My Alibi

another confession to make...

it seems a few people have been interested in talking about some of the race scandals related to the springfield police department. and racism in springfield, as a whole.
you drive into springfield, off the highway, and right under the population signs, there is another sign, it says "hate free community." its something i have wanted to talk about for a long time. this is not a hate free community.
most people here have come to their conclusions as to why the police department cant seem to up the amount of minorities on the force. i think i even read a comment someone left on another blog along the lines of "you can lead a horse to water, but you cant make them drink." it is so much bigger than that.
a lot of talk about a certain case against the police dept. that resulted in a settlement. everyone keeps saying it was about the money. but guess what, if it was a white cop that got the settlement, how many people would be saying it was about the principle and not the money? just about everyone.
i just expect more out of springfield and the police dept. nothing they have done so far is going to make most minorities want to sign up. they need to quit prentending like they have done all these things to make it so much better, because none of it is working.

whats going on?

what the hell is there to do in this town besides go to bars, or events sponsored by beer companies? that is one of the worst things about this community.

what can you do the rest of the week if you are looking for something different and interesting?

wednesday, july 6th: check out the Carillon in washington park, for an evening summer concert. it has the phone number on there, so you might want to call ahead and check, just to be sure.

thursday, july 7th: honestly i cant think of anything or find anything to do. i think there is an ice cream social at SCI, but even that sounds kind of lame to me. maybe after you get off work, pick up a copy of the new Illinois Times, to see whats going on.

friday, july 8th: there is an auction at the Patricia Doyle Auction Gallery. located on west jefferson, starts @ 6 p.m.

saturday july 9th: Vegetarian Buffet at the Holy Land Diner, located on Adams in the old state capitol plaza, starts at 5:30. its mainly greek and lebanese food, they offer meat dishes as well, not included in the buffet. but i think its great to support local business, as well.

we live on front porches...

anyone who is into music, and/or illinois' history check out Sufjan Stevens. His newest release titled "Sufjan Stevens Invites You To: Come On Feel The Illinoise" (often referred to as Illinois) is in stores today. but considering springfields lack of interest in indie music, it may be hard to find. im sure you can special order it from recycled records, best buy, or somewhere off the internet. his record label asthmatic kitty has a short description, for anyone who is interested.

i always believed in futures...

an interesting take on a marines military experience. i asked my brother a question a few weeks ago. why dont you talk about your overall experience in the military, let alone any of specific experiences? he gave a very unexpected answer. he said it was just something he did, it was a job, no different than mine. it just happened to be in a more structured enviorment. that, and he had to ask for permission to do things on the weekend. he said he doesnt look at himself as a hero, he was doing a job. he said its nothing that people in the everyday world shouldnt do. being brave, helpful, and honorable. i agree with him on that, though people like that in an ordinary world are few and far between. he said just because he wore a uniform and went to iraq didnt make him a special person. just the fact he said it the way he did, that makes him a special person. he will probably even make fun of me for writing this. but thank you ty major david poppenhouse, for doing your job.

just do it...

someone sent me a link to this article, over at Pitchfork Media. its about nike stealing artwork from the cover of a Minor Threat comp. i think thats really saying something. nike is just as cheap as we thought.