(Chuck Muth) – WARNING: I’m not using [expletive deleted] of “$#%&” to soften up my use of a few appropriate obscenities on this one. So if that kind of language offends you, stop reading this column NOW.
At the time of this writing, five law enforcement officers in Dallas, Texas have been executed.
Another seven cops were wounded. Plus two civilians.
They were ambushed at an anti-cop rally by snipers. Some were shot in the back.
According to Dallas Police Chief David Brown, one of the captured shooters “wanted to kill white people, especially white officers.”
These deaths are on President Barack Obama’s head.
As well as the NAACP and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Not to mention irresponsible political exploiters such as Hillary Clinton.
In the immortal words of Detective Martin Riggs in Lethal Weapon, “I’m pissed, Roger. Now I’m pissed.”
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
It all started with two completely separate and distinct officer-involved shootings earlier this week.
Alton Sterling was shot and killed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Police officers were responding to a 911 call that someone was pointing a gun at people in front of a convenience store. A video of the encounter between Sterling and two police officers clearly shows Sterling resisted arrest and someone, during the scuffle, yelled, “Gun!”
At that point, one or both of the police officers fatally shot Sterling.
Sterling was no saint despite media efforts to portray him as nothing more than a father of five just trying to provide for his family. He had a long criminal record and history of violence. However, it has not yet been determined whether or not the police officers knew of Sterling’s past at the time of the incident.
Philando Castile was shot and killed outside St. Paul, Minnesota.
He had been pulled over for a broken taillight. In a post-shooting video taken from the front seat of the car by Castile’s girlfriend, she claims Castile told the police officer he was armed and was reaching for his ID.
But the police officer can clearly be heard in the video saying, “I told him not to reach for it. I told him to get his hand off it.”
So both individuals were suspected of being armed. That absolutely, positively ratchets up sky-high the danger and threat level for the police officers involved.
In Sterling’s case, he absolutely resisted arrest. You can see it in the video. He had to be wrestled to the ground.
In Castile’s case, the police officer may or may not have told the man not to reach for his pockets and Castile may or may not have disregarded the officer’s order.
Although, once advised that the individual was armed it’s hard to believe that a professional police officer wouldn’t assure everyone’s safety FIRST by disarming the individual and THEN worrying about getting ID.
That said, I’m not going to jump to conclusions or rush to judgment. There will be full investigations to determine whether or not the officers involved acted properly. I’ll wait until all the information is in.
If only Obama, Clinton and Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton were as responsible in their responses.
THE FAULTY TAIL-LIGHT LIE
For his part, Dayton declared, “Nobody should be shot and killed in Minnesota for a taillight being out of function.”
That is such BULLSHIT.
And it is disgracefully irresponsible to make such a false statement and further incite the racial passions. It’s like yelling “Fire!” in that proverbial crowded theater.
Castile was pulled over for a broken taillight. He was shot during the stop when, again, he may or may not have complied with the police officer’s order to take his hands away from his pockets.
He was NOT shot and killed because of a broken taillight.
Dayton should be ashamed of himself for making such a highly incendiary and false statement. And at least some of the blood of those Dallas cops is on his hands.
But what Obama did was far worse.
THROWING MATCHES ON A RACIAL POWDER-KEG
On Thursday, the president posted a statement on Facebook that included this line…
“Rather than fall into a predictable pattern of division and political posturing, let’s reflect on what we can do better.”
Shortly thereafter, the president went on television and delivered a 16-minute monologue using his predictable pattern of racially dividing the nation with his usual political posturing.
He started off by claiming the two isolated, separate and totally unrelated officer-involved shootings in Baton Rouge and St. Paul were not “isolated incidents.”
He said they were “symptomatic” of rampant racism in our criminal justice system.
Strike a match.
The president then went on to rattle off “a few statistics” to prove his point.
He declared that “studies” show that African-Americans and Hispanics were more likely than whites to be pulled over, searched, shot, arrested, charged with offenses carrying mandatory minimums and receive longer sentences.
“If you add it all up,” Obama continued, “the African-American and Hispanic population, who make up only 30 percent of the general population, make up more than half of the incarcerated population.”
That, Obama concluded, proves inherent racism.
Strike a match.
Although some could reasonably wonder if maybe those numbers simply mean that more African-Americans and Hispanics are committing crimes than whites. I mean, that could explain it, too, right?
