Election fever

And what a week it's been.

Local news:
Strictly speaking this is national news because we've all been involved with the European Elections.  For us it was especially interesting though, because as well as choosing our MEP (Members of the European Parliament), we've also been voting on whether to have an elected mayor or not.

I spent all of yesterday travelling around South Copeland: Waberthwaite, Corney, Bootle, Silecroft, Kirksanton and Haverigg, checking that the polling stations had everything they need; and last week I spent a few hours opening postal votes.

It's been a real eye opener for me about just how much work goes on behind the scenes to make an election run smoothly.

Also, last week, I did some filming at Parton as part of their action plan.  The phrase to be heard in Parton at the moment is: "We want a sprung floor!" Which improves bounce without the aid of a space hopper apparently

Moral dilemmas:
Is it ever right to hate? Maybe.
But is it ever right to hate people you've never met?

Now this is horrible, I agree.  Every time I hear that little kid cry I want to cry too.  I have a 6 year old and I would never want to make her cry.  But this guy has had so much hate aimed at him.

It's a bit of a model for how many people view anyone who breaks the law, or receives benefits.  They don't think "Okay, this isn't right, we need to do something about this." Instead they think "Kill!"

Really, do we want to beat people up or kill them because they did something wrong?

I was so affected by this guys actions and by the responses on the internet that I commented (which I hardly ever do). Here's what I put:

A loving parent's heart is broken every time they hear their child cry, and they would never ever want to be the cause of the crying. But rather than beat the guy, or take his child off him, why not make him watch the video back, make him to listen to the son talk about his feelings: "Daddy I'm scared of you, and it's hard to trust you now." Maybe then Dad will develop a bit of self awareness, become a better parent, and a better man.

 

I 've had two responses.  One person said they were glad to see an intelligent suggestion.

Why thank you...

The other reply says I'm sick because I want the father to beat on his kid again.  Did I say that?  I don't think so.

Another guy who's been subjected to a lot of criticism over the years is Carl Bordelon.  A police officer who is tricked into thinking an escaped prisoner is actually a jogger, and lets the guy go.

Sure, he made a mistake, but that doesn't make him an idiot. Just someone who made a mistake.  Not a lot of forgiveness on the internet I guess.

Seeing things differently:

Moog synthesizers have been around for a lot of years -- the earliest ones came out in the 1960s.  Johann Sebastian Bach wrote his cello suites almost three hundred years ago and yet when you put the two together, they still sound awesome.

What's the point?  Well, just because stuff is old doesn't mean it isn't good. Sometimes older is better.  And I'm not just saying that because I turned 36 this week.