0.8 Seconds. What Would You do?

Last month in Chicago police responded to a "shots fired" call at about 2:30am. They encountered 13 year old Adam Toledo, who was out on the street with a 21 year old man on a school night. Both of them were armed with handguns. The older suspect was tackled and apprehended. Toledo ran down an alley, gun in hand, pursued by another officer.

Toledo stopped by a fence, still armed, as the officer repeatedly shouted for him to drop the weapon. As the officer, with gun ready, continued to yell for the boy to drop the gun, Toledo apparently put his hand through an opening in the fence and dropped the gun even as the officer was preparing to shoot. The gun was found on the other side of the fence. The officer fired as the boy was turning back around. Body camera video shows it was 8/10s of a second between the last warning and the fatal shot. Eight tenths of a second. The video also shows the boy was hit as he turned with empty hands. 

It was a tragic occurrence. The officer, in less than a second, had to decide if the boy was still armed after chasing him while he was brandishing the gun. Forensics showed the boy had gunshot residue on his hand and the other suspect on his gloves. They had both fired a gun prior to police arrival. The officer had to decide in a split second if his life was in immediate danger. He fired and tragically, a then unarmed boy lost his life.

The question is - was the officer wrong? Less than one tenth of a second to decide whether or not you're still facing a deadly threat. What would you do? I see comments after articles that say the officer is garbage and should be charged with murder. I would bet none of those comments came from anyone who has ever faced that choice. As he was pulling the trigger the boy dropped the gun and turned. Sadly, he caught the round in the chest. If he turned toward the officer with the gun still in his hand the officer could be the one dead. I'm sure, as he thinks about what he did, there is a part of him that wishes that was the case.

The other question that begs to be asked is where were this boys' parents and why was he out at 2:30am with a gun?

Every one likes to second guess a police shooting after the fact, particularly if the suspect wasn't actively shooting. I have no doubt every cop wishes he/she had more time to make a potentially deadly decision. Contrary to what some believe, the average police officer does not wake up every day wanting to kill someone. They want to protect and serve their communities.

In 2020 there were nearly 700,000 police officers in the country, counting federal, state, county and city. Due to "defund police" programs, poor leadership in our major cities, and political assault on policing, that number has likely dropped. 264 of those officers were killed in the line of duty.

There are 328 million people in the United States last year.  Approximately 5.4 million were white. Approximately 22 million were black.

457 whites were killed by police in 2020, actual details not available at this writing. That's. 00008%.

241 blacks were killed by police in 2020, actual details not available. That's. 000001%.

If my math is correct, (and it certainly could be wrong) less than 1% of whites and blacks were killed by police in 2020.

It seems to me that with nearly 700,000 police in this country, if they were out to kill people, particularly minorities, there would be a whole lot more bodies on the streets. But thats me.

Are Cities and Police Falling to Mob Rule?

As retired law enforcement I support law enforcement 100% and always give the officer(s) the benefit of the doubt. But here is a question I have. A white police officer in Minnesota, in the heat of the moment, drew her firearm instead of her taser and accidentally killed a black suspect. The city council fired her immediately and fired the City Manager because he dared to call for due process. The officer admitted she made a mistake and resigned and has now been arrested and charged with manslaughter. OK. Fair enough. Due process after the fact

A Capitol Police officer shot and killed an unarmed white woman during the riot on January 6th. Video and photos show the woman was standing inside the building doing nothing aggressive when a police officer shot her through the window of a secured and barricaded door. The officer has not been identified and to my knowledge no charges were filed. That officer has disappeared from radar.

What are the differences? Minneapolis - black suspect, white officer. Continued rioting, looting, burning in the streets. 

Washington DC - white victim, officer's race and ethnicity unknown. No rioting in the streets.

Are law enforcement officers today facing punitive actions based on comminity outrage or the ethnicity of not only the victims and police officers but Mayors and City Council members as well?

Remember in Baltimore a few years ago when a black suspect died inside a police van and there was violence in the streets? County Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged five white officers with manslaughter. Things quieted down in the city until all five of those officers were acquitted. Then Baltimore was on fire again.

Minneapolis is going to burn again if the verdict in the Chauvin trial, whatever it may be, is not good enough for the demonstrators. One cannot help but wonder if that reality is high in the minds of the prosecutors, jury members and the judge. Can a person be found guilty in a court case because jurors are afraid of what will happen in their community if it doesn't happen? It's one of the reasons Chauvin's trial should have been moved.