But to even ask that question means you’ll be called a racist. So pretend I never wrote that.
The president then went on to say the “vast majority” of police officers are good, have a right to go home to their families at the end of the day, and often have to make split-second decisions on the job.
But the very fact that Obama went on television and made this statement means he was suggesting that the cops involved in these two separate, isolated incidents were bad cops, not like the “vast majority.”
Strike a match.
The president then again claimed that “there are biases” in our criminal justice system “that have to be rooted out.”
Of course, that declaration was made in light of the two officer-involved shootings.
So by extension, the President of the Unites States suggested that the shootings were racially motivated without any facts or evidence whatsoever to back up such a claim.
Strike a match.
Truth in fact, the officer in the Castile shooting was Asian-American, not white. Funny how Obama and most news stories have omitted that fact.
Are Asian-Americans biased against black people, too?
POLITICIZING THE SITUATION
Obama concluded…
“We can do better. People of good will can do better. And doing better involves not just addressing potential bias in the criminal justice system. It’s recognizing that too often we’re asking police to man the barricades in communities that have been forgotten by all of us for way too long, in terms of sub-standard schools and inadequate jobs and a lack of opportunity. We gotta tackle those things.”
Whew. Sure glad he didn’t politicize this situation!
So it’s not bad upbringing, lack of discipline, the welfare state and fatherless homes that’s the root of this evil.
It’s OUR fault – white people – that there are bad schools, unemployment and alleged “lack of opportunity” in a nation of abundant and unlimited opportunity.
Indeed, didn’t I read somewhere that the President of the United States – arguably the most powerful man on the planet – is, um, black? Sounds like plenty of opportunity is available in this country to me.
But notice what Obama DIDN’T say to members of the African-American community in his 16-minute long diatribe.
He didn’t say to stop breaking the law.
He didn’t say to comply with police officers’ lawful orders.
He didn’t say to not resist arrest.
No, no, no. We can’t be holding people responsible for their own actions, can we?
No, we have to blame these incidents on rampant racism in a country that elected a black president.
And by the way, has Obama ever gone on national TV and spoken for over 16 minutes after a police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty? I sure don’t remember that ever happening.
OBAMA’S ACCOMPLICES
With his bully pulpit, Obama’s is primarily responsible for this racially-charged environment, especially since it began and has flourished throughout his presidency.
But he’s had help.
At one point in his political rhetoric the president said he hoped there wouldn’t be a bunch of political rhetoric about these incidents “that starts dividing people instead of bringing folks together.”
You mean like this?
In a CNN interview, Cornell William Brooks, President and CEO of the NAACP, delivered the following incendiary statement…
“We have to put an end to this epidemic of 21st century lynching at the hands of those wearing blue uniforms.”
FU, Mr. Brooks.
And don’t hold your breath waiting for Obama to directly and specifically condemn, forcefully, this absolutely outrageous and slanderous statement.
What a hypocrite.
Now on to Hillary…
She’s been every bit as disgusting as Obama in her responses to the shooting incidents. But let’s focus just on one of her tweets from Thursday.
In it she quotes herself from a prepared statement…
“Something is profoundly wrong when so many Americans have reason to believe that our country doesn’t consider them as precious as others because of the color of their skin.”
This statement suggests that both officer-involved shooting incidents were motivated by racism. There’s no proof of that. There’s not even a suggestion of that at this point.
Yet there’s this woman making this absolutely slanderous, race-baiting statement.
Absolutely and totally outrageous.
Strike a match.
Clinton added to her tweet…
Alton Sterling Matters.
Philando Castile Matters.
Black Lives Matter.
And that’s what really pissed me off and caused me to write this column.
How dare this woman, who wants to sit in the White House, so irresponsibly fan the flames of racial passions like this?
Black Lives Matter.
What about Blue Lives?
THE DALLAS 5 JOIN 18 OTHERS
In both of the Sterling and Castile incidents, the individuals detained were suspected of being armed. As such, the cops involved had every reason to be in a heightened state of alert regardless of the color of the individuals’ skin.
In Sterling’s case, he got into a physical altercation with the officers while resisting arrest. And at 300+ pounds, that was a serious threat to the lives and safety of those cops.
