...with liberty and justice for all? Nope.

It was all I could do to wait for part two of this story before blogging and sending a letter to the editor of the newspaper. If you can't read it as is, my bff, Julia, let me in on a secret...click on the "picture" and it will enlarge. I'm assuming and hoping it works here. "We think it's absolutely unjust.", the public defenders' office comments. Ya think? Heinous, insane, ummmmm, someone please, we need more adjectives for some actions occurring in this world lately. Unbelievable. Just like Jena 6. It reminds me of the judge who wouldn't let the woman have the restraining order against her husband then he doused her with gasoline and set her on fire. That judge couldn't be bothered either. How are these "people" allowed to be judges? There are too many incredulous questions for me to ask . Please just read and allow me to make suggestions on how to help this young man. I was so hoping and praying that part two would be about how the ACLU or someone stepped in, got him out, straightened it all out, or that I woke up and it had been a bad dream. Alas, no.

Next I shall write my letter to the editor. I very much appreciate Mr. Olesker's work and The Baltimore Examiner's printing of this information bringing this unreal situation to the light of day. If you feel so moved, please do the same.

Caveat to "Rot roe Rorge" Post

Further explanation seems to be needed in my previous post saying I was dreading Fall coming. I love the cooler temps but things happen suddenly here. We had a couple of sweater days recently which is my clothing preference, but having moved here from California where the growing season is year-round, I always dread the cool weather coming right on the heels of just when I feel like the plants and flowers are maturing beautifully. If you look back at my Mother's Day post you'll see a lot more of this gate than you see now. I love that it's a full trellis now.A view from the other side showing Lampchop.

And Lampchop surrounded by mature vines and the fig tree which produced figs the first time this year.

And my favorite, Lantana. It's the last to be brought into the retail nurseries and the first to go, they are very cool sensitive.

And here's that culprit when I was looking for who dropped that first red leaf in the yard. I love the reds and oranges that our trees turn out here in the East but the pessimist in me knows that the next step is that they fall off and the trees are bare for several months. Living in California I missed the obvious changes of seasons but I still don't care for winter and snow. But this is beautiful, right?

Happy plants full of blooms have no idea what their soon-to-be-fate is.

This tree and the Crepe Myrtle really jumped up this year. Nice, full trees are our view out back with a field between them and our home back yard.

At least I've got it on record and can look back on these in the dead of winter. That's what makes Spring here oh so sweet.

...with liberty and justice for all.

Yesterday was quite a day. I turned out perfect. Since I was getting no interest from the grown ups about going to DC to march and rally for the Jena 6, I decided to ask Matt to go. When I reviewed the story with him (we have had a running dialog about this ever since it came to our attention several months ago) the night before he cried and said of course he wanted to go. Right from the get-go we made new friends walking into the Metro station. One girl came from New York, the other from Alabama. They were better prepared with info than we so we followed them to the action.

Young and old, there was a very large turnout, one to be very proud of. One woman preached as the crowd yelled along, "We're here in City Park with the Capitol as the backdrop because...enough is enough!!!!". The "..." was a series of recounting the injustices that had brought all these folks together in one place at the same time.

This young man below (I'm sorry I didn't get his name) spoke in rhyme regarding the challenges in his life as a young black man. "I can't read, I can't write, I don't know my left from right. But as long as I can dribble and put 13 points on the scoreboard I get passed right along. The colleges are coming around, scholarships are offered. Then one night I get hit, as I hear my knee crack, I think of what my future might look like. I can't read, I can't write, I don't know my left from right...". I'm paraphrasing but it went on like that for quite a while with the above as the refrain. Very moving.

So many different ways of hearing what we know but need to hear in new words. "We are a people who were brought to this country against our will 200 years ago and still...". I'm only 49 and I long ago lost patience with this fight. Enough is enough. What is it going to take for us to evolve as a country? as a world?

This is us. We each made our signs according to what was called in our hearts. I bet Matt was asked to have his picture taken at least 50 times. A young white boy taking a day off from school (the ultimate sacrifice!) and going with his mom to stand for a cause that he also believes in moved many folks.

As if we needed a bonus, we found this little brick pavilion next to the Capitol building. It's a small red brick circular structure, partially roofed, but mostly open-air with built-in concrete seating all around the interior. On one side was this grate and the view you see here through it. It was stunning. It looked to be very old and a place created to mediate and/or pray. Good location, it should probably get more use.

God bless America, the world, and all citizens of the world. Peace on Earth...with liberty and justice for all.

Tomorrow, Sept. 20th, Support the Jena Six

If you don't know the Jena Six story click here to see the full story and what you can do in your area to help support them: http://colorofchange.org/jena/message.html . Above are their parents who, in addition to the boys themselves of course, need all the voices and bodies of support they can get. Tomorrow is the sentencing of the second young man, they are going for 22 years in prison. The first boy received an 18 year sentence. Outrageous is such a weak understatement for this situation, although I do feel outrage. I wanted badly to go to Jena at the last sentencing trial then again for this one. I have prayed so very hard about this asking God to guide me, use me for His will as I have felt strongly called by this unbelievable turn of events. On Sunday our pastor preached and quoted, "Let what breaks God's heart break your heart, then act.". Wow. The whole sermon seemed to be just for me. I came away even more determined to go to Jena and stand up in person for these young men. My husband was adamantly against it (because of safety not the issue) and no one was stepping up to commit to go with me. I kept thinking that if even one person offered to go, I'd do it. I even had several generous friends offer cash donations to help support my trip. So I prayed harder and harder and told God he'd have to make this decision because I couldn't. Then Monday night I checked my email and had one from ColorOfChange announcing a march tomorrow, September 20th, from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol in DC. PRAYERS ANSWERED!!! So I'll be there in my black outfit and sign and feel that I am doing the most I can do to try to help correct this awful behavior, I beg that you do what you can also, they have an online petition that all you have to do is go on and sign up (last trial they had 43,000 online signatures). We've done this already, we've done this decades and centuries before, we should not be fighting the same battles, this must end.

Check it Out

Check out our new blog for The Pink Cabbage at www.thepinkcabbage.blogspot.com . Let us know what you think...