[Faith Presses On]

Wow. I can only imagine how a chase would leave someone shaken. I pray you stay safe. I just about have to leave this for tonight, so I can't write as much as I'd like to right now, but I'll mention a few things.

First, let me go back again to my first few posts in this thread (1, 6, and 11).

As I said in one of them, this case takes place in the context of police conduct not being looked at with equanimity. Instead, the debate is adversarial, with the media, and politicians, led by the left, having the edge in a way.

The left looks to demonize and prosecute the police profession itself. As such, I am taking a "defense attorney" stance here. Again, that's because there isn't a reasonable discussion taking place. As I also mentioned, I've had discussions at different places with leftists. Right now, they see it as politically beneficial to them to vilify all police. I mentioned a few comments made by people at places like Salon, and I'll mention some other bits of conversation. I said to someone on the left that most officers want to serve and protect others, and I was told that police officers are just psychopaths with guns who want to exercise power over others. That opinion was seconded by many people. The only "good cop," to so many on the left, is the rare liberal intellectual who chooses to become one, or some who are women or minorities.>>>

[Molon Labbie]

Thank you for that. What some fail to recognize is that we authorize, even encourage officers to use force (within reason) to maintain social order. It is never pretty.

If you watch closely, the left will often say things like “He had an argument with the police.” That should translate as
“He was defiant to legal and lawful orders to cease and desist.”

To cease and desist does not make one subservient, it is simply an emphatic to remind you of what your social and civil duties as a citizen are. If you persist, then the next option is force.

“He had an altercation with the police.” That should translate to “He resisted arrest, because he was persistently defiant even when warned of impending arrest.”

“He didn’t have a gun, I would know if he did”

or

“I didn’t raise him to be like that.”

or

“He might have had a gun, but the police are too quick to shoot. They shot him for no good reason.”

All excuses, all denials, all the time.

There are hundreds of thousands of law-abiding citizens who carry concealed everyday, to protect themselves or loved ones. There are equally hundreds of thousands who routinely carry guns to protect themselves as well, but the difference is the have chosen a life, willingly, that necessitates them to carry a firearm because they are always in danger of being assassinated. I am not talking about cops either.

They carry those firearms because they have chosen to sell dope, rob others, shoot at people for intimidation and to kill or maim their rivals, who are actively doing the same line of work. When they cross paths with the police, they believe that they can just open fire with no consequence or they care not for the consequence, for they have been indoctrinated since toddlers that prison is just a fact of life, an inevitable destination that you will visit.

I work with other officers who have done heroic things, went into burning houses, yes, rescuing black folks, carried unconscious black citizens out of carbon monoxide filled rooms that even the fire department was not going to go in with SCBA gear, went in front of houses that suspects had been firing out of to rescue shot up people, and many others.

I have NEVER worked with a police officer that would not do the same if the opportunity arose.

Bad hiring/screening, bad training, and bad leadership foster bad cops. All correctable, but you have to have the organizational culture to do so, not all agencies are equal.