Sunday, April 26, 2015
Do you really want the answer?
Recently, there has been much talk of police brutality, and the notion that police agencies are targeting young black men and other people of color. There is anger on both sides of the issue, one side maintaining the majority of officers are racist and out to deny the civil rights of all citizens, but more so on the poor and minority...and the other side claims officer involved incidents, those where a person of color is victimized, are relatively rare. I believe it's somewhere in the middle.
Are these incidents indicative of a systemic problem within the entire judicial system? An argument could be made for this position...sentencing laws are still biased against the poor and minority...even before they appear in a Court of law, they are far more likely to encounter law enforcement. Once in a Court of law, these "offenders" are also more likely to be denied reasonable bail or (even) provided a suitable defense.
However, does this problem continue outside the Courtroom? As stated above, there is certainly an argument to be made that it does. A poor or minority individual is far more likely to encounter police or sheriff's officers simply due to demographics, or the density of population in their communities. But do police agencies specifically target poor and minority individuals, seeking to incarcerate, even eliminate these folks from (even) remaining in their communities?
If you believe media reports, the answer is a resounding, "yes." According to most reports, police officers have as a rule decided to "shoot and ask questions later." It really doesn't matter if, in these same reports, they ignore statistics showing otherwise, or even at times backtracking (indicating that there is no statistical significance to the claims they are making)...once they have "thrown it against the wall, it's pretty much stuck."
And many who believe it is a systemic problem acknowledge that little can be done to change it; that, the police must regain the public's trust (they never say how except to simply stop shooting people). Still, whether you believe it is systemic or a rarity, we can all agree that even one bad shooting, like the recent incident where an officer shot Walter Scott in the back FOR NO REASON...is one too many. For that reason alone, something must be done.
I therefore call for the immediate federalization of ALL police agencies in the United States. There are many reasons for doing this aside from the recent developments. There are municipal codes, state laws, federal statutes...there are laws in some states and not others...there are County Jails, State Prisons, Federal Institutions, multiple levels of Justice Courts, Appellate Courts, even Supreme Courts. It's way past time to consolidate them. Police agencies are no exception...only one problem. What if a Republican (ever) gets elected president again?
Are these incidents indicative of a systemic problem within the entire judicial system? An argument could be made for this position...sentencing laws are still biased against the poor and minority...even before they appear in a Court of law, they are far more likely to encounter law enforcement. Once in a Court of law, these "offenders" are also more likely to be denied reasonable bail or (even) provided a suitable defense.
However, does this problem continue outside the Courtroom? As stated above, there is certainly an argument to be made that it does. A poor or minority individual is far more likely to encounter police or sheriff's officers simply due to demographics, or the density of population in their communities. But do police agencies specifically target poor and minority individuals, seeking to incarcerate, even eliminate these folks from (even) remaining in their communities?
If you believe media reports, the answer is a resounding, "yes." According to most reports, police officers have as a rule decided to "shoot and ask questions later." It really doesn't matter if, in these same reports, they ignore statistics showing otherwise, or even at times backtracking (indicating that there is no statistical significance to the claims they are making)...once they have "thrown it against the wall, it's pretty much stuck."
And many who believe it is a systemic problem acknowledge that little can be done to change it; that, the police must regain the public's trust (they never say how except to simply stop shooting people). Still, whether you believe it is systemic or a rarity, we can all agree that even one bad shooting, like the recent incident where an officer shot Walter Scott in the back FOR NO REASON...is one too many. For that reason alone, something must be done.
I therefore call for the immediate federalization of ALL police agencies in the United States. There are many reasons for doing this aside from the recent developments. There are municipal codes, state laws, federal statutes...there are laws in some states and not others...there are County Jails, State Prisons, Federal Institutions, multiple levels of Justice Courts, Appellate Courts, even Supreme Courts. It's way past time to consolidate them. Police agencies are no exception...only one problem. What if a Republican (ever) gets elected president again?
Saturday, April 18, 2015
What's a hero?
A columnist in one of the (free) weekly tabloids here was lamenting, as usual, how tragic policing is in the United States...and how "we" kill people at a rate which far exceeds any other (real) country. As most leftist columnists, he used what I now call "skew-tistics" to back up his claims, one such claim being that this country has killed more civilians in the last month than the UK has in the past 115 years. Wow...
He has been on this diatribe for numerous weeks, traversing between Trayvon, Michael, and now Walter...I haven't checked their on-line edition (yet) but I fear it's running a loop of the officer shooting Walter Scott in the back, oh probably going on 100,000 times now (and that's not counting the nightly news, which has run the video no fewer than 10,000 times themselves). Our neighborhood columnist even went so far as label the young man who videotaped the shooting as a hero. Double wow...
