3 Boxes of BS

Sorry I’ve been absent; things are, let’s just say unsettled at home. The adult kids are having a difficult time and it affects the entire household.

Between that and financial concerns, I’m a little too frazzled to make a coherent post.

Hope to be back in tomorrow. Please stay tuned and for those willing; prayers would be appreciated.

As always, I’m humbled to see how many people actually read and care. Thanks.

Last weekend, my Tennessee Father In Law came to visit for his grand-daughter’s graduation. It was a good time and congrats to Lauren; our future Razorback.
During the visit Troy related an unsettling incident from 2 weeks prior to his visit. He was woken up in the middle of the night by someone banging on his door and yelling for him to open up. Troy kept the lights off and went to check it out but by the time he made it to the front door the banging stopped.

As he was looking around; the banging and yelling started again — at the back door.

He again kept lights off and moved to find out what was going on; picking up the land line in the process. He got to a window where he could see a young looking man wobbling and unsteady on his feet. Banging on the back door; still yelling to be let in.

Troy called 911 and during the call, the noise stopped and he lost sight of the man. By the time he moved around to get another view all he saw was a pair of legs on the steps leading up to his back door.

Police showed up after several minutes and apprehended the man; drunk and passed out on the back porch. He roused enough to tell them he was looking for his Aunt & Uncle’s house but couldn’t provide any address or names of who he was looking for.

Being the skeptical people cops are known to be; they booked him on disturbing the peace and drunk in public.

It was in the midst of all the commotion and waiting for the police that Troy realized something very important; he didn’t have any effective means of self defense in the house.
That is has been resolved as of yesterday.

Troy handled one of the choices we have available for home defense and purchased one like it yesterday — a Maverick by Mossberg Security 88.

He had to go to 4 different stores (maybe availability isn’t easing up that much yet) before he found one. Ammo is still hard to find in his area. Luckily Troy traveled by car out here so he went back with a few rounds from our inventory.

Hopefully this will be the first step; I know I’ll encourage him to find a handgun he can handle well. I already know he can handle a pistol, it is just a matter of finding one that fits his budget and he likes.

As usual, I continue to do things backwards; I thought it was supposed to be the elders that ‘corrupts’ the youth, not the other way around as I’ve done here.

Please join the discussion.

The world is really getting turned Topsy turvy isn’t it? I mean here I am a ‘conservative’ (more libertarian but let’s not quibble) citing an old ‘rule’ of Don’t trust the Fuzz.

This week an officer with the city police department committed suicide. Turns out he was under investigation along with another officer or two.

ARLINGTON — Police Chief Will Johnson announced Thursday that the entire Arlington Police Department will undergo random drug tests in the wake of a federal investigation involving possible illegal use of steroids by officers.

Johnson put the department on notice Thursday that if anyone is caught using illegal drugs, “they will be terminated.”

Officer Thomas Kantzos, who faces federal charges in the investigation, has been fired, Johnson said during a news conference at Arlington police headquarters.

Kantzos, a 17-year veteran, was arrested Tuesday, accused of accessing law-enforcement-only databases to tip off a dealer from whom he had been buying steroids for himself and other officers for years, according to a federal complaint released Wednesday.

Another officer under investigation, David Vo, committed suicide Tuesday afternoon under a tree near his home in west Arlington.

The accusations in this case aren’t as horrendous as some (murder, cannibalism, etc) but they are staggering in the implications.

First, we have the violation of trust in accessing confidential information. We also have illegal drug use; regardless of whether I believe it should be illegal, it currently is. The officer especially knew that and still broke the law. A law he swore an oath to uphold.

And this definitely goes along with the troubling “us versus them” mentality we talked about on Tuesday. We’ve seen issues with steroids in the past and how that can affect the way an officer interacts with the public.  Given this investigation, it really is in the best interest f every person to assume that the officer they are dealing with could be subject to ‘roid rage’.
Hey fair is fair; if you are going to assume that I’m dangerous then I’m going to do assume the exact same thing for any officer I come in contact with.

And I really don’t to do that. I really want to trust the people with “to serve and to protect” on their cars and hearts.
I want to believe that these guys were the only ones breaking the law; it is almost impossible to do that so. As Weer’d said in his post, Officer Harless’ behavior was known, it was condoned by many in the department there. I would find it hard to believe that people who worked with Vo and Kantzos weren’t aware they were using steroids or selling them.

And yet it took an FBI investigation for it to come out.

“These actions were not consistent with our values and they are not tolerated within the organization,” Johnson said. “When we make mistakes, we will own them and be transparent about them. Although we are experiencing the same emotions as the community, we have to persevere through them and demonstrate to the community that we are going to provide the same level of public safety as always.

