Category: Government & Politics

Defunding the Police; Understanding the Real Problem

Defund the Police? Think again! Photo courtesy of dailythruthreport.com

I spent 25 years in Federal Law Enforcement, I have heard and seen many things, but I have never heard a call to defund law enforcement.

I don’t understand it, these calls are mostly coming from people living in communities who need a police presence, otherwise they would be overwhelmed by lawlessness, gangs, drugs, and uncontrollable crime.

I don’t think these voices realize what their cities and towns would look like without law enforcement.  Obviously, they haven’t taken the time to think and to analyze such a proposal. 

For starters; who’s going to enforce the laws enacted by City Councils?  That’s part of community policing.  Local police enforce local ordinances and any revenue coming from issued summons, goes back to the community and the department.  They use this money to buy new equipment, training, and hiring. 

Most City, County, and local police officers are part of the community.  They live in the community and have a vested interest in the wellbeing of their neighbors and safety in their neighborhoods.  

They respond to burglaries, domestic disputes, execute arrest warrants, medical emergencies, welfare checks, vehicle accidents, among many other things.  Who’s going to perform these duties in the absence of a police department?

Defunding police departments is a short-sided call.  Instead, they should be calling for meaningful police reform.  What I mean by that?  After I retired, I worked at several gun ranges, teaching firearms and as a Range Safety Officer, and many police officers would come around to shoot getting ready for their yearly, yes, yearly weapon’s qualification.   They were not very good at it; which was a pretty scary thought. 

I always extended my help, even giving them free range time and targets because their departments would not give them the tools to train.  People need to understand, most local police departments don’t have the money to properly train their force and mostly depend on other government agencies, at the Federal and State level, to attend conferences and obtain specialized training. 

Throughout my career I had the opportunity to work with many fine and hardworking local police officers, from providing law enforcement support during special events to G-20 summits.  I never encountered an officer who didn’t love his or her job.

In all honesty, law enforcement is thankless job.  If you don’t love what you are doing it can be a very frustrating endeavor.  One is constantly dealing with bureaucracy, mostly from people who have no clue about law enforcement and what it takes to enforce it in a fair and impartial manner. 

Most police departments are undermanned and outgunned.  In some jurisdictions, officers must buy their own firearms and body armor in order to be able to do their jobs in a safe manner.  Meanwhile Senator Paul and Senator Van Hollen are reintroducing legislation to limit the access police departments have to excess Federal government law enforcement and military equipment.

I don’t know if Senator Paul realizes most police departments are outmanned and outgunned by local gangs, drug dealers, and other criminal elements in their communities.  Having access to surplus Federal resources is an invaluable tool and getting rid of it only hurts the community.

We need more police training, not less.  By defunding police departments, you strip them of the ability to send officers, especially in leadership positions, to training that they can bring back to their departments.  Well-trained police force not only benefits the department, but the community as well.

People in the community has a vested interest in the efficiency of their police department, they should embrace it and help the police officers to understand the needs of their community.  Good communication between citizens and law enforcement officers is as important as a properly trained professional force. 

The community is also a necessary tool for good policing.  People know what’s going on in their backyards and most people are willing to assist the police to keep crime away from their neighborhoods. 

There’s no doubt that we have bad apples in the law enforcement community, but they are very far and between.  To say that all law enforcement officers are racist is ludicrous.   Are there some law enforcement officers with racist tendencies?  Absolutely.  Throwing a negative blanket like this on all law enforcement is not only wrong but unfair to police officers who put their lives on the line every day.

I don’t know any law enforcement officer who wakes up in the morning wishing for an eventful shift.  On the contrary, most police officers want a quiet shift, and above all, the last thing they want to do is discharge their firearm.  Any law enforcement officer who thinks differently should relinquish his or her badge immediately and seek some mental health help.

Police officers are human beings doing a job that not everybody can do or wants to do.  Remember, when a police officer performs a traffic stop or responds to a domestic dispute, they are doing the job they were told to do, to enforce the laws enacted by State, City, and local governments.  If you are upset by this fact, I suggest you take it up with the legislature.

Police officers don’t choose what laws to enforce, but I know, from time to time, they use their discretion.  Remember that time you got a break for speeding?  Exactly!

Defunding the police is the last thing any law-abiding citizen should be advocating for.   They should demand their police department are properly funded, trained, and equipped.

