George Zimmerman: Innocent AND found Not Guilty

I wonder how many of the people upset over the Zimmerman acquittal actually know the facts of the case and watched the trial each day.

Glancing at some of the comments on Facebook, I'm disgusted.

Some people are angry that George Zimmerman's injuries weren't altogether too severe, as if that's evidence that he committed murder by shooting Trayvon Martin. Although the law regarding self-defense doesn't require ANY injuries, I suppose they'd be more sympathetic if Zimmerman waited until his face was caved in and let his skull get cracked open before shooting.

The evidence and testimony is quite clear, as clear as it is that charges were filed (1.5 months after the incident) for political reasons — and only after people protested and elected officials' jobs were threatened.

It's as disgusting as the race-baiting that accompanied the early reports of Martin's tragic death—that a "white man" shot a "black kid." (Without questioning or even caring to look at Zimmerman's photo, the press and our populace ran with it while screaming "racial profiling" and "hate crime.") And to add fuel to the divisive, racist, hate-filled fires, our President Obama decided to add his color commentary; that if he had a son, he'd (his son would) look like Trayvon.

Perhaps instead of having trials with evidence, attorneys, a judge and jury, we should simply vote: "guilty" or "not guilty."

As a nation, we could decide the fate of men and women accused of crimes in the same way we elect our officials. I don't want that, but a lot of people aren't satisfied with our admittedly imperfect legal system and seem to think that they know better.

Yes, Trayvon Martin's death is tragic. There are probably many things that George could've done differently that would've resulted on both men caring on with their lives in relative peace. We don't know for sure who started the fight.

We do know that Trayvon Martin had had disciplinary problems and was suspended from school multiple times (for things that he would've likely been arrested for in a different county) — and had a bad attitude about being followed that night. His school records and the testimony of Rachel Jeantel confirm this. Though the Martin family and the prosecution claimed that his past is irrelevant because Zimmerman couldn't have known about it, it does give some insight into the likelihood of Zimmerman's account of events.

Nothing in George Zimmerman's non-emergency police call or his past makes him seem irrational or criminal; and there were crimes in his neighborhood, reported break-ins and an attempted rape, no one caught.

Though Trayvon Martin had no obligation to, when he confronted the "creepy-ass cracker" and was asked "what are you doing here," he could have replied that he was going home, and that could have been the end of it. (The altercation took place not far from the residence where he was staying.) Instead, a fight occurred and at some point, Trayvon Martin was on top of George Zimmerman, attacking him — eyewitness testimony and Zimmerman's injuries confirm this. Someone cried for help, it's unclear but recorded on a 911 call. Moments later, Trayvon Martin was shot while on top of George Zimmerman.

Unfortunately, the Zimmerman trial has been less about self-defense or second-degree murder, and more about politicking, prejudice, (news and social) media mania, pain and anger.

Many people don't care about the facts; they're mad and want George to pay. There are protests in Oakland right now; I can hear and see the helicopters, sirens and some screams. News coverage has shown a fire, broken windows, a trashed police car... people get to be mad about something, and the news gets to talk about and show it. Attorneys, activists and politicians get to make or enhance their careers over these cases and verdicts.

It's sad. This whole thing is sad.

Lastly, please — let's stop comparing the shooting death of Trayvon Martin to that of Oscar Grant. If people could look at facts and beyond skin color, they'd see two very different cases. (Fruitvale Station is playing at Grand Lake Theater. Supposed to be pretty good.)

Posted with Blogsy

Caught in the wake

Hey everyone! I'm hoping to have the energy to update this weekend; I'll mention it via Twitter (@bradtastic) and Says Brad Facebook if I do. Despite being my personal blog, (for reasons unbeknownst to me) I'm compelled to be more formal and diligent with these updates. My personal fb is much more casual and inelegant — and as such, updated regularly.

I've also been working on my pinning skills, curating my Pinterest board and Instagram with interesting things (My Instagram is mostly Oakland views). Also, trying to figure out what to do with my Says Brad Tumblr — I don't use it as much as posting from iOS isn't that convenient, and frankly, I'm not sure what to do with it. Mostly, it's spillover for art and links, YouTube videos that I think are neat and reposts from some amazing illustrators and photographers.