“Ninety-nine percent of the police employees are dedicated, hardworking public servants that want to make a difference in the community. They are sad. They are frustrated. They are disappointed that our department is being viewed through this lens because of the actions of a few.”

Chief Johnson still has some work to do; so does every officer on the department. If they truly want to make a difference in the community, they have to start in their own department.

Please join the discussion.

Once again, the media is reporting on a case where a thug was stopped by a person with a firearm. This time local to the area; not all that far from Bunker BS in reality.

Sims says he was held at gunpoint during the robbery.

“He had the gun to my chest and was like give me everything. Give me the money. So I gave him the money,” Sims said.

However, instead of giving the robber just the one key to the register, Sims gave him the entire ring of keys. The robber spent several crucial seconds fumbling with the keyring as the other employee came in from the back room.

“My co-worker was coming from the back and I told him we been robbed. And he said ‘Freeze,’ but the dude didnt freeze, he was reaching in his pocket for his gun. So he shot him. My coworker shot him. So he went down. I kicked the gun away from him and called the police,” Sims said.

The thug survived and is reported as having ‘serious injuries’.
Good thinking on the part of the clerk Sims; his actions gave the co-worker enough time to return and engage the thug.

It would be interesting to know how much training the victim had; did the store send him to hours long, week long classes. Did he have more training then required for a Concealed Handgun License ? Did he even have a CHL?

See, like the story yesterday, we often see these media reports but they don’t include information that would really help us evaluate just how much training and experience is required. The lady yesterday seem to have considerable experience on the range but no reported formal training.

I would hazard a guess (and I know it is just a guess) that most people involved in a Defensive Gun Use (DGU) don’t have formal training. And you know something, I’m okay with that.

Please join the discussion.

A 72-year-old Southern California grandmother who shot at — and narrowly missed — a man trying to break into her home said Tuesday she was shocked at the attention her action was getting but does not regret defending herself and her husband, an 85-year-old World War II veteran who uses a wheelchair.

Not because the fact a defensive gun use was reported in the news; that is good news but not what makes the story great.

Nope, this is what makes it great.

Before I get into this post, I want to make it very clear that I support law enforcement personnel in doing their job. I understand it is a dangerous job and reasonable precautions have to be taken. Where I differ is how ‘reasonable’ has been defined lately. I am not advocating any violence toward law enforcement officers; far from it. I’m trying to foster an understanding from where the average citizen sees this issue. I also completely understand that it is a minority of officers who cross the law into legal behavior. What is troubling is so many officers and agencies are pushing the boundaries of the law and seeking to create new laws that makes it easier for them to cross the line.

Ever wonder why so many police across the country in separate cities, departments and even agencies display much of the same behavior?

Part of it is because of articles like this from Policemag.com.  In article, supposedly on how to spot people carrying concealed weapons, I found this gems. (All emphasis though out mine)

That means that the best way to survive an encounter with an illegally armed individual is to exert complete control over everyone you stop, everyone you confront for any reason, and everyone you meet until you can confirm that they are not a threat to you.

Basic human decency and courtesy? Oh the door in the name of ‘officer safety’. Because just how can an officer confirm that someone isn’t a threat?
I understand officers wanting to go home but that does not justify them treating me as a threat until I show myself to be one.

Your job is to ensure that you always remain in a position to exert complete control at all times. In order to accomplish this you must inform all subjects involved in any stop or enforcement action that they must not move, they must keep their hands where you can see them, and they must not place their hands inside their clothing or inside any compartments for any reason unless you instruct them to do so.

And again, instant and complete obedience demanded by those hired to protect us. So once the police show up, for whatever reason, I’m supposed to become an automaton only following his/her orders?
Everyone’s seen the videos, I don’t have to post them here, of the police slamming people to the ground, on to cars or floors for the slightest reason. This writer is encouraging that behavior.

Sorry Sir but we don’t loose our rights just because an officer is on the scene. We can move, we can fidget, we can do things you don’t like. Please stop treating, stop telling every officer to treat us like we are all criminals waiting to murder you; it simply isn’t so.

It also makes sense to ask everyone you stop or challenge to tell you if they are armed with any firearms or weapons. Naturally, you should use a tone of voice befitting the circumstances at hand whenever you inform citizens of the rules of engagement and you ask if they are armed.

Rules of engagement? WOW! Law Enforcement isn’t the military; stop acting like it is. We already have a list of the “rules of engagement” — it is the Constitution (including all of the Bill of Rights) and the applicable laws !!  You don’t get to make up ‘rules’ on the spot, you don’t get to supersede the Constitution and the laws just in the name of ‘officer safety’.