I personally don't believe he will receive a fair, honest verdict because people are scared. And rightly so. Unchecked violence in the streets, allowed by mayors, city councils and police chiefs, create fear within communities.

Seattle's Police Chief resigned last year because the Seattle city council would not let her department respond properly to rioting. Portland has been on fire for well over a year due to leadershop failure. Remember the Baltimore mayor a few years ago saying "We have to give them room to destroy?" Big mistake.

Journalism and The Justice Department - Both Dead?

What American politics is showing us very blatantly these days is that we no longer have an honest and effective Justice Department. It began with (or even before) President Obama and has only gotten worse. From the obvious corruption of the Clintons throughout her campaign, and even before, mostly ignored and whitwashed by disgraced FBI Director Comey, to the blatant corruption and lies of James Clapper and John Brennan while under oath, to the complete waste of time and money by the appointments of AG Bill Barr and his appointment of John Durham as a special prosecutor, to Christopher Wray's appointment as useless FBI Director, the performance at the top level of the Justice Department has become a joke. The list is long. The crimes are obvious, even to some left-wing media outlets, yet they are ignored and left alone.

Honestly, one of the major problems I had and still have with the Trump administration and his Justice Department was their lack of action on the above named topics, along with several of his seemingly usless appointments. None of the people in charge did anything - at least that's how it seems. One of Trump's biggest promises was to proseute Hillary. It didn't happen. Then the scandals, allegations, and even obvious crimes simply went away with time, as will any illegalities committed by the Biden family.

The latest examples are the Biden money scandals and Biden's obvious mental health defficiencies. In the early 70s reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein would have been all over Hunter Biden's alleged dealings with Ukraine, Russia, underage girls, illegal drugs, and alleged payment of cash to his father. They would have questioned Biden's seeming lack of mental awareness and made it front page news. With the exceptions of Fox, Newsmax, Breitbart, and a handful of others, these stories will now just go away. And even those outlets won't stay on them long if the Justice Department simply let's them disappear.

Real journalism in this country is rare these days. There are a few left but their investigative reports rarely make it to a majority of Americans and are frequently squashed by the left. And now attempts are made to 'cancel' honest journalists. It's all about control of the masses. And as long as the stories don't affect our daily lives most Americans are content to ignore them. We are becoming victims of our own indifference.

A Quick English Lesson

"Assault Rifle/Assault Weapon" - a term or phrase invented by the political left to describe a semi-automatic, small caliber rifle containing cosmetic accessories that look scary to them. It's a phrase used to intimidate people with limited knowledge of the firearms.

These weapons are functionally no different than other semi-automatic rifles, shotguns  or handguns except they are gas operated rather than concussion operated. In other words gas from the bullet discharge recharges the weapon rather than the cocussion from the bullet discharge. This doesn't make the weapon more dangerous, merely more efficient. As with any other semi-automatic rifle or handgun, it fires one round per trigger pull.

The weapons are usually black but today can be purchased in any color including pink. Rather than a solid stock they normally have a collapsible stock, which merely makes it shorter and easier to handle and store when collapsed. They have a barrel shroud, normally the same color, that protects the barrel as well as protecting the shooter's hand from heat, just as a wooden barrel cover does. It makes the weapon no more dangerous. They have replaceable front and rear sights as well as mounting for a scope, regular or electronic, and often a mount for a front hand grip that helps the shooter hold the weapon steady. None of the accessories make the weapon more dangerous. As I said, they just intimidate those with no real knowledge of firearms.

Joe Biden and the Democrats want to eliminate these weapons because they are deliberately ignorant of the facts. Calling an AR-15 an assault weapon is like calling your RAV4 a military assault vehicle. I'm really not going to take the time to explain the differences because people will believe what they're told in these situations. What we need are politicians who are actually familiar with a subject before they begin writing legislation and Executive Orders.

Fredo Is At It Again

 

Last night on his show Chris Cuomo said that some Democrat law makers, along with the ACLU, are suing Donald Trump for instigating "an insurrection on January 6th in which five people were killed." He went on to basically say that those who are trying to distort those facts need to be shut down. There are so many things wrong with that I don't know where to start.