Details

I've been very concerned about US politics and current events — gun control, IRS & Obamacare, Stolen Valor, GMOs, George Zimmerman trial, Edward Snowden & the NSA, spying and the Espionage Act, our Constitution and Amendments under attack, foreign relations and military spending. Liberals may disagree with my political views (economically conservative Republican/Libertarian hybrid), but their concerns should be the same as mine — are our freedoms being stripped away under the guise of security and protecting the lower and middle-class?

I try to stay informed and objective by taking in news from various sources, from MSNBC, NYTimes and Huffington Post, Washington Post to New York Post, Human Events and FOX. Somewhere inbetween lies the truth. It isn't so simple with always-online, push notification 24/7 news plus Twitter feeds and Facebook memes. I don't think that many people adequately (if at all) fact check the memes they share and retweet.

It might seem strange that I, with my blog and public posts with name attached, would be so concerned about NSA (Prism + who-knows-what-else) surveillance and monitoring. Many likely see the reports and claims as paranoia, Infowars, conspiracy theories (like with former Navy SEAL UDT Governor Jesse Ventura), but the NSA has the capability and the motivations. What we post publicly is a choice — selected content — but whatever else we view or read, for the most part, should remain private. Out of context, many things can seem incriminating and dangerous.

I'm trying to sort my opinions on all of these matters so I can share my thoughts in a (somewhat) orderly fashion. Though disagreeable, dissenting views are important — the fabric and foundation of our nation, of our first amendment — through controversy and debate, we become better and stronger.

Hostility and ignorance fosters mistrust and segregation — each side thinks the other inferior. But is there truly only one right way to live? Only one right way to think? Should we lose the freedom to choose differently?

Clouded and consumed by these ideas and questions, it seems far to easy to slip into depression and get crushed by the magnitude of our problems. Like Millenium math problems, there's no simple solution. Perhaps there is one unified equation of everything — unfortunately, it might take forever to figure it.

Posted with Blogsy

School Shooting in Newtown, Connecticut

I'm sure you know about this already. On Friday, Adam Lanza, 20, gunned down his mother, twenty children ages six and seven, the school Principal and teachers. CNN reports 26 victims, others say 27.

It's almost unbelievable. I don't even no where to begin, or why. It's hard to process for me; I was physically sick after hearing the news and reading a bit about it, part of the inescapable media bombardment we live with today. AP news alerts on our always-on, always-connected smart phones and tablets…

I lost two brothers when I was younger yet cannot imagine what these families are dealing with. I can only hope that people will be supportive in whatever way they need. I also acknowledge that tragedies happen nationwide and worldwide each day — that never stops. People are killed, assaulted, raped. The country grieved for the loss of these kids and yet, crime didn't stop. Thefts took place. People killed on the road. Children kidnapped.

I need to unplug and reflect. While some use yesterday's tragedy as a platform for gun control and our system's failure to deal with mental illness, others unleash their own agendas while most just try to continue living as normally as possible. What is the right thing to do in this situation?

I've tried to distract myself, read, play games, do the things I'd normally do. I'm going to try to focus the emotions toward constructive things, though it feels wrong. I want to write about nothing in particular and use line art to bring some order to chaotic thoughts and confusion. I want to sleep and dream of a happier world.

Childhood is that time of magic and innocence that we lose so quickly. A time of fairy tales and clearly defined good and evil; where brave heroes and heroines are victorious and happily ever after is a reasonable expectation.

It's gone.

Posted with Blogsy

Fire alarm at 2am

So, in case you haven't seen my Bradtastic tumblr, here's a recap.

Around 2AM Saturday morning, the building's fire alarm was triggered. Slightly disoriented, I wondered if it was a drill; no, not at 2 in the morning... perhaps a false alarm? It keeps buzzing, at maybe 150db. I check my phone — no call from the building.

So I grab a few important items, grab scarves and a sweatshirt and head down the stairs. Floor after floor, I see no one else, until halfway down, one person joins us. At the bottom, exhausted, we meet up with a small, confused crowd; a moment later, we're out the door and into the rain.

A few dozen people are loosely gathered in front of the building, alarms blaring — making conversation difficult — not that anyone knew what was going on. No sign of a fire, however.

The Oakland Fire Department took over thirty minutes to arrive; by then, dozens more joined us in the cold, wind and rain. It takes another half-hour to determine the cause of the alarm — we were told that it came from the roof. More time passes, and the verdict is in.

It wasn't a false alarm... it was deliberate.

