Gangster Fabulous

For as long as I can remember, my parents, mainly my father, have called me a thug. My general response has been "It is not my fault, I came by it honestly." Now, I have evidence that it is not my fault when I engage in thuggish behavior. I do come by it honestly.

We watch History Channel a lot. They have pretty interesting shows like Gangland, Jurassic Fight Club, and Band of Brothers. They also do special shows cascading an era, culture, or event. Recently, we watched a special on John Wilkes Booth and the sordid assassination plot against Abraham Lincoln. I never knew it was so involved. The government hung four people for being the ring leaders and put two or three more in federal; all in all, the government tried twelve people. Before any of this took place, the hunt for John Wilkes Booth and David Herold was crazy. People with Confederate sympathy, shunned him. He thought he would be a hero in the South, but boy was he wrong.

The government put a bounty on his head and then they went looking for him through the woods of Maryland and Virginia. No one wanted to help him because if they did, they would be considered "accessories after that fact" and sent to federal prison, like Dr. Mudd. I guess what is where the saying comes from.

Anyway, they were all thugs! JWB for the assassination of the President and the forethought that went into it; our army for setting the barn where he hid on fire to extort a surrender; the government for offering a bounty for him; the soldier who shot him rather than waiting for him to come out (honestly, there is only so much smoke you can inhale before you pass out or give up); and the crowd watching and cheering while his four accomplices were hung.

Our country as a whole is the biggest thug in this situation. People were getting pulled off the street and killed because they looked like JWB. I guess they believed "shoot first, ask questions later." Maybe they had more luck asking the dead questions than I would.

As we watched the episode, all I could think is this is gangster fabulous. It is not my fault, I was born to a country whose actions are inherent in my bones...



Hopefully, you all know my sense of humor by now. I am not running out to get my 9 or my GATT and embrace the true thug inside, just thought I'd throw that out there!