This mentality of “rules of engagement” is one of the main contributors to the ‘us versus them’ attitude so prevalent among law enforcement. Look, you deal with some bad people. I get that. I also know you deal with people like me, probably more often then the ‘bad people’ — just the average citizen who is either a victim, seeking information or guilty of a minor infraction of the law (I’ve been caught speeding a few times).

Above all, listen to your instincts and be prepared to react when you perceive danger. Remember, outside of getting ambushed, cops get killed and get injured when they lose control.

And how do innocent people get killed or injured? When the police demand complete and utter control. Innocent people also get killed and injured when the law enforcement officers ‘lose control’ of their anger, their emotions, their rationality. And seems to be happening more and more often.

Think this mentality is just the author’s? How about this comment?

ERTLing007@hotmail.com @ 11/9/2007 9:12 PM

You owe it to your Family and anyone who cares about you to be prudent at all times and to never, ever let your guard down even when everything seems to be under control. If it feels weird then it probably is, so grab that bad guy and search him, secure him and keep an eye on him; he screws around, make him pay for his mistake because you’re going home tonight!!

Never mind rights, never mind due process, never mind the law, never mind the rules — make him pay for his mistakes — Holey Stinking Mackeral! Is it any wonder people are losing trust in law enforcement?

This comment really sums it up:

bk @ 6/8/2013 11:34 AM

I remember when the po-po were more concerned for citizens than for themselves. Our country is on a dangerous path that always leads to a police state.

Please join the discussion.

We can’t vote our way out of this situation.

Common sentiment; this time left in comments by Militialaw, one that I vehemently disagree with.
Oh, I’m saying that I’m 100% certain we can elect enough people to turn the country in the direction it so desperately needs. But we definitely need to keep voting – because in reality that is the only solution.

Federal Level

Okay….let’s just say we can’t elect enough people to turn the country around; so we should stop voting people we trust and believe into office?
So then what?
People who have no need to answer to a large segment of the population are making the laws; approving appoints for judiciary and bureaucratic positions, right.

I would rather keep voting people like Ted Cruz into office. He might not be able to change things completely but slowing down the decline is helpful. Pointing out the failures of the government officials as he has done is needed.

And who knows, maybe the horse will learn to sing and we’ll have enough people to make a positive difference.

Either way; voting matters.

State Level

Let’s compare Wyoming & Arizona against New York and Massachusetts, shall we?
Think there is no difference in electing people at the state level; just look the pro-gun laws versus ‘gun control’ laws enacted in those states. Some are restricting liberties and other states are increasing it.
How is it done?
By the people elected to office of course. Do those representatives truly reflect the political make up of the people? I think so but if we don’t go to the polls we no longer can say that.
We need to keep electing people that will resist the intrusion of the state government into our lives.

Because the states still have some influence; voting matters.

Local Level

All politics are local; a trite but ultimately true cliche. Don’t like Red Light cameras; where do you stand a better chance of making a change; local, state or federal level?
Want another gun range in your town; who controls the local planning and zoning board?
We stand a greater chance of electing people who truly can make a difference in our daily lives at the local level than any other level. Let’s not forget the school board, the water commission, etc.

And let’s not forget the big picture. Where do the leaders of tomorrow come from?
Of course, the local level.

People usually don’t start their political careers at the county, state or federal level. They gain experience and notice at the local level.  Isn’t it in our best interest to create areas were the politicians have learned what liberty and freedom mean to people, learn to vote not for nanny-state laws, etc?

Every day laws and our future leaders; yeah, voting matters.

If Worst Comes to Worst

Let’s just say that history repeats itself again; more a case of Revolutionary War instead of Civil war hopefully but either way, what happens?

Ever think about the process? Ever read about how the Continental Congress created the current Constitution?
How about before that; who were the people sending letters to the Parliament and the King?
Just exactly what happened that lead the Colonies to declare their Independence.

Yep, you guessed it. Most of it was done by ‘elected representatives’ at the time. The people themselves either voted who to send to the Continental Congress or the elected representatives were sent.

How would it work if we had to do it again? I don’t know for sure but I can tell you; I better get a say in the matter if it comes to that. Don’t you want a voice in the matter?

How about the new form of government after the big break up? Who do you think will have the edge in gaining office; political neophytes who have never held office (possibly given ‘voter’ sentiments) but mostly likely experience politicians or at least people familiar with getting things done, right?

And let’s keep running down the rabbit hole and ask who will be running the militias?
Ever think of how that leadership is going to be decided if not by votes?

What will the laws be like, how will they be decided, heck even if you part of the world is going to stay or go is all going to be voted on.

So, let’s not be hasty when throwing that phrase around, eh.

That’s all I’m trying to say. I think it sends the wrong message or at least not the full message we need to be sending.

We will have the country we want only if we keep voting.

Please join the discussion.