No doubt it took some bravery to film this incident...I mean, the cop just shot (and killed) an unarmed black man in the back and then tossed a taser at his feet so as to attempt some sort of justification for his criminal act. The young man was rightfully hesitant to pull out his phone and record this act because what's to stop this "thug" from turning his gun on the young man. I get it. Bad cop. Bad deed. He deserves the death penalty. I'll even pull the switch (or whatever). But then appearing on national television and saying he thought of erasing the tape to avoid harassment? I don't think so...avoid being a hero, maybe...
But I'll tell you MY definition of hero...my definition of a hero is a young woman I spoke to this morning. I travel to my local fitness center most mornings to attempt to give myself the impression that I haven't totally given up just yet...and as I was leaving, there was a young woman at the front desk and she had a copy of a police exam booklet. I couldn't help myself. I had to ask her what she could possibly be thinking, considering the bad press, etc.
She couldn't have been more charming...she told me she was a single mom and needed some security for herself and her 2-year old son. She said working as a personal trainer here in our small community wasn't quite as profitable as where she had lived most recently (Southern California). I again queried, "why law enforcement?" She revealed her father is a Sergeant in Riverside County which might be an indication...although she said her father won't talk very much about what he does (fearing as I do, I imagine, that his daughter much like my own might try to enter this most unappreciated line of work)...
During our discussion, she also mentioned attending college for several years and being a semester or two away from a Bachelor's Degree, but that she felt she needed to work hard toward a career in law enforcement for the betterment of (both) her family and society as well. We talked about what I had experienced during my 26-plus years with multiple agencies and what I felt were needed attributes for any entry level officer. I stayed away from the "thankless" aspects of the field although I would have probably done her a huge favor if I'd steered her away from ever attempting to wear a badge...
But after ALL the media ravings (and even painting all cops with the same scarlet paint brush they accuse officers of using every day)...and all the bemoaning and lamenting about bad cops and racist institutions and murdering poor black men under the color of authority, she is STILL studying during the wee hours of Saturday morning in order to attain of one of the most hated jobs in the history of this, ahem, Democracy? Just for her family and, oh yeah, society? THAT, my friends, is a hero...
He has been on this diatribe for numerous weeks, traversing between Trayvon, Michael, and now Walter...I haven't checked their on-line edition (yet) but I fear it's running a loop of the officer shooting Walter Scott in the back, oh probably going on 100,000 times now (and that's not counting the nightly news, which has run the video no fewer than 10,000 times themselves). Our neighborhood columnist even went so far as label the young man who videotaped the shooting as a hero. Double wow...
No doubt it took some bravery to film this incident...I mean, the cop just shot (and killed) an unarmed black man in the back and then tossed a taser at his feet so as to attempt some sort of justification for his criminal act. The young man was rightfully hesitant to pull out his phone and record this act because what's to stop this "thug" from turning his gun on the young man. I get it. Bad cop. Bad deed. He deserves the death penalty. I'll even pull the switch (or whatever). But then appearing on national television and saying he thought of erasing the tape to avoid harassment? I don't think so...avoid being a hero, maybe...
But I'll tell you MY definition of hero...my definition of a hero is a young woman I spoke to this morning. I travel to my local fitness center most mornings to attempt to give myself the impression that I haven't totally given up just yet...and as I was leaving, there was a young woman at the front desk and she had a copy of a police exam booklet. I couldn't help myself. I had to ask her what she could possibly be thinking, considering the bad press, etc.
She couldn't have been more charming...she told me she was a single mom and needed some security for herself and her 2-year old son. She said working as a personal trainer here in our small community wasn't quite as profitable as where she had lived most recently (Southern California). I again queried, "why law enforcement?" She revealed her father is a Sergeant in Riverside County which might be an indication...although she said her father won't talk very much about what he does (fearing as I do, I imagine, that his daughter much like my own might try to enter this most unappreciated line of work)...
During our discussion, she also mentioned attending college for several years and being a semester or two away from a Bachelor's Degree, but that she felt she needed to work hard toward a career in law enforcement for the betterment of (both) her family and society as well. We talked about what I had experienced during my 26-plus years with multiple agencies and what I felt were needed attributes for any entry level officer. I stayed away from the "thankless" aspects of the field although I would have probably done her a huge favor if I'd steered her away from ever attempting to wear a badge...
But after ALL the media ravings (and even painting all cops with the same scarlet paint brush they accuse officers of using every day)...and all the bemoaning and lamenting about bad cops and racist institutions and murdering poor black men under the color of authority, she is STILL studying during the wee hours of Saturday morning in order to attain of one of the most hated jobs in the history of this, ahem, Democracy? Just for her family and, oh yeah, society? THAT, my friends, is a hero...
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Thank you...and good night!
For regular readers of this blog, both of you, I have been a regular critic of the state of California and their inability to embrace the entire population...in other words, while Governor (Jerry) Brown has placed out the welcome mat for the world's disadvantaged or disaffected, he simultaneously tossed aside the core population who've actually made California work.