In Castile’s case, he may or may not have ignored the officer’s command to take his hands away from his pockets after the officer was reportedly informed that he was armed.
Under those split-second, potentially life-or-death circumstances, how does anyone jump to the immediate conclusion that racism, and not the individual’s actions, were responsible for the tragic loss of life that took place?
Indeed, why is it OK for blacks to fear for their lives but it’s not OK for cops to fear for theirs?
Alton Sterling Matters?
Philando Castile Matters?
Black Lives Matter?
OK, fine. Now let’s look at the other side of the coin. The “Blue Lives Matter” side.
According to the Officer Down Memorial Page website, there have been 18 police officers shot to death in the line of duty so far this year.
Let’s take a look at their lives…
Deputy Sheriff David Francis Michel, Jr. Matters
“Deputy Sheriff David Michel was shot and killed while making a subject stop near the intersection of Manhattan Boulevard and Ascot Road, in Harvey.
“A struggle ensued during the stop and the subject was able to pull a handgun from his waistband. He opened fire on Deputy Michel, striking him several times, and continued to shoot at him after he fell to the ground.”
He is survived by his wife and father.
Police Officer Ronald Tarentino, Jr. Matters
“Police Officer Ronald Tarentino was shot and killed while conducting a traffic stop on Rochdale Street, near Zabelle Avenue, at approximately 12:30 am. An occupant of the vehicle opened fire on him as he approached the car, striking him multiple times.”
He is survived by his wife and three children.
Police Officer David Van Glasser Matters
“Police Officer David Glasser succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day after responding to a burglary in progress at a home near the intersection of 51st Avenue and Baseline Road.
“The homeowner had called 911 to report that his son was stealing items from the home. As officers arrived on the scene they encountered the son sitting in a van in the driveway. The subject immediately opened fire on the officers, striking Officer Glasser.”
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Detective Brad D. Lancaster Matters
“Detective Brad Lancaster was shot and killed while assisting patrol officers who had responded to a suspicious person call at the Hollywood Casino at approximately 12:20 pm.
“The subject had fled from the responding officers on foot, but was located by Detective Lancaster in a nearby field. The man opened fire on Detective Lancaster, striking him twice before stealing his unmarked vehicle and fleeing the scene.”
Police Officer Steven Michael Smith Matters
“Police Officer Steven Smith succumbed to a gunshot wound sustained three days earlier as the SWAT team attempted to serve a felony arson warrant at an apartment at 14 West California Avenue. Officer Smith was riding in the turret of an armored vehicle as it approached the apartment building when he was struck by one round.”
He is survived by his wife and two adult children.
Trooper Chad Phillip Dermyer Matters
“Trooper Chad Dermyer was shot and killed while speaking to a suspicious person inside the Greyhound bus terminal in Richmond, Virginia, at approximately 2:45 pm.
“He and other officers were participating in an interdiction training course and were conducting stops of suspects. He spoke to the man briefly before the man suddenly produced a handgun and opened fire, hitting him.”
He is survived by his wife, two children, parents, brother, and sister.
Deputy Sheriff Carl A. Koontz Matters
“Deputy Sheriff Carl Koontz was shot and killed as he and other deputies served arrest and search warrants in connection to a narcotics case.
“The deputies received no response from inside the mobile home, on the 300 block of Chandler Street in Russiaville, when they knocked on the door and announced themselves at approximately 12:30 am. As they entered the home the subject opened fire on them, striking Deputy Koontz and a sheriff’s sergeant.”
He is survived by his wife, son, parents, sister and grandparents.
Police Officer III Allen Lee Jacobs Matters
“Police Officer Allen Lee Jacobs was shot multiple times as he and other Community Response Team officers attempted to interview a known gang member at a home near Rebecca Street and Ackley Road, in the Nicholtown neighborhood.
“When the subject saw the officers he fled on foot onto a wooded path with officers in pursuit. He was chased into the backyard of a home where he fatally shot Officer Jacobs.”
He is survived by his expectant wife and two sons.
Police Officer David Stefan Hofer Matters
“Police Officer David Hofer was shot and killed after he and his partner responded to a report of suspicious activity at J.A. Carr Park at approximately 2:45 pm. As he and his partner approached the park they were fired upon by a subject. Officer Hofer was shot and mortally wounded.”
