Carl Setzer

A friend of mine pointed me to this article recently, which is found powerful as an explanation of living with chronic conditions: The Spoon Theory . It's a great allegory for the life-management that those living with chronic conditions (lupus, chronic fatigue, etc) constantly deal with. Each of life's decisions represent a significant opportunity cost. This article comes from But You Don't Look Sick , a website dedicated to those with hidden disease. Our culture stigmatizes those who don't meet our expectations for being "ill". My theory: it's tied to a disdain for folks "trying to get something for nothing", and our lingering distrust of others. It's easy to believe that they're "making it up", whether they "thrive on drama" or are "playing for sympathy", or whatever other pejorative label we rattle off. It's an easy, and painful reaction. One that needs consideration and control. Personally, I...

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...