Granted, these are changing times...we've gone from a production-based society to one that is essentially consumer driven. Even when it comes to Silicon Valley and the tech sector, the collective eye has most definitely been on the consumer...even the product, at least the hardware, is produced in other countries, specifically China, Singapore, and (even) Mexico...
But, have no fear, the agricultural base in California is still strong and produces over half of the food consumed in the US and nearly a quarter of the entire world's food source...but wait a minute, aren't we in the midst of a 30-year "man-made" drought, the result of our polluting the planet ever since the industrial age started? Well, of course "man" has contributed...
Which brings us to Carly Fiorina, the one time failed candidate for California governor (figures) and future contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination (fat chance)...Fiorina, ironically (or not) the one time CEO of Hewlett Packard, based in the Silicon Valley, agrees that the super-drought in California is the result of man's actions, however she attributes it to the environmental activists who have "made a bad situation worse."
According to Fiorina, the "liberal environmentalists have prevented the building of a single new reservoir or a single water conveyance system over decades during which time the population of California has more than doubled." The plain speaking Fiorina (after all she IS a Republican) also cited that due to the lack of proper rainfall storage systems, the vast majority of rainfall, especially in Southern California, goes straight into the Pacific Ocean.
So, what to do, what to do? Seeing that I was more part of the problem than solution (well, at least that's what the media keeps hammering home), I have relocated to Nevada...in fact, after selling our California home and divesting ourselves of most contents, we have now purchased a home here (the Washoe Valley). No, we haven't totally removed ourselves from the drought-affected region of the country, nor will we be able to avoid the increased costs, restrictions, regulations, etc. brought forth by the powers in Sacramento because as the saying goes..."as California goes, so goes the nation."\
But, California, you've managed to do what many, many others have tried (to do) and failed...shown me the door and held it open wide...and it appears I'm not alone...although it's been happening for years (many people here call it the "Gray Train," and no, they're not happy about the arrival of many Californians who attempt to bring the Golden State with them here upon arrival in the Silver State).
But, I'll always have a soft spot for where I grew up (from 3rd grade on)...unfortunately while in CA, the soft spot was on the top of my head and growing everyday...plus, I've always thought I would go home someday (actually, I'm from the state of Washington) and this way, I can go back and forth between Nevada and Washington, depending on how moist I want to be...oh, wait...global warming might cause torrential flooding up north...oh well, no matter...the media will still say it's my fault...
Granted, these are changing times...we've gone from a production-based society to one that is essentially consumer driven. Even when it comes to Silicon Valley and the tech sector, the collective eye has most definitely been on the consumer...even the product, at least the hardware, is produced in other countries, specifically China, Singapore, and (even) Mexico...
But, have no fear, the agricultural base in California is still strong and produces over half of the food consumed in the US and nearly a quarter of the entire world's food source...but wait a minute, aren't we in the midst of a 30-year "man-made" drought, the result of our polluting the planet ever since the industrial age started? Well, of course "man" has contributed...
Which brings us to Carly Fiorina, the one time failed candidate for California governor (figures) and future contender for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination (fat chance)...Fiorina, ironically (or not) the one time CEO of Hewlett Packard, based in the Silicon Valley, agrees that the super-drought in California is the result of man's actions, however she attributes it to the environmental activists who have "made a bad situation worse."
According to Fiorina, the "liberal environmentalists have prevented the building of a single new reservoir or a single water conveyance system over decades during which time the population of California has more than doubled." The plain speaking Fiorina (after all she IS a Republican) also cited that due to the lack of proper rainfall storage systems, the vast majority of rainfall, especially in Southern California, goes straight into the Pacific Ocean.
So, what to do, what to do? Seeing that I was more part of the problem than solution (well, at least that's what the media keeps hammering home), I have relocated to Nevada...in fact, after selling our California home and divesting ourselves of most contents, we have now purchased a home here (the Washoe Valley). No, we haven't totally removed ourselves from the drought-affected region of the country, nor will we be able to avoid the increased costs, restrictions, regulations, etc. brought forth by the powers in Sacramento because as the saying goes..."as California goes, so goes the nation."\
But, California, you've managed to do what many, many others have tried (to do) and failed...shown me the door and held it open wide...and it appears I'm not alone...although it's been happening for years (many people here call it the "Gray Train," and no, they're not happy about the arrival of many Californians who attempt to bring the Golden State with them here upon arrival in the Silver State).
But, I'll always have a soft spot for where I grew up (from 3rd grade on)...unfortunately while in CA, the soft spot was on the top of my head and growing everyday...plus, I've always thought I would go home someday (actually, I'm from the state of Washington) and this way, I can go back and forth between Nevada and Washington, depending on how moist I want to be...oh, wait...global warming might cause torrential flooding up north...oh well, no matter...the media will still say it's my fault...
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