Carl Setzer

Hearing the horrific news about ISIS' murder of journalist James Foley gives me pause. What do these folks hope to accomplish? Do they really believe they instill terror in us? Perhaps they're deluded such. If so, they really are pitiful. No, our collective response is one of horror and repulsion. I don't know. Madness.  Ultimately, it'll solely serve to deepen our focus, our resolve. Sadly, it will also serve as fuel for those who vilify all Muslims, painting the entire faith with the broadest of brushes. I guess, ultimately, it will serve to delude these thugs, this taste of power. They'll feel their power flutter behind the cowardly masks. And they will vanish, empty save for the horrors within their souls. 

This came across this on my Twitter feed this evening. Hard hitting, painful as a father to see, to consider. To picture my son begging for his live at the hands of a merciless beating. It's a provocative image, eliciting a solid emotional response. My intellect, as a general rule, questions emotion-based responses. Thus, I choose to search out details, and, perhaps, facts. Doing so, of course, simply adds muddle to this. Start with this, Whiting: Kelly Thomas verdict shocking, then understandable ", adds a bit of color, and here's another piece with details " Two former officers found not guilty in death of Kelly Thomas " I read through all of this, and am starting to feel confused and numb. Which side is right? Is this verdict really just? Unjust? Are these guys just doing their job? A few details give me pause. First and foremost, these officers beat Thomas for 10 minutes. Ten. "Defense attorneys said Thomas suffered physically from drug abus...

Earlier this week I read a rather disturbing story, Michael Finkel ’s “ How I Convinced a Death-Row Murderer Not to Die ”. Now, I dimly remember the story from early in the decade (it happened in Oregon). Interesting, from a sociological point of view. However, for me, the story went into some depth on the murder (the subject, Christian Longo, murdered his whole family). Those sorts of details tend to disturb and haunt me. Gladly, I read the thing in early afternoon, giving myself some time to disconnect. Otherwise, my night’s sleep would’ve been disrupted (as has happened after reading/hearing other such stories). This is why I generally don’t watch the news in the evening, and defiantly late at night. If I’m up in the dark of night for insomnia, I avoid both the news, but also “true crime” shows which are so popular. And I avoid all the “mystery” shows, as well as any of the crime-based dramas. Now, some would say this is due to my liberal, bleeding-heart tendencies, or some such r...