more that I could mention, but I believe that I have proved my point.  Here is to aiming at bit more often and stopping talking about the misfires.