Law enforcement, exactly who do they "Protect and Serve?"

I'm not much in the way of one who ventures outside of the realm of human issues, but then I stop and think about Mr. Smith, my 4lb Yorkshire Terrier, and I begin to realize that this one isn't as far outside of that norm as I had originally assumed. My dog is my best friend. He is human to me, and in some ways more so than any human being ever could be. This thought was in my mind as I read a Facebook post yesterday evening, about an incident that occurred a few days ago during which an innocent family pet was shot in the leg by two police officers poking their noses around private property. Apparently -- and rather conveniently -- the officers found themselves on the property in response to a noise complaint. Upon the officers approach, Pepper -- the loyal friend and canine victim of this mess -- did as any loyal, faithful companion would and positioned herself between the officers and her owner who was outside smoking a cigarette after a long nights work -- as he had done hundreds of nights before that.

Guns drawn and shouting at Peppers owner to silence the dog -- who was obviously inclined, as anyone would be who was not privy to the ways of human law enforcement, to bark as a result of this disgusting display that was taking place at the hands of, what were to her, combative, threatening and argumentative predators in dark clothing -- these fine officers of the law decided against taking a rational approach to deescalate the situation, and proceeded instead to fire a round into Peppers left front leg. Apparently, it would seem, for no reason other than to prove a point. (As cops are inclined to do when abusing power.) The bullet shattered Peppers left front leg joint at the "elbow," causing what I am sure was excruciating pain to the poor girl.

Pepper was taken immediately to a veterinary center where the poor thing waited hours before finally receiving some sort of anesthetic and was eventually sedated. Could you imagine the outcry, had this been a human being? Pepper underwent surgery to amputate her leg to the shoulder, during which time it was found that she still had the lead bullet logged in her joint. The operation was a success, but sadly Pepper passed away shortly after the surgery due to "severe lead poisoning." This, of course, is just a very brief synopsis and does not due justice to the pain and suffering that has gripped Peppers family and friends. To that end, I urge you to make your way over to the website that was erected for Pepper. There is much more to read, including official documentation of the incident, eye witness testimony and ongoing updates, which can be found here, and you can contribute your support to help see that this injustice is not gone unheard, by signing the petition found here; again, I urge you to do so.

This story leads me to my thought for today. This scenario unfolded much in the way that I personally feel far to may stories involving law enforcement are these days. During the course of what would otherwise be a normal day, any one of us can find ourselves staring down a barrel belonging to an untrained, uneducated "officer of the law." I only have so many hands available to me, to count the stories that have come out of such situations, whose end result sees some innocent bystander shot and killed at the hands of a half witted common Joe with a pistol and badge. I read storied of physical abuse and cover ups conducted by these so called brothers of the shield whereby innocent individuals are beaten senselessly by out of control vigilante officers who fear no recourse from their actions. I have been victim to these situations myself. One would not see it as a shock then, that I begin to ask myself, when is enough, enough? One of the truths that I am coming to terms with, is that I honestly no longer fear being mugged more than I fear being grazed by an officers bullet. Sincerely. I find myself fearing more, the potential onslaught of random abuses by officers who, with the power of a badge to protect and conceal, conduct any and all varieties of senseless acts against the innocent citizens of this country on a regular basis.

Where has our leadership gone? Have we truly become a police state to this extent? It is no secret that police officers no longer hold the prestige and respect they once did, and it is with good reason. I know that I will personally only ever truly feel comfortable, when I live in a world -- or a state at very least -- which does not hand over supreme authority to an average Joe or Jane Blow who push-upped his or her way through the "Police Academy" at the local community college. The fact is quite simple to recognize, that we are empowering these individuals with the the enormous responsibility to give, take and destroy lives. Should it not be the requirement then, that these individuals who are held in such high regard, who possess such unrelenting power, be fully psychologically capable of handling such power? And to be frank, I don't mean the standard governmental BS sanity test. I'm talking about full aptitude of the inner workings of the brain and it's functions, how it responds to stimuli, and how to manage difficult interactions. Should officers not possess the ability to understand what it is they are feeling as they point a weapon at a mentally ill man and begin to fire? Could they possibly understand what it is that triggers them to beat arrested individuals or subject innocent people to their power trips? Is it to much to ask of our nation that I not hold a higher degree than the individuals who monitor and suppress me with such unyielding force in such overbearing ways?

I understand fully that this scenario does not in any way apply to each and every officer in the United States. There is and will always be that select few who fulfill their duties successfully and without incident. This said though, there are far to many situations, such as the story told above, which are to the contrary. I put it to those responsible for enacting the standards, which must be met on the way to the badge, to think about the realities of the types and depths of power you place in the hands of these individuals. Are they truly capable? Mentally capable? Can they handle pressure and power? Is there a measure in place which allows us as citizens to not fear the mechanism that is the brotherhood of the shield? For the truth is, what recourse do we have? I fear the day when the citizens of this country realize by how fine a thread their lives do hang. For it is when this realization takes hold that we may have seen ourselves come along to far for such peaceful resolutions. These things are not to much to ask, and I feel it is the duty of the regulators of these individuals to ensure that they are fully and rationally capable of preforming the duties they are given, and can manage their emotions and the emotions of others in the ways that such an empowering position would require. I am sorry to say, one does not obtain this type of enlightenment and true understanding from a GED and community college boot camp.