If you don’t have a police department; who are you going to call when someone is breaking into your home?  Who are you going to call when getting beat by an abusive spouse?  Who are you going to call when your business is getting looted or burglarized?  I can tell you; it is not going to be the Ghost Busters.

Business Shaming of the Week: The Fabulous Fox Theater

The Fabulous Fox Theater, St. Louis, Mo. Not so Fabulous! Photo courtesy of explorestlouis.com

This week’s “Business Shaming” honor goes to none other than the Fabulous Fox Theater in St. Louis, Mo.

They were honoring the death of George Floyd on their marquee, along with the death of Police Captain, David Dorn, who was murdered by looters outside of Lee’s Pawn Shop, a local business in St. Louis, MO. Captain Dorn was a friend of the family, and beloved member of the community, who was responding to an alarm when he was murdered outside of the property. They were also honoring law enforcement by displaying the hashtag “Blue Lives Matter”.

After some local backlash, the theater issued an apology for displaying the Blue Lives Matter hashtag on their marquee and proceeded to remove it.

This was their apology:

“We sincerely apologized to the Black community for the hurt we have caused by our recent marquee messaging. While our intention was to display a show of unity and to honor both George Floyd and Officer David Dorn, the delivery of that message failed when we included the blue lives matter hashtag. We are truly sorry for the hurt and anger this mistake has caused.

“The Fabulous Fox is a place for all, and we condemn racism and hate in all forms. We love St. Louis and we want to be a part of the solution. We are listening and we are learning.

Unequivocally, #BlackLivesMattter.”

If the The Fabulous Fox was really a “place for all”, they would have stood firmly behind their decision to honor Captain Dorn, Mr. Floyd, and the police officers, who put their lives on the line every day for their patrons and citizens of St. Louis.

Unequivocally, #BlueLivesMatter.

Instead, they decided to take a knee, and in the process, dishonored the memories of Captain Dorn, George Floyd, and their families.

I, for one, will never patronize the Fox Theater in St. Louis and call on a boycott of this establishment. The Fabulous Fox Theater got this one wrong.

Read the story below here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/fox-theater-apologizes-for-blue-lives-matter-on-marquee/ar-BB15m9hf

An American Nightmare

Nightmares anyone? Image courtesy of hdw.eweb4.com

While watching last week Senate hearings featuring, Dr. Fauci, CDC Director, Dr. Redfield, and FDA Director, Dr. Hahn, I realized we are living in an American Nightmare.

I never thought I would witness the erosion, in real time, of our Constitutional rights and liberties, one Article at a time.

I didn’t serve my country to see the freedoms I fought for, being taken away by politicians and bureaucrats over a virus.  I get it, the virus is serious and people have died because of it, but people die in car accidents, people die of heart attacks, people die of the seasonal flu, people die of natural causes.

We don’t cease to exist because of it.  We don’t stop working; businesses don’t go out of business.  So why is this happening?  Why is our government deliberately bankrupting our country, bankrupting our spirit, bankrupting our future, not only economically, but as a super power?

Why is the government purposely stripping us, the citizens, from our rights given to us by God and the United States Constitution?  Why?

I’m embarrassed, insulted, saddened, at a loss, confused, and I feel betrayed by my country, the country I love and gave 29 years of my life defending.

When I look around and see empty streets, empty stores, people walking around like zombies, it pisses me off.  This is not the America I know.

America today looks like Venezuela.  No toilet paper, no hand sanitizer, no flour, no meat…The only difference is that we still have our 2nd amendment and most people are not dumpster diving for their food, yet.

Some governors are acting like third world dictators, with complete disregard towards the same people who put them in charge.  Hugo Chavez would be proud of these miscreants and the way these State executives are suppressing their populations.

That’s exactly what Hugo Chavez did to his people under the promises of free stuff that didn’t exist.  Hugo Chavez used to walk the streets and point out to a building or business and say, “That belongs to me”, meaning the State.

Today Americans in Blue States, and some Red States, are experiencing what Venezuelans have experienced for decades.  Remember, Venezuelans voted for their misery.

How will this all end?  I don’t know.  I am afraid the American people have been scared to death by an irresponsible media and inaccurate predictions by those spewed by Dr. Anthony Fauci.  I don’t know if the American people have the will to fight back for what is rightfully theirs.  Freedom is not free!  Our Founding Fathers knew this too well and we better not forget it.