Some asshole pulled the alarm on floor 15 "as a joke," we were told. Firemen gave the all clear, and people started heading back up. I wasn't at all amused. Someone could have been hurt during the evac; while certainly preferable to an actual fire or emergency, the joke scared children and pets and wore me out. I'm still aching.

I hope the perpetrator/s get/s caught.

Changes, says Brad

Things have been sort of static. Many changes this year; friends, people, politics, society, work, health. If I had more time during the day to do things, you'd probably be able to read all about it. As things are, I just can't keep up. Kim Jong Il is dead now, though. Merry Christmas.

So here's what's going on. I'm spending time on illustrations, science, physics and general design, and I've been looking into my disability, health and general well-being. Made some discoveries. I've gotten a lot of great ideas this year from Apple, Disney, console video games and iOS apps (and their developers).

I'm going to try to get out more, and use the iPhone's good-enough camera. Instagram, Hipstamatic, Camera+ and a number of photo editing apps make iPhotography really fun. I've been thinking about switching to 4S (8MP camera, Siri and Sprint — AT&T SUCKS), but I'm hesitant, because of the 3GS. I think the iPhone 5 isn't far away and will be a major upgrade over the 4S, and will share hardware with the iPad 3. Why wouldn't Apple do this? The iPhone 4 form factor isn't that great, and it'll soon be surpassed by Android alternatives (some think that this has already happened). I'm excited about a retina display iPad.

If you have an iPad and you like games, oh wow. Infinity Blade II, GTA3, Bard's Tale... how many hours of fun is that?! Enjoy it. This is an amazing time, despite the turmoil that the world is going through. If life outside is looking too bleak, step into Skyrim. It's great there — you can kill dragons!

I want to share more about health, fitness, self-defense (these are crazy times) and my disability, and this is probably the place to do that. I don't need Typepad. I've tried to like SAY's service, but I just don't, really. If I knew how to properly monetize my blog, it might be worth it, but I'm not sure that I'd want to do that. I wouldn't mind advertising on my blog, but I'd want to advertise Bradtastic Approved things, things I use and love. Maybe there's content there worth saving; I'll have to spend a few hours going through it and figuring out what to bring over here... maybe I'll setup a few pages with the best of the best content.

I've decided to change my diet and focus on super foods and micronutrients. Veggies, fruits (I love satsuma oranges) and some mercury-free fish every now and then. No more red meat. More brain foods.

There are a few people I'm interested in spending more time with... I'm going to change my schedule to accommodate this change. I think I need to. I had so much more energy in Disneyland because of the sheer number of people there... it was amazing. It felt like 2008; needing only a few hours of sleep, that sense of true clarity. And now that the weather is more to my liking, it's the perfect time to take advantage. Of everything.

Enjoy the holidays. Life is short.

Marrakech Magic Experience, Design

The Marrakech Magic Theater featuring San Francisco Magician Peter Morrison. 

A wonderfully entertaining magical evening.

This show is seriously one-of-a-kind, and is Bradtastic Approved. I like it so much, that I’ve done all of the design work for Peter Morrison and the Marrakech Magic Theater.

I’m currently in the process of creating all new material, and I can safely say, it’ll be amongst the best printed material in SF.

Please let me know if you’d like to attend tomorrow, Friday July 2nd, 7:30pm (preshow, show starts at 8:30pm).

I hope you enjoy what’s coming!

Marrakech Magic Theater Grand Opening!

Looking for something fun to do in the SF bay area? Special entertainment for Father’s Day — a treat for dad.

Peter Morrison — magician, and friend of mine — is opening his new magic theater this week in San Francisco! The already world-famous Marrakech Moroccan restaurant, located in the theater district, one block away from Union Square, now offers a truly one-of-a-kind experience. 

What you need to know.

This show is Bradtastic Approved. I’ll be there tomorrow night! But if you can’t make that show, don’t fret or weep (at least not too much) — just visit sanfranciscomagictheater.com and get yourself a ticket. If you let Peter Morrison know that you’re a friend of mine, he may even do something extra-special for you and yours.

Also, be sure to let him know that you LOVE the marketing material, door poster, and all theater-related graphic design. That stuff isn’t just Bradtastic Approved, it’s Bradtastic DESIGNED. If you know me, you know that my stamp of approval doesn’t get placed everywhere or on just anything.

Tickets are $55, and you can purchase at the door. (If you want to order by phone, dial 800-838-3006 and reference “Marrakech Magic Theater” or “Peter Morrison”)

For questions or general information: (877) 624-4264