Four very young men were murdered as a direct result of attempting to buy marijuana. Courier columnist Phil Gianficaro wrote that he  feels bad that four young men were murdered. Of course. Most sentient people do but Gianficaro utterly fails to process the cause of the sequence of events that ended in their murder and tries to pillory a caller who tried to explain that to Phil. Phil wasn’t having any part of the explanation. He even published the name and address of the caller. That’s a massive breach of the rules by Gianficaro and he knows it was. 
Attempts to purchase marijuana shouldn’t lead to murder but in this case they did.
Gianficaro should be thinking of marijuana and how it led to four murders. Instead he goes after a caller, saying: “this caller is in need of a heart and brain transplant. That’s what I know. What I also know is it wouldn’t surprise me if the heart and brain rejected him.”

If that’s what Gianficaro knows, he knows far too little. Phil needs to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. Most people can do two or more things at the same time, an idea that eludes Phil. He can stand up for justice while being compassionate about the deaths of four young men. 

What about the law?

What about breaking the law?

The maximum penalty for possession of a controlled substance in Pennsylvania is 12 months incarceration and a $5,000 fine for a first offense, while a second conviction carries up to three years incarceration and a whopping $25,000 fine. That’s the law that the four murdered boys were violating and they knew they were violating it. Gianficaro knows it too. He seems to want to support breaking the law when the four young men were murdered instead of pointing out to the community what happened because they were breaking the law.  

If you want compassion, and I do, read the lyrics and listen to Michael Jackson sing Earth Song:

“Earth Song”
by Michael Jackson

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain…
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine…
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we’ve shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh

What have we done to the world?
Look what we’ve done/
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son…
What about flowering fields?
Is there a time?
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine…?
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war.
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh

I used to dream.
I used to glance beyond the stars.
Now I don’t know where we are
Although I know we’ve drifted far.

Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh

Hey, what about yesterday
(What about us)
What about the seas
(What about us)
The heavens are falling down
(What about us)
I can’t even breathe
(What about us)
What about apathy
(What about us)
I need you
(What about us)
What about nature’s worth
(Ooo, ooo)
It’s our planet’s womb
(What about us)
What about animals
(What about it)
We’ve turned kingdoms to dust
(What about us)
What about elephants
(What about us)
Have we lost their trust
(What about us)
What about crying whales
(What about us)
We’re ravaging the seas
(What about us)
What about forest trails
(Ooo, ooo)
Burnt despite our pleas
(What about us)
What about the holy land
(What about it)
Torn apart by creed
(What about us)
What about the common man
(What about us)
Can’t we set him free
(What about us)
What about children dying
(What about us)
Can’t you hear them cry
(What about us)
Where did we go wrong
(Ooo, ooo)
Someone tell me why
(What about us)
What about babies
(What about it)
What about the days
(What about us)
What about all their joy
(What about us)
What about the man
(What about us)
What about the crying man
(What about us)
What about Abraham
(What about us)
What about death again
(Ooo, ooo)
Do we give a damn

Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh
Aaaaaaaaah Oooooooooh

” 

Views: 27