思韵如蓝
日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝
大宝11年级的时候修了学校开设的AP英语。学期快结束的时候，老师布置了一个占分比很大的作业。老师要求他们每个人选定一个媒体记者，去了解此人的三观及政治光谱， 并熟悉此人的写作风格，然后模仿该媒体人的表达特色，就当今社会上的某个焦点新闻，写出一篇评论文章。
大宝是头脑简单的理工女。也不知她咋选的，就选了＂多伦多太阳报＂的专栏评论员Brian Lilly。交英语作业的日子临近了，大宝却被如火如荼的物理竞赛占据了身心。我看娃挑夜灯于心不忍，问她妈妈能做些什么。大宝让我先读读Brian Lilly，再替她大脑风暴一下这些日子有哪些热点新闻值得争议，而且能和Lilly的文风对应得上。＂妈妈，我太忙了，忙到没有时间关注新闻。你只要帮我确定一个题目就行了，文章我自己来写。＂大宝把我轰出她的房间。
接旨后的我就开始谷歌Lilly了。大宝说，liberal的英语老师非常憎恨Brian Lilly。我担心地问，那你选与老师三观相背的人，老师会不会压低你的分数。大宝说，应该不会。只要模仿得真切，哪怕文章内容让老师气得跳脚，她也会公平地给出好分。我对此将信将疑。对人性的深谷，我们终其一生，都未必探得到底，况且娃还只是娃呢！
我虽然是加国公民，但是平日里关注的，多是美国的政治。我熟悉的媒体评论人，比如Candace Owens, Megyn Kelly等，也都是美国人。我最喜欢的讲说者，是Vivek Ramaswamy，他真是阳春白雪一般。因为Vivek， 我对印度文化产生了好奇。
对自己的国家，我反倒是漫不经心的：谁是Brian Lilly，完全孤陋寡闻哈。赶紧补课。读了几篇，好像没被震住粉住。也难怪，咱国家那点事儿，太缺乏drama了。娃时间紧，既然Lilly是保守派评论员，咱就瞎抓两则新闻，根据咱正常人的常识性思维，给娃凑一篇吧。Common Sense, 现如今就是反动的意思吧？艾玛，一不小心，给整了一篇反动文章。
写好了大纲，给娃过目。结果娃气愤：＂你没好好去读，这根本不是Lilly的口气和写法！＂我辩解：＂怎么不是啊，他不就是多用这样淡淡的讥讽嘛？＂娃没空再理睬我。后来她是怎么完成作业的，我完全不知情了。但是学期结束时大宝告诉我，她的文章被留校当作范文了。我猜，是不是大宝的文章比我的更能激起自由派英语老师的愤怒。而且，大宝赌对了，至少，这个老师是公平的。
昨天整理旧文档，偶然发现了自己一年多前匆草的反动文章。读着竟然失笑。这篇被大宝羞辱后就再也无缘见天日的草稿，毕竟也是可怜天下父母心的见证啊！
南边的大选正值胶着。贴篇千疮百孔的反动文，权当作应景吧。
How to Treat a Thief like a Human Being
A week ago, a shoplifter was caught at a downtown Winners Store. The scene where three law enforcement officers were trying to refrain the thief got videotaped by a passerby. Seeing three men holding the arm of the seized, pushing him against the wall, the videotape producer claimed: “I was really shook [shaken] up having witnessed this violence in broad daylight.” “Even if someone is stealing, they are still a human being and they deserve to be treated like a human being. Objects can be replaced,” she said.
Three days after the Winners “Violence” has been “condemned” on social media, another incident happened in an upper town jewelry store, also videotaped. Same as previous story, this is a show played in a brazen daylight. But the opposite part is, this time, the group of three are robbers. One of them smashed the store window with a snow shovel while his partner filled a backpack with an unknown quantity of valuables. Three of them then jumped into a Tesla sedan and drove away. Among all stunned onlookers, there was only ONE lady who had tried to stop the robbery with a mop. Of course, a mop didn't work.
