This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, July 13, 2016

Violence not the answer

I am a white former resident of Dallas, Texas, but, I have spent most of my life in the rural Deep South, mainly Georgia. My first job out of school in 1969 was as an organizer with a poverty program in a majority black rural area near Macon. I had to leave when I received threats to burn my trailer down with my family in it. I know racism. But, things have slowly, undeniably gotten better both in the South and elsewhere. Yes, there is racism among law enforcement officers. I have several in my family.

I strongly disagree with their views, although I understand how they came to be bigots. When the police deal with the element that they have to deal with every day, many of whom are minorities, they incorrectly tend to look at all people of color as less than human. Police departments everywhere must do better screening of applicants, as well as having continuing sensitivity training.

But there is no valid excuse for murdering innocent police (or minority civilians by overreacting, poorly trained officers). No matter how frustrated you are, violence is never the answer. And it just gives bigots of all races more ammunition.

Required reading

Friday’s Erick Erickson column should be read by everyone. How disgraceful our country has gotten to have to vote for one of these two reprehensible people for president.

Insightful quote

“She is — I’ve said before, I’ll say again — if everyone in this country had the character that my wife has, we’d be a better place to live.” The quote is by Bill Clinton (referencing Bill Safire’s observation of Hillary) on my birthday in 1996 may be the most asinine statement ever delivered on Hillary’s character, given what we know today.

William Safire (noted New York Times columnist) described her as “a congenital liar” then and his insightful commentary is good today.

Double the sentence

Regarding the call for sympathy by reader Colin Frayne for Daniel Howard, who left his son and a kitten in a closed car/truck, I have one reply: I would have doubled the fines and sentence. It is not a mystery that many people have been reported and some prosecuted for these “hot car” offenses and yet they still happen. My complaint in this matter is that the charge was dropped concerning the kitten being left in the hot vehicle. Every instance of a child or animal left in a hot car should be prosecuted fully with fines and jail sentences. I applaud the judge for his handling of this all too often crime that usually merits a paltry warning. And, by the way, trying to discredit the judge by bringing up unsubstantiated charges of misconduct, only makes Frayne seem desperate for validation of his complaint.

Mobocracy

After hearing the tragic news that five police offers were murdered in Dallas, Texas, it reminded me of some reasonable concepts which young people need to follow with respect for those in authority. If a police officer pulls you over, obey their orders. If you get stressed and angry over receiving a traffic ticket, this same officer could pull you out of a burning car or take a bullet to save your life. While sacrificing their lives due to evil, these policemen were serving and protecting demonstrators who happened to be protesting two controversial events of police brutality that had resulted in two African-American men being shot and killed by police.

Unfortunately, cases do occur in which law enforcement goes above the law in treatment of apprehended suspects. However, the news media and social media only fuel violence and disrespect toward police officers. At one protest, the crowd was chanting, “Hands up, don’t shoot.” This was one of many media driven narratives that was proven false (Ferguson, Missouri, incident). When police officers are forced to make a split-second decision, unarmed suspects using fists or feet as weapons can pose a threat to the life of law enforcement personnel.

In America, high school students should be taught why our Founding Fathers established our government as a constitutional republic based on the rule of law and not a democracy based on the rule of man (mobocracy). I discussed this topic in chapter 9 of my book, “Land Grab.” Several protests in 2016 have involved destruction of business and government property and aggravated assaults on police officers and innocent civilians. These types of protests resemble mobocracy and defy the First Aamendment to the U.S. Constitution.

What’s worse?

The only thing worse than black men in possession of licensed weapons being killed by police in open-carry states is the appalling silence from the National Rifle Association.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "This is Viewpoints for Wednesday, July 13, 2016."