About Me: I am a Computer Scientist, more specifically a Database Administrator, a business man (Holding a Bachelors in Business with a focus in Enterprise Administration from Fordham University, Magna Cum Laude), a writer, a blogger, as well as a philosopher, a philanthropist (as much as one with limited finances can be..) a veteran, and in general, an all around thinker and do'er. My purpose is to point out that there is a reason for everything and an opinion for every reason. I am designed to interpret what I see and dictate what I've interpreted. My hope is that my words will not be seen as harsh, rather as liberating, and at very least, thought provoking. I enjoy everything from technology, to race relations, biology, genetics and economics..  for a start.. 

WhoisJamesRoberts.com

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Observations From The Real World

If I had to write down 10 truths that summed up the hypocrisy that is race relations in America, they would probably be a lot longer than these..

1) Liberals aren't held to the same standards as Republicans: When liberals convey racist sentiment, it is more often than not excused out of hand as if it were no big deal. This holds true not only for racism, but also for reverse racism as well -- Jeremiah Wright, Farrakhan and Al Sharpton being the "pioneers" of that category.

2) Minority racism should be ignored: According to Rasmussen polling, “Thirty-seven percent (37%) of American Adults think most black Americans are racist -- the reports being conducted via a national telephone survey. Equal opportunity is not so far reaching that it touches on the realities within the black community, and herein lies the problem. Foundational racism is not the answer to the fundamental issues plaguing the black communities.

3) There is no penalty for false accusation of racism: False accusations of racism can do just as much damage as actual racism. People can be ostracized for it, lose endorsement deals or even lose their jobs over being falsely accused of racism. Yet, the only reason you've heard of people like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Touré, and Melissa Harris-Perry is because they’re willing to accuse people of being racists on the flimsiest of pretexts. It’s tempting to compare these race-hustling poverty pimps to the KKK, but the more appropriate analogy is the Spanish Inquisition. The attitude is, “So what if we unjustly accuse a lot of people as long as we get a few heretics in the process?” Witch hunt much?

4) Emotion matters more than facts and causation: It doesn't matter what Bush actually did in New Orleans or that the local government failed the people of the city; it matters how people FEEL about it. It doesn't matter that Democrats have run Detroit since 1962; it matters that people FEEL Republicans are responsible. It doesn't matter that Trayvon Martin wasn't really a twelve year old kid and that he was slamming George Zimmerman’s head into the pavement; it matters that Zimmerman’s acquittal FEELS symbolic of law-abiding black Americans being profiled because so many other black Americans are criminals. Once an accusation of racism is made, facts are treated as if they’re of secondary importance to FEELINGS.

5) It’s okay to discriminate against Americans with light skin: It’s unbelievable that in 2013, we still have race-based discrimination in America and liberals are perfectly fine with it. 

6) We will never leave the 50's and 60's: Comparing the United States of 2013, when we have a black President of the United States to a time when black Americans couldn't drink from the same water fountains as whites is so ridiculous that to do so should practically be considered a sign of mental illness. Yet, it happens all the time . . .

7) Past evidence must be ignored: Ironically, saying you have “black friends” is now considered to be something that a racist would say. That says much more about the sort of witch hunt allegations of racism have become in this country than the people who say it. Judge Charles Pickering put his life on the line to prosecute the Grand Dragon of the KKK in Mississippi in the early sixties; yet liberals falsely branded him a racist to stop his nomination to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. George Zimmerman tutored black children and fought to get justice for a black homeless man beaten by police and even voted for Obama, but he was still falsely portrayed as a racist. This can happen only because determining if someone is a racist has become a political tool that is completely disconnected from whether the person in question actually dislikes people because of the color of their skin.

8) Republicans secretly want to do things Democrats used to do: Conservative, moderate, and liberal Democrats were behind slavery, the KKK, Jim Crow laws, segregation, the Tuskegee Experiment, lynchings and every other racist horror inflicted on black Americans in this country. Republicans stood against the Democrats while they were doing all of those terrible things and while we congratulate them on now agreeing with us that they were wrong, it’s disgusting to try to blame Democrat sins on the Republican Party. . 

9) Minorities shouldn't be held to the same standards as whites: If there is one general characteristic of white liberals, it’s their condescending and demeaning attitude toward blacks.” The soft bigotry of low expectations that liberals bring to the table encourages mediocrity, undercuts excellence and generally helps to hold minorities in America back.

10) When a white non-liberal disagrees with a liberal minority, there is a racist agenda behind said disagreement: Republicans absolutely detested Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton; so what kind of moron would assume that their intense dislike of Barack Obama must be driven by race? Tea Partiers love black conservatives that agree with them, like Herman Cain and Allen West; so could there be a reason that they detest Barack Obama other than race? Do we really need the Scooby Gang to figure out why a group that’s all about small government, low taxes, and cutting spending would dislike a socialist who’s all about big government, higher taxes and increasing spending? . . .

Food for thought. If you can manage to muster a response to these summations based on actual fact rather than a distortion of historical facts combined with excuse mongering and race baiting, please, I beg you to leave a response. I would gladly take into consideration, any thoughts from the liberal side that actually made sense. The "politically correct" need not apply! Politics is dead.

About Me: I am a Computer Scientist, more specifically a Database Administrator, a business man (Holding a Bachelors in Business with a focus in Enterprise Administration from Fordham University, Magna Cum Laude), a writer, a blogger, as well as a philosopher, a philanthropist (as much as one with limited finances can be..) a veteran, and in general, an all around thinker and do'er. My purpose is to point out that there is a reason for everything and an opinion for every reason. I am designed to interpret what I see and dictate what I've interpreted. My hope is that my words will not be seen as harsh, rather as liberating, and at the very least thought provoking. I enjoy everything from technology, to race relations, biology, genetics and economics.. for a start.. 

                                                         WhoisJamesRoberts.com

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