From: Retain Mike Sent: Friday, February 23, 2018 11:42 AM To: WSJ Letters (wsj.ltrs@wsj.com) Subject: Cowardliness of Armed Guard
When President Trump fairly called out the armed deputy as a coward, he was echoing the Sheriff who said the man had an absolute duty to enter the school and attack the shooter. The deputy failed at probably the most critical moment in his law enforcement career and he will never have a chance to redeem himself.
Combat veterans can relate to the myriad of reactions that impacted the guard when he heard the gunshots. Soldiers need to be shot at a lot of times before they can trust their reactions, if that ever happens. In every firefight they are assaulted by the options of flee, freeze, or fight and hope their training overcomes any bad impulses. Read Steven Crane’s book The Red Badge of Courage and you can see how one Union Army private dealt with the issue. He was able to redeem himself, but again the guard will never have the opportunity, and will never know whether cowardliness is part of his character.
In my little part of war, I served as the officer in charge of our ship when general quarters sounded. I was onboard for nineteen months and served through three extended Vietnam deployments. I was not a religious man, but whenever the alarm sounded I always prayed, “Oh God, please help me do something intelligent in the next 60 seconds”. Thank the good Lord I don’t have to deal with catastrophic failure for my prior actions.
Cop who didn't enter school during Florida shooting resigns, has home guarded, is slammed as 'coward' by Trump http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/23/police-officers-guard-home-deputy-assigned-to-florida-hs-who-never-went-in-during-shooting-report.html
(hat tip responsibility2nd)
https://twitter.com/TheLastRefuge2/status/966854970594287616
Cops were under standing orders to ignore teen criminal activity at the Broward school. So that the school could get federal funding, they were able to fudge crime statistics that heavily exposed Black/Hispanic crimes in order to falsely claim juvenile delinquency was down 60%!
The level of corruption is so intense - I would not be surprised if the cop on duty was under orders to STAND DOWN while children were being murdered. Was he a coward during those 4 minutes he stood outside while Cruz was firing? Or did Sheriff Israel direct him to “set up a perimeter”?
Let’s ask Broward resident Cong Debbie W/S.
CONGRESS: Capitol Switchboard 1-866-220-0044
U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-23) released the following statement on the Broward County school shooting:
“As a Broward County resident for nearly 30 years and an elected official for most of that time, my heart breaks for the victims, their families, friends, and loved ones. As a parent of a Broward County high school student, and as someone with friends whose children attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, it is gut wrenching that another senseless school shooting has occurred, this time in our community.
In the United States of America, it is simply unacceptable that we allow children to run for their lives with their backpacks on. Unacceptable that we allow parents to fear for the worst while they wait to hear back from their kids, and unacceptable that we allow survivors of school shootings to live with a trauma that can never be explained away.
I stand with my community and our families and ask all Americans to keep the parents, siblings, spouses and loved ones in their prayers this evening. No American anywhere should have to feel the pain that Broward County feels today, and too many communities have felt across our country countless times before. We must do something about this senseless epidemic of gun violence and we must do it now.”
Good post. Armed with only a pistol against an assailant with a rifle, I would also have some fear as to the outcome, but I agree as a salaried deputy, it’s a risk that comes with the job, and he should have acted courageously. Sadly the courts have ruled that cops really have no “duty” to protect. If that’s the case, what good are they?