You have to remember, once the government takes those first steps towards tyranny, without objections from the citizenry, every action afterwards becomes easier and easier.

It is up to us to tell our government how we want to be governed, that’s why we have elections.  These politicians work for us, but many of them get into government for power and money.  They forget why people voted for them in the first place.  It is amazing to me how many of these shoddy politicians get elected time and time again.

It is time to take our country back, peacefully and constitutionally.  It is important for us to show up on November 3rd and vote in person. 

If you can stand in line at Home Depot, you can definitely stand in line to vote.  Your future, your life, your freedom, may depend on it.

Rant of the Week: Social Distancing or Social Hypocrisy?

I don’t think so……

Watching television during this government created hysteria, it dawned on me the hypocrisy of politicians and the media regarding Social Distancing.

How is it politicians go on national television looking like they just walked out of the makeup trailer?  I am sorry, but I know there’s no way in this world they can exercise Social Distancing, unless they are doing their own make up.  We all know they are not.

This is another case of “Do as I say, not as I do”.  This is absolute nonsense and an insult to the intelligence of the American people.  But don’t be surprised, this is how these people think and feel about you and me.  We are not citizens, we are peasants, we are to follow the rules or else.

Forget about the Constitution, forget human dignity.  It is ok for us to look like crap, but God forbid the Speaker of the House goes on national television, or the comedy shows, looking like she just walked in from a homeless shelter.  No, no, no, folks, her makeup needs to be perfect and her hair has to be nice.

The media talking heads?  Oh boy!  I saw a clip of Anderson Cooper and he looked like a poster boy for Maybelline.   Is Cooper Anderson applying his own makeup?  I don’t think so.  Now, to be fair, on the other hand you have comedian Trevor Noah looking like he hasn’t taken a shower in three months.  I guess we are supposed to feel sorry for him. Oh my!

I started to switch channels looking for other television personalities and politicians.  They all looked fabulous.   The Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia was complaining about Governor Kemp reopening the economy, but the lady didn’t look unkempt, she was wearing nice makeup and she looked fresh, unlike most of her unemployed constituency.  Same thing with Michigan’s governor, she looked like she was ready to walk the Red Carpet.

Spare me!  There’s no Social Distancing been practice by these hypocrites.  They are using Social Distancing as a way to keep the population under control.  If the citizens can’t assemble, they can’t effectively protest.  Numbers are everything and they know it.

Social Distancing, or what I call government blatant violation of my 1st amendment right to freely assemble and associate, is good for you and me, but not for the elite or the political class.  In their eyes, they are better than us, so the rules don’t apply to them.

Meanwhile, they go on television and use fear and misinformation in an attempt to control the people.  The main culprit, Dr. Fauci, with his “Doom and Gloom” Ouija board predictions and faulty models, telling people the only way they can survive is by staying home indefinitely and keeping proper distance.  I hate to brake it to the “Doc”, but when the virus carrying droplets can travel up to 26 feet in the air, that 6 ft. rule of separation and masks pretty much goes out of the window.  You would actually have to dress like a serial killer out of the movie “Hostel” to feel kind of safe.  People, this is just good old common sense!

The strength of the American people is our ability to unite in the face of adversity.  Once the government takes that ability away from us, they can get away with pretty much anything they want.

This is done by design and this has created a government induced unemployment in turn creating a new government dependent class.  There’s no more “Middle Class”, and politicians continue to feed that fantasy, that lie, into the minds of the American people. 

Next time you are watching television and you see your favorite politician and television personality looking good, remember, they are not bound by the same set of rules as you and me, otherwise they would be looking and feeling like us.

This has been my Rant of the Week!

Is Mask Shaming the New American Discrimination?

Would Lady Liberty approve? I think not. Image courtesy of timesfreepress.com

These are the facts; the CDC and the President’s medical “Top Dog”, Dr. Anthony Fauci, have clearly stated wearing a mask would not prevent an individual from contracting the Covid-19 virus.  Only those infected or under the suspicion of infection, are the ones who should be wearing the masks to avoid infecting those of us that are healthy.  These are the facts and they are indisputable.

On March 2, 2020, the Surgeon General told people not to buy masks to combat the virus.  He warned those buying the masks of the possibilities of accelerating the risk of infection by improperly wearing those masks.