Officer Ashley Marie Guindon Matters
“Officer Ashley Guindon was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance in the 13000 block of Lashmere Court in the Lake Ridge area.
“The male subject at the home murdered his wife and then opened fire on the officers with a rifle as they approached the home. Officer Guindon was fatally wounded and two other officers, including her training officer, were wounded.”
Officer Guindon had been sworn in the previous day and was working her first day on the street.
Corporal Nate Carrigan Matters
“Corporal Nate Carrigan was shot and killed as he and seven other deputies served a high risk eviction order at a home on Iris Drive in Bailey, Colorado, at approximately 9:15 am. The subject named on the eviction order was an activist in the Occupy Denver movement.”
He is survived by his parents, sister, and two brothers.
Special Agent Lee Tartt Matters
“Special Agent Lee Tartt was shot and killed as he and other members of a Mississippi Department of Public Safety SWAT team attempted to make entry into a home during a barricade situation near Iuka, Mississippi.
“A male subject had taken his wife and child hostage in the home during a domestic dispute, but allowed them to leave during the standoff. The man opened fire on the SWAT team members as they entered the home after the woman and child were released. Special Agent Tartt was fatally wounded, and three other members of the team were wounded.”
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Police Officer Jason Moszer Matters
“Police Officer Jason Moszer was shot and killed while responding to a domestic violence call in the area of 3rd Street North and 9th Avenue North in which shots had been fired.
“The subject, who was armed with multiple long guns, called dispatchers after barricading himself inside of his home and told them he was going to shoot at officers. The subject then shot Officer Moszer, who had setup on a perimeter location.”
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Major Gregory E. Barney Matters
“Major Greg Barney was shot and killed while assisting members of the Clayton County Police Department at an apartment complex in the 6600 block of Church Street.
“Major Barney, who was not wearing a vest, was assigned to the perimeter while other officers served a warrant at an apartment. When officers knocked on the door the subject ran out of a back door and encountered Major Barney. The subject shot Major Barney four times in the torso and arm as he continued to flee.”
He is survived by his wife and children.
Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon Matter
“Senior Deputy Patrick Dailey and Senior Deputy Mark Logsdon were shot and killed by a wanted subject shortly before noon.
“The deputies had been dispatched to the restaurant, at 3412 Merchant Boulevard in Abingdon, after a report was received that the subject was there. Deputy Dailey located the man sitting at a table inside of the restaurant and engaged him in conversation. Without warning, the man produced a handgun and fatally shot Deputy Dailey in the head.
“The man fled into the parking lot where he was located by other deputies sitting in a car. The subject opened fire on the deputies, striking Deputy Logsdon.”
Deputy Dailey is survived by his two children and mother.
Deputy Logsdon is survived by his wife, three children, and parents.
Deputy Sheriff Derek Geer Matters
“Deputy Sheriff Derek Geer succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day while attempting to question a juvenile in the area of 30 Road and E Road, in Grand Junction, at approximately 11:15 am.
“He and other deputies were investigating reports of an armed subject in the area and spotted the juvenile, who matched the description of the subject. As Deputy Geer spoke to the juvenile, the boy asked him if he was being detained. When Deputy Geer told him that he was being detained the boy pulled away from him and a struggle ensued.
“Deputy Geer deployed a taser, however, the subject was able to pull out a handgun and open fire. Deputy Geer was struck multiple times, including in the face. He was able to radio for assistance but had become unresponsive by the time another deputy arrived at his location.”
He is survived by his wife and two children.
Sergeant Jason Goodding Matters
“Sergeant Jason Goodding was shot and killed as he and another officer attempted to serve a warrant on a subject on the 300 block of Broadway Street at approximately 9:30 pm. They observed the subject walking along the street and recognized him as having an active felony warrant. The subject resisted arrest and was tasered. However, he was still able to shoot Sergeant Goodding.”
He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
And Obama, Hillary, the NAACP and Black Lives Matter gang wonder why police officers often operate on the edge?
In the VAST majority of cases, it’s not racism at play.
It’s self-survival.
It’s the desire to go home to their families after their shift is over.
Unlike the 23 police officers who have been shot and killed in the line of duty so far this year alone.
While serving and protecting ALL of us.
ALL lives matter.
But especially Blue Lives.
God bless those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
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