Greta's thoughts on Jena

What good can come out of the Jena circus? Will the crowds and demonstrators get unruly? Will there be controversy and violence due to this case? Or can we turn this case around as a positive lesson for the young people today?

First off, let me say that I am as disgusted and ashamed that in this day in age, anything so repulsive could ever go on. A noose is NEVER an acceptable "prank." Are we a third world country or a civilized society who set the standard for Western Civilization today? What would the Iraqi people say if they saw this spectacle? Does this maybe set off a bell as to what was done to the Kurds and show we are intolerant of differences as well?

I encourage you to take your time and watch this short video below for an understanding of this case and how it became a media darling.

So into this itty bitty town they will come....in numbers....and to grab the spotlight for themselves and hopefully without losing the purpose of the demonstration. I heard an interviewer ask if all these visitors was a big deal to Jena residents, since they were already used to Mardi Gras and festivals? Hello knucklehead - this is in the middle of nowhere - no stinkin' Mardi Gras here. This is place where time stands still, where one's skin color will unfortunately - always be an issue. A place where segregated proms were recently still celebrated. A place where people both black and white come together in public settings - but what happens behind their closed doors, discussing others, would probably make us cringe. A place where "it is what it is." A place where the black man is more likely to receive an unjust punishment than a white man. A place where this has been going on for hundreds of years and now, "they have been called on it." The disgrace of the injustices served will forever be remembered and hopefully, this fly-speck on a map will be remembered in history as another positive step forward for racial harmony and tolerance in "The South."

The punishment does not fit the crime is the bottom line - my 7 yo could figure that out. These young men will most likely be acquitted (I hope) and forgiven in the eyes of the law - but will this town ever go back to "normal?" Was it "normal" before? To my standards, most likely it was not a town I would raise my children in, for differences in appearance, background, religion, color, whatever....are not rejoiced - but accepted as being "the way it is."

What happens when the last camera and Al Sharpton have left - will this help the townspeople unite or will this provoke increased friction? If you left everything up to children (small children) who have not had a chance to grasp racism and intolerance of others because of their differences - it would be 100% fabulous tomorrow. I can only hope that the "marching" will not add fuel to the fire for those that are already intolerant of people different than themselves. With great pause, I believe things will get worse before they get better. There will be additional incidents - and unless Al Sharpton and a whole slew of professional and educated black people move into Jena on Friday - life will be very difficult for the black families that call Jena their home. People will be walking on eggshells and ignore one another. I wish something like this never happened in this day in age - but it did.

I wish the best for ALL - BLACK, WHITE, BROWN, PURPLE, GREEN & GOLD, for the soldiers defending our freedom to have marches and protests, to the people in Iraq who wish to be free like us. I hope we can show responsibility, class and dignity when it comes to publicly acknowledging this itty bitty town. Stop and pause to your motivations for the march and showcase to America and the rest of the world today how we will not accept racial intolerance. Please do not add fuel to the fire that could possibly be extinguished. Maybe in 100 more years - we will all be colorblind!

~Greta is by no means an expert on anything and her opinion is truly her own. She will not attend the Jena "march" as she is not one to protest in public - period! She is a person who would rather sit at her keyboard, in person or on the air to discuss. She is a mover and a shaker of a different kind. Also - she is an eternal optimist who recognizes that we have the freedom to be idiots in this world if we so desire. She prefers to not be lumped into the idiot scene.~

(c/p at NOLA.com, Hooah Wife & Kiss my Gumbo)