Requiem for Troy Anthony Davis

Ah, today's specimen is a good one.

It shows a man alone in the wilderness, singing a song of utmost urgency, a song that's ignored, over and over and over again, until it is absolutely too late.

We all have that man inside of us, of course - the outraged iconoclast, the to-your-own-drummer proponent, the visionary, the crazy man, etc. We all honour and condemn that part of us in equal measure.

Some of us make it something of a life's vocation, to give voice to what must be said, to the best of our integrity and ability. Come what may, whether we are thanked or damned for the effort.

In theory, people are ENCOURAGED to be thus, but the reality ---- Consensus Reality poo-poohs on all true iconoclasts and prophets.

So, why persist?

What motivates this lonely songster continue his lonely song? When so much is frightening and hopeless, what compells one man to stand against Consensus Reality and really state what needs to be stated?

The man who pens the following posts IS the lonely singer.

The song in this particular case, of course, is that of the murder of an innocent man, Troy Anthony Davis, murdered for the dubious crime of being black in Savannah. Black, and unlucky.

More on the story here: Accessories, Before, During, and After the Fact
When the State Murders the Innocent, When Will We Really Stand Up?

Not just Treesus Jimbo has talked about this, however. Many hundreds and thousands, even, have, at some point or another, voiced loud objection to Troy Davis' death.

It really has not done any good, has it?

But you know, I was also thinking about a conversation I had with my mother last night and how she always said "I never give up, never give up - if there's something I want done, I persist till the very end. You should be more like that - do the same..."

And this morning we get the email, "Troy Davis Clemency Appeal DENIED"

and I write her

"never give up? They're gona kill this poor bastard in spite of what 100,000 of people desired, wanted, worked for - just saying, is all"

and she writes back

"It's not over until the Fat Lady sings."

And I think, 'that's interesting' - if I were someone who didn't give up, who had HOPE that her actions affected the outside world, I might pick up the phone and call a few people, the way one site recommends.

I actually took it a step farther and found a list of random Capitol/GA government employees to heckle. Why not, right? If I'm on payroll to a murdering mafia organization, I deserve to catch a little flak. Just saying. In any event, it was mainly an experiment.

The script was very much the same: "I'd like to complain about the murderous, corrupt, racist organization which is the State of Georgia. You work for the State of Georgia... are you aware that your employer is a corrupt, racist organization? How does that make you feel?"

The answers were telling and varied. The experience in itself was also informative:

1) it's damned difficult to stand for something in any way, even in the most tangential, haphazard, cowardly and uncommitted way (no wonder nobody does anything to REALLY improve this shite world we live in) - damned difficult because it is damned terrifying

2) it feels GOOD to voice something you would otherwise censure. It makes your heart beat in a different, stronger way.

3) you really can't do shit about much of anything, it's true - but sometimes it's just good enough to ruin someone's day