Sometimes the Death Penalty Isn't Enough

I'm normally up on my news, especially sports, but the last couple of weeks have been extremely busy for me.  However, I received a call from The Lady on yesterday afternoon and the news blew my mind.  She told me that running back and future Minnesota Vikings Hall of Famer, Adrian Peterson's son was beaten to death.

I don't know AP or his family, but for about five seconds, I felt a knot in my stomach after hearing the news.  From what I've read online, the mother of AP's son had a boyfriend with prior domestic charges to took his frustrations out on the two year old boy.

I'm not going to get into the decision-making process of the mother.  She has to unfortunately suffer for the rest of her life for dating a known abuser.  I want to talk about the abuser, 27 year old Joseph Patterson.  I realize that he's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, but I'm jumping the gun on this one.  I think he's guilty.

I don't know if the state where the heinous crime was committed uses the death penalty or not, but sometimes the death penalty isn't enough.  Sure, if you could sentence this guy to die, fry him, bring him back, and fry him again, then I think I'd be for it.  But, since that's impossible, then your only choice is to lock him up for the rest of his life.

That's not good enough either.

I'm sick and tired of it being Open Season on people, especially women and children.  Men were once protectors of their families and now they're exterminating them like common roaches.  It's sickening!  I wanted to throw up when I heard the news today because I can't stand to see a child mistreated, yet along hear of one beaten to death.

If I had things my way, I'd put Joseph Patterson in a jail cell with no A/C or heat and give him just enough food to survive.  From there, I'd allow the child's father, Adrian Peterson, to come in once a year to beat a handcuffed Patterson within an inch of his life.  I would allow AP an opportunity to do that on the anniversary death of his son every year until either he or the Patterson died.

I know it sounds cruel, but it's nothing compared to pulverising a child's body with your fists.  Imagine the pain the child went through.  Babies have no resistance to beatings.  They aren't capable of running away or curling up in the fetal position and surviving the onslaught.  All they can do is cry and suffer.

Why not repay the favor?

Are there upsides to simply beating felony assault prisoners as opposed to giving them the death penalty?

Support @CieraPayton's IndieGogo Campaign!

www.CieraPayton.com

"Graceland" and "Days of Our Lives" star, Ciera Payton, needs your help funding the United Solo Theater Festival in New York City!  With only 60 days to raise $7,500, she only has 24 days left as of October 5th to raise approximately $5,000 more.

Click here to contribute anything from $1 to $1000!  

Every little bit counts and not only does it fund her performance, but donations also benefit the Step Up Women's Network and  Girls for a Change organization for kids!

She will also be my guest on the Talk 2 Q Radio Show on Wednesday, October 9th @ 10 PM EDT / 7 PM PDT.  Click here and then click Follow under the T2Q logo to get an e-mail or text reminder the day of the show.  Take advantage of the opportunity to call and ask her a question on the air or use ask questions from the interactive chat room!

Ciera will be performing "Michael's Daughter" on November 23rd.  Learn more about the event below:

Michael’s Daughter is a one-woman show created and performed by Actress Ciera Payton. As an aspiring young actress dealing with the ups and downs of the Hollywood shuffle, Ciera is suddenly confronted by the constant letters from her incarcerated father. These letters provide the backdrop for her soul searching and a beginning to address her unconventional upbringing and troubled past. 

Her New Orleans roots are tested constantly through a series of failed relationships, struggles to make ends meet, and the ongoing loneliness that comes with Hollywood dream chasing. Ciera guides the audience on a journey from a little girl in New Orleans' 3rd Ward to a woman in Los Angeles fighting to forgive her family. 

Throughout the play, Ciera artfully portrays her stuttering, city-slick Father, southern belle Mother, and her endearingly crass Aunt Patty. She does so in a manner, completely filled with humor, compassion, and understanding. Michael’s Daughter's universal appeal and impact transcends race, gender, and economic class. 

People of all backgrounds will be touched by this story and moved to DO SOMETHING and MAKE A CHANGE after watching it. 

Remaining true to her goal to give back and help in providing creative outlets for inner city children, Payton is pledging a portion of the donations received through the IndieGoGo campaign to Step Up Women's Network AND Girls for a Change.

Twitter: @CieraPayton

I Chose #Scandal Over #BUFvsCLE

I'm embarrassed to say what I did, Olivia. SMH.

(SMH)

Those who have followed me for a minute know that I'm a huge football fan.  Especially the NFL.  (Sigh)  I almost feel dirty typing this, but tonight, I did the unthinkable.  Tonight, I did something that could possibly get my Man Card revoked.  Tonight, I chose to watch the hit show "Scandal" over Thursday night football.

What intrigues me so much about "Scandal" is the writing.  The show writers do an excellent job of taking you down a path, getting you comfortable, and then blindsiding you with something completely out of left field.  Top that off with a cast of amazing actors who surprisingly left the Emmy's trophy-less and you have something rare for prime time TV these days... an amazing show.

But, the NFL on Thursday night is a no-brainer for a sports nut, right?  Despite the fact that the game involved two un-sexy teams in Buffalo and Cleveland, it's still the NFL.  (BTW, the game was pretty entertaining).  I started watching the game at 7:25 PM Central Time and once 8:59 PM CT rolled around, I found myself changing the channel to ABC.

I still love the NFL, but with the magic of DVR's, I can pause the game, flip over to "Scandal", and watch the game during commercials.  Although it makes sense to most men to record "Scandal" and watch it after the game, it's virtually impossible to do due to social media.

If I don't watch "Scandal" live, then one of my Twitter or Facebook followers will be sure to tweet something that spoils the show.  That's not what you want in a show like this where the writing is so superior to 95% of the things airing on TV these days.  Shows like "Scandal" spawn copycats like "Deception" or "Betrayal" and all of those other shows with edgy names, but empty stories.  It's one of those trendsetters that every other station wishes they could duplicate.

I got on the Scandal bandwagon on Day One.  It's very rare to see an African-American as a lead character on network TV and for it to be a woman made the show more interesting to me.  I wasn't familiar with show creator, Shonda Rimes, also African-American, and my knowledge of actress, Kerry Washington, was very limited, too.

Despite all of that, I knew after only watching the first few episodes that this show would go down in history as one of the classics.  The ever-changing plot is great and the cast of characters is even greater.  It's the best cast of actors that I've seen on a show since ABC aired "Ugly Betty."

Dag, I may lose my man card for admitting that I watched that show in its entirety, too.

SMH.

Don't feel so bad, guys.  I'll be back!