First, Fredo - it was not an insurrection. Do you even know what the word means? And if, on the odd chance you do - do you really believe 400 or 500 people (the estimated number who participated in the violence) actually went to the Capitol that day intending to overthrow the United States government? Seriosly?

Second - the medical examiner concluded that of the five people who died that day, only officer Sicknick's death is still in question. One died of an amphetamine overdose, two died of natural causes (acute heart disease,) and one was shot. Could the excitement of the incident have triggered heart attacks? Certainly. But to say they were "killed in the insurrection" is false and grossly misleading. And it's a terribly irresponsible for a guy who has a national audience to say. I mean - you're flat out lying about what happened, Fredo.

The constant and continuing efforts by the left, including the ACLU, to some how hurt or damage Donald Trump is a perfect example of Trump Derangement Syndrome gone amok. Trump is gone. It wasn't an "insurrection." Get over it.

The ACLU should be filing a lawsuit against the Capitol Police and the as yet unknown shooter over the death of Ashli Babbitt instead of the former President. Her shooter has disappeared.  Trump didn't cause that death. The shooter did. He fired at her, an unarmed woman, through a secured door window that she was not touching or in any way attempting to breach. She was just standing there. Where is the justice for Ashli Babbitt??

The disturbance at the Capitol on January 6th was unfortunate. But for a national TV host to publicly lie about it to his followers (all 100 of them) on his nightly show is pathetic. And if there were any integrity in left-wing journalism anymore someone would call him out on it.

Some History of "Good Friday"

 Today is called "Good Friday" by the Christian community. It's not because it was a good day for anyone, except perhaps for the bloodthirsty Roman soldiers and the mobs who observed the crucifixion in ignorance, but because it's the day that our Lord sacrificed His life for each and every one of us to reconcile our sins before God. His ugly, painful death brought each of us new and eternal life. Our only cost? We must accept Him and believe.

After being betrayed by Judas, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemeny where He and His disciples had gone to pray. He was bound and likely taken up this stone stairway to Mount Zion and eventually to the house of Caiaphus, which stood on this very sight.

Jesus first faced Annas, the former high priest and Caiaphus' father-law. Annas questioned Him about His teachings and His disciples but made no public determination. 

Caiaphus was woken in the night and presented with Jesus for a determination of His fate. Caiaphus asked Jesus if He was the Son of God, the Messiah. Jesus answered "I am." Caiaphus called for Jesus' death for blasphemy. 

Jesus faced several "trials" that night, all of which were illegal by Jewish and Roman law. Jesus was taken before Pilate who found no fault with Him. Jesus was taken before Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem at the time. Herod found no reason to execute Jesus and returned Him to Pilate. Pilate, wanting no part in the death of Jesus, ordered Him scourged and released. He returned Jesus to the soldiers.

The soldiers stripped Jesus of His garments and tied Him to the Column of Flagellation, a stone or wooden column in a public place where the victim was in a kneeling position, unable to stand or sit, and beaten severely. Unlike whipping, the cords of flagellation were leather straps infused with pieces of lead and bone that cut through the victim's skin, fascia and muscle all the way to the bone or bowel. They pulled chunks of muscle and bone from the body when they were pulled away. Flagellation was usually fatal on it's own yet Jesus survived to take Himself most of the way to the place of execution, carrying the cross bar of His own cross.

After the scourge Jesus was returned to Pilate, who still saw no reason to crucify Him. By that time, however, Pilate knew someone was going to be put to death that day by the mob and even though he found no reason for it, he offered the growing mob the choice, as was customary, of releasing Jesus or Barabbas. The mob chose to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus.

Pilate washed his hands to symbolize that he had no part in Jesus fate. Jesus was released to the Roman soldiers once again. The cross bar of his own cross was laid upon His shoulders and He was forced to carry it to the site of Hs crucifixion, a hill outside the city called Golgotha - the place of the skull. 

Golgotha still exists to this day although centuries of weather and erosion have mostly destroyed the original image that resembled a skull. Standing close to it one can still imagine its former appearance and understand how it got the name.

