A young man got shot at 5 pm in a Safeway parking lot 2 weeks ago after doing some degree of auto-derby with the federal marshals trying to bring him in for a parole violation. I'm not a fan of avoidable violence, be it vehicular or firearm. But I had a harder time feeling sympathetic for the fugitive than the marshals. So I tried picturing this man's situation and up-bringing (if you're really interested this inteview with his mom is illuminating), and how, but-for-the-grace-of-God, I could avoid having this happen to anyone I am close enough to love.The paper's coverage was almost as unsettling as Gingrich winning in SC. I'm fearful society will get what we deserve. So I had a talk with my sons and I got the following published as a letter to the editor.
Don't get shot
As I read about Jimmy Georgeson's death, my first thoughts were how to prevent this from happening to my sons. I felt duty-bound to review with them consequences of steering a full-sized vehicle at a federal marshal or otherwise physically combating police in the performance of their appointed duty.
I'm trying to instill in my sons the desire and skills to live meaningful lives that do not attract violent intervention by law enforcement. I teach them to have confidence in their ability to control themselves; to trust public servants to work for their best interest or else work within the system for change when needed, and to accept and grow from any social debt they may be assigned. I will not stand with a poster in front of a sympathetic newspaper reporter pretending injustice.
May we help our sons everywhere contribute to making the world a better place. This paper does them a disservice by sanctifying a troubled young man and vilifying marshals that as far as I know were following their training while their lives were at risk in the course of serving the public.
— Marvin Olsen, Central Point
ps, I'm grateful my daughters are already so self-confident, emotionally well-developed, and perceptive of the context that they will not take offence at this being written about sons.
How blessed I am to have kids that make the world a better place. Especially my world.
BTW, Esther has started to blog regularly at http://raininglemondrops.blogspot.com/
— Marvin Olsen, Central Point
ps, I'm grateful my daughters are already so self-confident, emotionally well-developed, and perceptive of the context that they will not take offence at this being written about sons.
How blessed I am to have kids that make the world a better place. Especially my world.
BTW, Esther has started to blog regularly at http://raininglemondrops.blogspot.com/
