"Too Heavily Armed ..."

This is the new clamor from the terrible reality in the St Louis suburb that the issue is that the police are too heavily armed, too militaristic, too harsh, too, too, too.  As I listen to that clamor I am reminded of a lone gunman in California that single handlely heavily armed gunman held dozens of LA policemen in fear of their lives for he was so far outgunned more than they; the police. Some were killed and it took hours to finally take this criminal out. I remember the cries of needing to up gun our police, better equipment, higher calibre weapons, more devastating ammunition and better tactics.

 

Please know that for me, I think the up gunning of the police has been a great thing and utilizing the surplus armored equipment We the Taxpayers paid for in Iraq and Afghanistan now in police units is a great investment for it protects the lives of those we pay to defend our lives; the police.  I am in no way condoning what has happened in Ferguson for, frankly and as usual, we do not yet know what exactly happened but the media circuses have again managed to inflame an already terrible situation. Please do not blot out the mass looting reminiscent of post Hussein looting in Iraq. Private property destroyed, goods blatantly stolen and carried down main street in front of the people, the Police, paid to prevent such things from happening. 

 

I have watched the local and county police demeaned and demonized and their officers made to be nothing but thugs. Perhaps some are or even perhaps this is all a band from the Sopranos ... who knows but what I am seeing unfold it a terrible tragedy made far worse when the mouths of a by gone era begin to pontificate to the cameras, footage of by gone times are brought out to make comparative comments and the police become the enemy and not the core issue.  This proves, to me at least, that the real victim in this and the other similar cases is our civilization.  So to put that comment on the opaque projector, the projected view is that we are still a nation of uncaring, hating people massed together to find ways to hurt others of different colors, languages and beliefs.  I find that repugnant and sad but that is what the world via our media see and that sickens me.

 

A young man is dead and that is sad. A young man was probably where he should not have been doing what he probably should not have been doing with people he should not have been associating with. that is what I believe will ultimately learn but before that reality is assessed, another time of hate will be ushered into the history books for our grandchildren to see how awful our culture supposedly is.  Do not forget, I remember Birmingham and Selma and the Neshoba County killings; all very real and very terrible.  In my heart I do not believe we live in those times today but listening to the great voices of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, cynicism intended, it just irks me to see how the cameras glisten with their unintelligible clamoring which only adds to the noise.  IGNORE THE NOISE is a great piece of advice I would offer that I stole from Coach Bill Bellichek.  Too much noise shades truth and facts.

 

I do not believe the police politics have handled this matter well by any stretch. But please do not castigate and demean a whole police force for being too well armed and equipped; that is ludicrous to me for you cannot allow police to fall victim to criminals that are better gunned for it is we the citizens that bear the brunt in that reality. I admire and respect the role of police and their leadership as we all should.  Look at Baghdad shortly after it fell when the police left and we saw raw chaos for police protect the citizenry.  Shame on us if we undercut the weaponry and equipment of our police for the criminals are watching you can know!