There is an increasing trend in recent years that the conduct of police and other law enforcement personnel are always scrutinized and criticized by media and public, while the law breakers tend to receive sympathies and forgiveness. Like above two stories, I didn't hear much denouncement on the jewelry store robbery, even this was way more violent. But quite a controversy easily arose regard to Winners Loss Prevention Officers’behavior, questioning if they have used excess forces. People seem to gain certain moral superiority by standing on the side of so called “Disadvantaged Group”. It is fashionable to classify criminals into that group.
Maybe our whole society got brainwashed by Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. We believe today's thieves and robbers are still as sorrowful as Jean Valjean, took a piece of bread and ran, hoping to feed the sick and dying ones at home. Well, look at what captured by our modern generation of Robin Hood these days: That Winners shoplifter maybe a bit homely and plain-tasted, in fact more claws and paws are reaching towards Louis Vuitton bags, Apple phones, Bvlgari jewelry and many more. I am not good at listing those luxury brand names, but believe me, those hunters are. Even gold bullion in shipping went missing right at our Pearson Airport. None of these are necessities to save lives in hunger and poverty. So why are we so guilty at catching and punishing thieves?
“Objects can be replaced……” That is true. But who is going to pay the price for the replacement? According to Target, inventory loss due to shoplifting and organized robbery totaled about $763 million last fiscal year. The situation is still worsening, and this year their anticipated loss would surpass $1 billion. Other big-name retailers like Walmart, Home Depot, Best Buys have spoken the similar problem. The retailers must stay profitable for the sake of rich share holders; therefore, the loss will be spread and carried by all other lawful customers. Among them, the ordinary working class are suffering the most by having to pay higher prices for the goods needed for their living.
Should we treat thieves more humanly? What is the appropriate manner to deal with them? In Saudi Arabia, thieves may have their hands cut if caught. Of course, we don't want to trade that cruelty for a safe heaven (Saudi Arabia's crime rate is ridiculously low indeed). On the other hand, the lucky Californian retail thieves and robbers are released intact from the police station within the same day they arrive. My friends in San Francisco call California “sucks”. Do we have only two extreme choices: Saudi style or Californian style? By questioning this, I come to believe the behaviour of the law enforcement staffs of downtown Toronto Winners store are totally acceptable: Their style is perfectly in between two extremes, in which reasonable physical force was used to make sure the situation caused no danger to all. Thank God we have evolved from Medieval Saudi Arabia, but not degenerated to sinful California.
In the end, I want to applaud to the lady holding the mop to confront the robbers at the jewelry store. Totally unprepared at that time, instinct and courage were all she had to defend herself. She was fortunate enough to face the gangsters who only had a snow shovel. What if they had guns! She must had wished to death if her private small store can afford to hire a Loss Prevention Team as those big retails like Winners.
So please, think a bit before you rush to condemn the law enforcement officers. Majority of them are no different from us, they are sons/daughters, husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, except that they put their lives on the line for us every single day. They had their loved ones waiting for their safe return from work and heartbroken if they fail. I am sure they also would rather greet people with handshakes, with sweet hellos, with hugs, and with pats on backs and shoulders. A lot of times unfortunately, they must shout, strangle, toss handcuffs, or even pull the trigger.
We all wish to live in an ideal Beautiful New World where all are treated as human beings. We are just not there yet.
