Common Sense

Some have said that common sense is not common at all. To this point I must agree. I'm not an officer of the law, but I believe that I would have better judgment in the situation that occurred in Plano, Texas. Below is a video of ESPN's report on the incident. And here is a link for their write up. I'm not going to give the details of the story here, but I think the officer is clearly an idiot (whether or not his stupidity was racially motivated is not my place to judge). Watch the video and read my thoughts below...



When will people use common sense? First, I will address what Ryan Moats should have done in this situation (though his course of action was not incorrect). After the cop pulled me over in the hospital parking lot, I would have gotten out of my car (or even waited for the officer to approach the window) and explained that my mother-in-law was dying. If the officer said that he could not let me leave without towing my car, I would tell him that he can do whatever he wants, but he will not prevent me from seeing her. I would calmly walk into the hospital with my hands completely visible. However, I would know that this course of action could cause me harm (Moats' wife used this course of action...kudos to her and to Ryan for remaining composed).

Now, to Officer Powell. This cop is an idiot. After the hospital sent out several nurses (on separate occasions) to explain the situation and explain that the patient had already coded several times, the officer still would not allow Ryan Moats to see his dying mother-in-law. Is this for real? The reason Moats was pulled over is due to 'rolling through' a red light (turning right on red without stopping, I assume). Is this reason enough to detain him in the parking lot of the hospital? The officer could have allowed him to see his mother-in-law and then written a ticket or whatever. Why not? Because the officer is an imbecile. He could have even walked into the hospital and waited for them with the ticket in his hand. This is insane. I'm not calling for his job, but he needs some more training. Police Officers have discretion (meaning they DO NOT have to arrest or ticket everyone who has committed a crime) to use at their WILL. Meaning they can give warnings in certain cases. Would rushing to the hospital be one of those cases? Would nurses telling you that the person your 'suspect' (really, traffic violation?) is trying to visit is dying be reason enough?

Ryan Moats' mother-in-law died before he reached her. How can that be repaid? The officer was directly responsible for the delay that caused him to miss those last moments with her. Can any apology cover that? I appreciate what the Police Chief said in his press conference. I'm glad that this doesn't fall on blind eyes, but we need to hire officers with some sense. What is the excuse here?

The reason that this is most disturbing is that Officer Powell overreacted. How many other times has he made poor decisions based on an exaggerated view of events? Has he arrested someone (black or white) that did nothing to deserve it? Is he running around making ignorant and stupid decisions throughout Plano? This is the travesty of a lack of common sense. Making intelligent decisions and knowing the right reaction for the right situation is KEY to being an officer of the law. You may view this as a small misstep in judgment, but I see it as a systemic problem in our nation. We have lost common sense.

I watched South Park recently and the common theme of many episodes is the lack of common sense. The town folk react to common problems with extreme solutions. They lack the necessary common sense to prevent mass hysteria over little issues (and comedy results). This is an illustration of the greater problem: fear. Common sense challenges fear and ignorance. However, without common sense it is easy to fear things that one should not. Whether it be racial discrimination, sexual discrimination, gender discrimination, or religious discrimination the common thread is unfounded fear. It creates the need to oppress, to kill, to make war, and to segregate. Why are we afraid? Because we lack common sense and the information that will ablate our fears. We are ALL guilty.

I challenge my readers to move past their fears. Choose something you are afraid of and conquer it. Talk to someone that you think won't understand you, walk where you want, look people in the eye (OSU students), say hello, and do the little things. Soon you will be able to conquer the big fears. I'll work on this and I hope that you will as well...we don't want to end up with a lapse in common sense like Officer Powell.

Gattaca???

We are entering a new age in our society. Genetic engineering is reaching new heights. Take this story for instance. A doctor has recently claimed to be able to 'design' babies with specific hair and eye color! Now, where do we go from here? When does the ethical question come up regarding the 'selection' of 'great' babies over 'good' babies? Should we be able to pick and choose the best from our shared gene pools (male and female)? Wouldn't we all love to be different in some way (not I, said the mouse)?

Well, we have already seen how this scenario may play out in a great film called Gattaca. Gattaca explores highly selective genetic engineering of embryos in order to form 'optimal' children. In the film, two brothers (one engineered and one not) lead different and unique lives based on the difference in their genetic makeup. The themes that are explored (without giving away too much more of the plot) include genetic segregation and ethical questions regarding that segregation. It is an important film if we are moving closer and closer to 'super babies'.

Here's what I would like to know. Can we as a society deal with this technology when it arrives? Are we ready to select 'better' babies based only on genetic information? Its a tough question for which I have no answer. We think that we would want things to take place naturally, but that may not be the best. What if I could guarantee that you would live to be 95+ years old and not have any diseases? Would you take that guarantee? Would you want your child to have that life? I say yes...but I also say no. And thus we have come to an almost impossible problem. Yes the genetic benefits are great, but we can overcome so many things as human beings (proven in the film Gattaca). Isn't this reason to NOT allow your child to be genetically engineered?

Locked Cell Phones!

Several of you may know that I have an iPhone that I enjoy! However, I am still partial to fairness in business and the iPhone (as well as the Blackberry Storm) is the antithesis of fair.

Opposition has been growing against several of the major cell phone service providers. The opposition aruges against the fact that most cell phones are sold locked and can only be used with the larger phone companies (AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile). The argument is that this prevents competition from smaller companies because it is harder for them to sell attractive headsets. But if cell phones were sold like TVs, then the consumer could choose how they want their service (or programming in this analogy). Meaning that small time service providers could provide cheaper service (providers like MetroPCS, etc.) and compete with the large companies (due to unlocked phones).

Now, I kind of enjoy the fact that certain phones are with certain companies, but it is time for a change. Most other countries (and most have better phones) have unlocked phones...it just makes sense. I have long believed that the whole system is garbage because you never really own your cellphone if it is locked. You are bound to that provider. You can't switch providers based on service. You have to switch based on phones and service (bogus). I have friends who unlock phones or buy unlocked phones, but it shouldn't have to be outside the mainstream. I should be able to walk inside Best Buy and purchase any cellular device and then walk into any cell phone provider and have that device work with their services. That is all I would like...please can we get this done?