Sigh

Did you all know there is a difference between `bad guys` and actual bad guys? Sigh.... I hate fights. I hate hearing shouting, to look out the window to see another fight. Hate. Hate. Hate it.

I remember my very first day ever in my flat in Dublin, Id literally been in the country all of 30 minutes to look out my window to some guy getting his head beat in the ground. Seeing the blood.. having to try and figure out what the emergency number was here to call the police. Hearing the crunch of bone on ground and fist in face.. Sigh. This just was the lovely beginning to a year where that would be just the start to the amount of drunken and foolish fights I would see..

Well, last nite I was out walking around Temple Bar. An amazing part of town just up the street where there is alway live music, Irish bars, Irish dancing, guys watching rugby matches and the cheers in the streets and all the tourists and natives.. Its a bustling street with something to do and look at and hear and experience for about half a mile long. Its busy. Its beautiful, never a shortage of police or drunken ppl at every glance. But last nite there was this great band playing on the street, so I stopped to listen.. As I stood there, this group of harmless, yet drunken men came and started talking to me... After living here so long, my judgement is very good about the harmless ones and the ones looking to cause trouble, these dudes were just old, Irish and drunk.. The norm. They heard my American accent, so I got talking to all of them.... Irish ppl are hilarious... their jokes, their sense of humour, their realness, and their culture, is just friendly, and I had a great time talking to them, listening to music and getting to know their hearts, for about an hour... They had open alcohol cans, one was smoking a joint (and mind you, were in a group of 50 or so ppl all around), all just having a laugh (loving them and just being Jesus to ppl that have no clue who He is).. Well, the Garda (Irish police) come up and tell the men to get away... A couple of them were missing teeth, they werent supposed to have open alcohol cans, and so 3 of the 4, submissively obeyed, said a good nice to meet ya and went on their way.. the 4th, his name was Deco, decided he did not want to listen (such a good hearted guy, really).. and he didnt leave, but told them he wanted to listen to the music, which was not good.. The Garda cuffed him and hauled him off to jail - This is my defintion of the first bad guy.. Sure, didnt make the best decision by not obeying the police, but really was just harmless and drunk like the rest of the entire city.. not out to cause any trouble, rather just was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Everyone else sees him as a criminal - I saw a dude who shouldnt have been drinking in the streets, fair enough, but was minding his own business, and didnt deserve to go to jail.

Actual bad guys are the ones who are outside my window rite now. The ones that have been shouting for 20 minutes.. the ones that, when I look out my window at just the right moment to see what all the shouting is about - I see a fight. I see two men sparring. I see the other two falling down because they are drunk. I see a guy hit in the face.. I see the other karate chop a neck.. I hear yelling. I see aggression. I see fighting, I see alcohol sloshing on the men and slurring fighting words, and I hate it. I hate it. This is my venting email. Where are the Garda for the actual bad guys, the ones pissing on my wall and braking their bottles on my wall, fighting and being aggressive? Ugh.. its just so annoying.... and sad..

In the last couple of days, I have seen men hitting their arms to find a vein to shoot up. I have seen a couple drug deals. I hear sirens that do not cease. There have been 2 murders... and I sigh.... Oh Lord.. you have got to do something more in this place........