He was absolutely correct.  An incorrectly fitted mask does more harm than good.  When I was a Lieutenant with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, part of my duties was the transportation of inmates between facilities.  In several occasions I transported inmates with respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis. In order to be able to do my job, I had to be properly fitted for a respirator.  The fitting was documented by the Safety Manager as required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If you think a bandana, a scarf, a piece of cloth, or Michael Myers rubber mask, is going to protect you, think again.  Even a N95 mask, as good as it is, it is only effective for 8 hours of constant use.  People wearing a N95 mask without proper fitting are wasting their time, money, and putting themselves and others at risk..

It seems the country has gone mad over wearing a mask and criminals are taking advantage of this to commit crimes.  To bring this craziness into perspective, the following is a case demonstrating my point:

On April 7, 2020, it was reported on the N.Y. Daily News, “Two crooks smashed into a Brooklyn grocery store, stole a cash register, with three dozens of Red Bull.  The crooks were wearing what appeared to be N95 masks”.

Then you have the public stigma of wearing a mask or not wearing a mask.

On February 5, 2020, the N.Y. Post reported a woman wearing a mask was attacked at the Chinatown subway station after allegedly been called a “diseased bitch”.

On March 11, 2020, an Asian woman was punched in the face in Midtown Manhattan, after a person asked her, “Where is your fucking mask?”  She was entering a building when she was grabbed by the hair and punched in the face.

This is unacceptable in a civilized society and any person who engages in this type of behavior, be physical or otherwise, should be ashamed and criminally held liable.  They should be prosecuted to the fullest.  In my opinion, this is discriminatory behavior and should not be tolerated.

Many Americans don’t know or understand that in China, wearing a mask is a way of life due to the high levels of pollution.  Several years ago I went to Beijing on business and as soon as I exited the airport, the smog hit me in the face.  This is the main reason most people wear mask in mainland China.

In Japan, seen people wearing a mask are a common scene.  They mostly wear them to help prevent the spread of the seasonal flu and against pollen in the spring.  They have been doing this for over a decade.

I knew this type of barbaric behavior was going to surface after the “We are in this together” started to wear out.  I’m not surprised; I saw this same thin after 9/11/2001.  Everybody was waving their little American flags and six months later they were back to their usual selfish and obnoxious ways.

Which brings me to the following question:  Who these people think they are to tell others what to do?  To assault people at will?

This is America and people are free to do as they please as long as it is lawful.  Choosing to wear or not to wear a mask is not unlawful!  Healthy people, like me, should not be made to wear or shame into wearing a mask.  Especially when we are within our rights, granted to us by God and the Constitution, to make those decisions as American citizens and human beings.  Also, choosing not to wear a mask is within the guidelines issued by our own government, therefore legal.

I have been fortunate that not one person has dare to approach me or lecture me.  Sure, they give me “the look”, but that’s as I far as they go. 

My suggestion is this, if you are so scared to go out and you feel the need to dress like a serial killer to feel safe, stay home.   When I see someone close to me wearing a mask, the first thing I think is “this person is infected”.

Most of the people are uninformed, or get their information from the main stream media, and think wearing a mask with their favorite NBA logo on it makes them better people or safer.  Hello!  That cheap mask is not going to do much when those droplets are landing in your eyes.  Those droplets can travel up to 27 feet into the air.  I guess the six feet of separation theory goes out of the window.

From a philosophical standpoint, to me the mask is a symbol of oppression and submission.  It represents the government’s attempt to shut us down as a country, society, and human beings.  It is one thing to wear the mask because I choose to do so; it is a different story when ordered by government.

This insanity is such, that many private businesses are refusing services to healthy individuals who have chosen not to wear a mask.  Some of these businesses have been encouraged by our own politicians to do so.  Shameful!

I, for one, will not patronize a business that requires me to wear a mask, period.   One of the purposes of going out to a restaurant or a bar is to have a good time and socialize, and wearing a mask defeats that purpose.  I would rather stay home, have a nice home cooked meal with my wife, than going to an establishment and feel like I am among a bunch of zombies.

I am going to suggest to my fellow Americans; mind your own business!  Worry about you and your loved ones.  If you want to wear a mask, wear it, but don’t go around lecturing other Americans on how to live their life’s as Americans.

Is wearing the mask or not the “new normal” discrimination?  I believe it is and innocent people are going to get hurt in the process, as it has already happened.