我可能还要隐一阵。麦麦啥时候归来？等你的更新！
谢谢菲儿！谢谢思韵！还好，我们都没有走散! ：）
今年没能如愿常驻文学城。本以为应该清闲一点，结果人算不如天算。以后如果有兴致，或许我会写出来这一段经历，挺dramatic的。真实的生活，比戏还戏：）
祝美菲儿快乐！怀念过去的写博时光，还好，我们都没有走散。
条条大路通罗马， 期待禾儿讲罗马的故事！：）
也一并问好朋友们！
tulsi gabbard今天替老川助攻哈哈。
https://www.youtube.com/@SenTedCruz/videos
爱花花！遇到投脾气的朋友，不亦乐乎！
”I grew up from a middle class family…,哈哈哈哈哈，嘎嘎嘎嘎嘎…”。
很久不见如蓝，赶紧冒个泡。上面的总结简直是简直了，特别传神。上回选举的时候，我就担心这个人，现在人家居然还真做大了。其实认识如蓝，也是从你几年前关于极左的文章里，你思想的深邃和文字的深刻，都远在我之上。如果你原来的文章再发一遍，一点不过时。
终究，只有孩子们好，这个世界才会好。
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgggs6jEPIg
你的common -sense-based “反动文章”道出俺们加州人对猖獗零元购的愤怒和不解！左媒总是大声控诉，检视警方的所谓过度执法，却千方百计为盗贼找借口开脱，完全失去了媒体应该秉持的客观公正原则。在经年累月的左媒轰炸下，许多人特别是年轻人不知不觉就被洗脑了。相信你的女儿写完这篇文章后，一定更加心明眼亮：）
这段读后令人动容：” They （the police men and women) had their loved ones waiting for their safe return from work and heartbroken if they fail. ”
沈香今年辛苦了。今年我也有过意想不到的遭遇，所以也一直没有时间进城。大家都保重，愿平安常伴左右。
妈妈去美国探亲三个月，享受了妹妹一家给予她的满满亲情，已经平安归来。
谢谢禾儿姨关心，大宝非常享受新的大学生活。事实证明，高中时候打下的扎实基础都不是白费。我也从心里庆幸大宝求学不必远离我们。当下的距离真是恰恰好。
大宝开始大学生活了。虽然同城，但是也不是每个周末都回家。我想她时，就翻她的童年照片，翻她的作业本，翻她留在家里的印记。这不，昨晚翻出我的这篇，虽然一点也没派上用场，但是都是曾经相互陪伴过的点滴啊！
可可周末快乐，爱你！
读思韵的文章和留言点评，总是会被思韵对底层人群敏锐的体察关爱所感动所震撼。很多事情没有切身的体验是不能完全真正共鸣的。前几天在radio里听到一位 bartender 说，如果他挣的小费不加税的话，他可以去看牙医了。我听了有些吃惊，我没有想到，在美国有份工作的人，会有人没有钱去看牙医。
思韵，我们两个真是心有灵犀，因为一直没有看见你，一直挂念着，今天早上，我准备给你写封信的，写信前，先来文学城溜一下，结果就看到了你的新文，真是太高兴了！：）大宝开学了？喜欢崭新的大学生活吗？原以为你这篇会写大宝的大学生活呢。妈妈回来了，出去转了一大圈儿，玩得开心吧？
旧金山市中心好多商店不堪抢劫关了门。真不知道那么多富于同情心，讲人权的高尚人士是怎么想的。我这次写的警察故事，也是好多次憋不住要吐槽。
另外感叹的，是有大宝这样的有才华的娃！更可喜老师有开放的态度。这要是放在我们美好的加州，估计一看选题就有得0分的风险。有时想想，好多选民因为某某“帅”，某某是女性，某某是少数族裔就投票的，真是不负责任，可惜这些人当中还有不少受到过高等教育。
谢谢认同观点。对了，听说你们的大选，有人背诵答案，到处套用。这是真作弊哦！
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我是个现在的凡人，所以只看现在的问题，复杂的历史问题留给历史学家研究就好了。
我看到的那些“平民被强杀、强暴、劫持、掠作人质”等等，都是实实在在发生在现在的事情。
这些实实在在发生的事情都装看不到，来谈什么历史上的复杂，不能成为今日无辜杀人的理由。
可能也就是这种思维，才使得太多的人觉得百十年前人犯的罪，今天其子孙都该杀。
那么多无辜的平民被枪杀、强暴、劫持、掠作人质，没有太多的人出来谴责、抗议；
各种武装组织天天从各个地方向以色列扔炸弹、导弹，全世界都装看不见；
可是以色列一还击一还手，全世界爱好和平的人民都出来愤怒发声了，好像所有的坏事，
都是以色列干的，以色列简直就是个21世纪的纳粹似的。
这个世界我也是真越来越看不明白了。
Brian Lilley 不喜欢土豆总理，嘲笑土豆和印度锡克族人走的近，这一点我完全赞同。思韵长周末快乐！