Soap Box

The death of George Floyd was the most vividly displayed, all-inclusive example of unnecessary and unbridled use of force I have ever seen on film. the sight of four police officers pressing their weight on the length of an already subdued body was disgusting, disturbing and enough to make any law-abiding citizen wonder how men capable of this degree of malicious violence can possibly wear a badge.

What a horrible way to die, 

These men give a black eye and an undeserved fictitious reputation to every man and woman who wears the blue, the decent people who have chosen a hazardous career of service and protection, who daily place their lives on the line to keep the jungle at bay.

At present the baby is being thrown out with the bathwater as radicals call for the abolition of whole police departments, giving little or no thought to what a move like that would bring about.

There is no doubt that something drastic needs to be done, but doing away with organized law enforcement is tantamount to declaring “every man for himself” as protection of home and family would fall on ordinary citizens.

No, the garden does not need to be plowed under, it just needs weeding, and that overdue responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of mayors and governors as the buck passes from the street to immediate superiors and on up the chain of command until it reaches the top.

With very few exceptions, the most important job of any elected official is to surround themselves with capable personnel, people who are able to accept the responsibility of their post to hire competent people for the next rung down and so on and so forth until there is a reliable, unbroken chain of authority from the executive offices to the grunts.

Too many times political partisanship and cronyism comes into play somewhere along the line and inept personnel who are in way over their heads are given positions of authority and the chain is broken and the system falls apart and from incompetence or indifference it manifests itself in people who are not qualified, people who have gone out of control either unnoticed or overlooked by their immediate superior.

It is of paramount importance to put review and reform on the front burner, but not just the rank and file street and patrol cops who live where the rubber meets the road, but also the top jobs in the Capitols and City Halls that need scrutiny, because there are many political appointees in state and city governments that know as much about keeping a vigilant eye on hiring and discipline as a hog knows about an airplane.

But acknowledging that there are problems to be dealt with in police departments and the chain of command, and while peaceful protest is a time-honored method of bringing attention to the situation, it is not a license for thuggery, chaos and insurrection. 

The small violent faction of the protest movement are arsonists, anarchist and murderers, they beat innocent people unmercifully, burn and loot businesses good citizens have worked all their lives to build and murder human beings they don’t even know.

They need to be dealt with by whatever degree of force is necessary to protect the lives and property of law-abiding citizens. They burn homes and businesses in poor neighborhoods, leaving the residents with no place to live or even a place to buy the essentials.
Antifa has been designated as a terrorist organization and should be treated as such.

And yes, black lives certainly matter, but all lives matter, every life is precious and to say only one race matter is the rankest form of apartheid.

The overwhelming majority of Americans want justice for all people, all races, all social and financial strata, and that is exactly what we are promised in our constitution and our bill of rights.

Discriminatory law enforcement is unacceptable period,

The mayors and governors of the cities and states with the most problems are quick to point fingers at outside forces, ulterior factions, racism and lack of funds.

Speaking for myself, as a businessman responsible for creating and marketing a product who has made a payroll twice a month for the last several decades, if one of my employees treats fans, promoters, or the lady who works at the front desk at a hotel disrespectfully, the problem is mine, to discipline that employee and, if the problem persists, fire that employee.

I hire capable people and if for some reason they have grown tired of, or lost interest in their jobs, it’s my responsibility to rectify the problem.

I know I have a small outfit and running a city or a state is much more demanding and complex, but the point is, the time-proven basics of leadership still apply.

The combination of coronavirus, protests and violence in the street has exposed the incompetence, helplessness and downright cowardice of many so-called “leaders” around the nation.

Consider that the next time you vote.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops our police and the peace of Jerusalem