Jesus was tired, weak from devastating injuries, blood loss and lack of sleep, and carrying such a heavy load. He stumbled and fell more than once. Eventually, about halfway there, He fell for the last time and was unable to stand under the weight. The soldiers, knowing Jesus might not survive His trip to His own execution, forced a bystander, Simon of Cyrene, to carry the cross for Jesus. Simon was a foreigner from what is now known as Libya. We don't know the specific reason he was chosen but he carried the cross and followed behind Jesus. Was that symbolic? The other Gospels simply say Simon carried the cross but in Luke it specifically says Simon carried it behind Jesus. Was this in reference to Luke 9:23 where Jesus said "If anyone would come after me let him deny himself an take up his cross daily and follow me?"

Upon arrival to Golgotha, Jesus was placed supine on the ground, Accounts of the actual process vary but I believe large spikes were driven with hammers through His wrists (not his hands as has been portrayed) into the crosspiece of heavy wood. The crosspiece was then picked up from the ground, not gently, with Jesus hanging by His wrists, and raised to the slot on the top of the upright, where it would be dropped into place, causing agony to Jesus' back and shoulders. Splinters and the rough wood would have been extremely painful on his open and raw back. Using those same spikes, Jesus' feet were nailed to the upright in a position that did not allow Him to kneel or stand straight.

As was customary in a crucifixion, Jesus would have to force Himself to stand to take a deep breath. Suffocation was the most common cause of death during crucifixion as the body was unable to take in appropriate amounts of oxygen. But standing, forcing Himself up to breathe, would have been excruciating. He suffered most of the day, calling out to His father, forgiving his executioners, inviting His fellow prisoner into paradise with Him, before announcing "It is finished" and literally willing Himself to die.

At that moment the skies darkened, the ground shook and the Temple veil was torn in half. But in reality, "It is finished" turned out to be only the beginning for those who believe.

A Little Piece of History For Easter

A friend of mine this morning posted a meme about this day in history. This was the day that our Lord Jesus gathered His disciples in the upper room for their last meal and get-together before the horrible but vital events of Easter began.

Later in the day Jesus met with His disciples in that room. They broke bread as He explained to them the significance of the bread and the wine and gave them an idea of what was going to happen, even though even such men as these had no real comprehension of the miracle that His ugly death was going to provide for the world.

In late February of 2015, my wife and I had the opportunity to visit Israel. The current room that is celebrated as  the room room of the Lord's Suppe, or at least built on the sight of the original one, is a fairly large granite and marble room with pillars and niches for displays and statues. It looks nothing like my mental image of the original room and more like a formal room of an old church. The outside stairway on the back of the building helps a little but it's not what I was expecting.

This is not the way I've ever pictured the upper room, probably because of paintings I've seen as a child. I pictured it as an open room on top of the flat roof of a house, more like a terrace, with half walls beneath open windows and a roof supported by wooden and\or stone pillars, with flowering plants hanging down. This could be the painting I saw as a kid. It's certainly the way I've always thought of it.

Jerusalem is a city that has been recreated over the centuries, with new portions of it being built over the top of old ruins. The Tomb of David and the surrounding buildings are on top of Mount Zion on the South Eastern side, near the city walls. There is no reason to believe this room is the current room that housed Jesus and his disciples that evening but it is very possible it is built over the same sight.

Scripture tells us that it was in this room during the meal that Jesus told Judas to go ahead with his business and get it over with. Scripture also tells us that when they had eaten they walked down the mountain to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. They could very well have used this stairway to the East of where they were that ran from the front of the home of Caiaphas, just East of the room.

I so wanted to wander my way down that stairway all the way to the Kidron Valley and into the Garden while we were there. What a journey that would have been - to actually walk the way that Jesus walked. It is believed, and architecturally likely, that these are the actual stairs Jesus climbed after His arrest when he was brought before Caiaphus.

It is said that once you have been to Israel reading the Bible is never the same as it was. I believe and understand that now. When I read scripture today, and remember being in the place where an event actually occurred, when I read about the Garden of Gethsemane and the rock where Jesus prayed, when I read about his triumphant entry into the old city riding on a donkey and remember "I've been there," it makes everything real and move vivid. An even though the current room of the Lord's  Supper was not what I expected it to be, standing in that spot, surrounded by ancient buildings and new, following the narrow road that leads to the Via Dolorosa and all it has to reveal, makes me humble beyond belief.

Thanks to my old friend Jon who posted the meme and inspired me to pull these thoughts and memories together. What an event this day became for mankind.