It's So Easy—To Buy a Gun

Nineteen children have been murdered in Uvalde, Texas, and although it is horrific, it's not surprising. In Texas, it's easy to buy an assault gun—that’s only function is to kill—even if you are only 18. 

An 18-year-old cannot buy a beer, but a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot buy a cigarette, but a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot get a loan for a house without an older co-signer, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot rent a car, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot receive an unrestricted driver’s license, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot work at or go into a strip club, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot ride a motorcycle without a helmet, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

An 18-year-old cannot gamble at a casino or buy a lottery ticket, but to buy a gun is A-okay.

As a veteran and beer drinker, it is particularly galling that an 18-year-old can enlist in the army to go die for his/her country but cannot go buy a beer. Oh, and although they cannot get a drink to drown their sorrows, they can go and buy an AR-15 and blow away kids because the person is upset.

Adults in Texas don't want their children to read books about slavery or about homosexuals, but they have no problem with teenagers buying high-capacity magazines and unlimited quantities of ammunition. 

Face it, America is awash in guns. There are 120 guns for every 100 people. More than any other country. More guns just makes it easier to kill. You get mad, you just pull your gun and take care of it. In previous blogs, I've complained how this is the habit of our police. A civilian runs away from a traffic ticket, a cop is more likely to pull a gun than chase him. This is the way the public does it too. You are pissed at a neighbor so instead of giving him the finger, you get your gun.

Okay, this may not happen every time, but you know it does happen and you also know it happens a lot. That's why you read about a gun being drawn at a football game. A gun fight at a restaurant. A husband shoots his wife. It's easy because guns are easy to come by.

Beto O'Rourke confronted Texas governor Greg Abbott at a news conference and told him this was “on him.” Although you may not like his tactics, it was appropriate as the GOP will only offer thoughts and prayers in a hollow gesture of grief for the victims, but they refuse to do anything that might stop these events from happening again and again.

In fact, here in Texas they do the opposite. They make it easier. So, a child of 18 can buy as much ammo as he wants. Can buy as many assault rifles as he needs. Can buy multiple high capacity magazines and no one bats an eye. 

It's easy.

We won't see an end of these horrible events until we make it not so easy.

Ahhh, James Thurber

A while back, I told myself I wasn’t going to do any more sidesteps about mass shootings or police murdering civilians because I had done so many before. So I took some time off from those types of sidesteps. However, seeing those young, innocent faces of the victims in Uvalde brought too many tears to my eyes—and enraged me. Like so many other people, I keep thinking “when will this end?” But it won’t end. It won’t end because we have a political party (GOP) who get so much money and support from the NRA that they will never change laws that might end these horrible events, no matter how many innocent lives are lost. So, I can’t change that decrepit party, but I can at least make fun of them and write blogs to chastise them. I hope to get back to things like how men have different attitudes about farting than women, or how women are so much better a guilt trips than men, but who knows?

 

Another Murder by Police, Another Sidestep

America was founded by a bunch of radical liberal rabble-rousers.  They had the audacious idea that man should pick his leaders, not God (the king supposedly was ordained by God by being born into the right family).

They also refused to give respect to someone just because that person "took the King's shilling." In other words, just by putting on the uniform didn't mean they'd respect you. You had to earn respect in this country.

After the Revolutionary War, the Tories (conservatives) fled the country, but since that time have slowly filtered back into US society and even have had a measure of power since the 1990s.  Nowhere can you see this better then in the respect conservatives give to police just because they wear the uniform. They are heroes Faux News proclaims. Doesn't matter that the only heroic thing they may have done is hold the door for someone with an armful of groceries.

Likewise, when a policeman (or woman) kills a civilian, conservatives immediately will claim the victim deserved it.  "Oh, he was running away," "He didn't do as commanded," "He had a checkered past," are a few of the justifications they use for killing an unarmed, non-guilty civilian.  Of course, loyal Thurber Brigaders have read my take on how this latter would be if the shoe were on the other foot.

Luckily, although conservative ideology has held sway for a few decades, we're beginning to see cracks in the surety that police can do no wrong because, well, they are the police.

So you may have guessed that this Thurber Brigade Sidestep is caused by yet another murder of a civilian by the police. The Tulsa murder looks pretty open and shut, but remember there was video of Rodney King being pounded by police for speeding, police killing an unarmed naked man, et al, and in each case the police walk free. So pardon me if I have doubts about justice here in the US.

The number of people killed by police in the US so far in 2016 is well over 700.  By contrast in Europe, not counting terrorists, they have killed less than 10 (I made this number up, but it's low. Check the link to see why it's probably accurate). If you read my "tips for tourists" blog from last year you know that there are a wide range of reasons why US police kill civilians: from running away, standing still, doing as told, flashing your headlights, etc. So I won't rehash that.

I had started work on a book on police brutality back in the 90s and in my research discovered thousands of cases of police malfeasance.  So believe me when I say it's not just a few bad apples as most conservatives will try to explain. It's extensive.  I didn't find a publisher for the book, so ended up with just an article instead.

What all of the above is trying to explain is that we desperately need police reform.  I've written a few articles on that too, but if you don't want to read them (Part I and Part II), let me bullet-point a few ideas.

•  Traffic enforcement should be handled by a completely separate—unarmed—city unit. Police were handed this chore because cities were too cheap to come up with a separate force. Having police do it is equivalent to having them inspect restaurants or investigate building code violations.
•  Disarm half the police force.  Do cops need weapons at a car crash? To block off streets for a parade?
•  There should be specialized units within the police for different duties. For example, a rapid deployment force that is armed to handle bank robberies, assaults, etc.  A special unit for terrorist attacks/hostage situations (like the current SWAT).  A detective unit to investigate crimes (pretty much as it currently stands).  A civil action unit to handle non-violent emergencies such as car crashes, tornadoes, etc.  A special unit to handle domestic disputes/mental issues. This latter group would have an unarmed social worker/psychiatrist to make contact and an armed officer as backup.
•  Extensive testing to see if the police applicant should be allowed to carry a weapon and testing to see of an applicant has the temperament to be on a police force.  In other words, stop hiring people who desperately need anger management treatment, or high school jocks who blow up when they don't get the same respect they had while on the team.
•  A minimum two-year length training academy to become an officer.  This would include extensive work on how to de-escalate situations and NOT use a weapon.

These are just some simple starting points on how to bring our police up to the same level as those in other industrialized nations such as the UK or Germany—who have little violence by police on citizens.  If we don't have reform, if we don't hold police accountable for their actions, we'll continue to see more and more murder by police and riots by those who object.

Ahhh, James Thurber

Yes, The Thurber Brigade has strayed again from it's coverage of The War Between Men and Women.  The Brigade would normally apologize for yet another sidestep—except that we don't believe citizens should remain quiet when injustice surfaces. Paraphrasing Barbara Jordan, when you remain silent to these injustices it means that future generations will believe you were okay with them. So The Brigade will try to get back to the straight and narrow soon, but no promises.

Shoot First, Ask...Oh, What the Hell

(Yet Another Thurber Brigade Sidestep)

Shocking opening statement: police are human.  I know, I know, you are saying "duh!" very loudly to this blog, but when we hear about the police or interact with them we often forget that. We often think they are just automatons doing a job.  To a point that is true, we hire them to do the things we don't want to do. However, although they are human we expect them to be able to overcome that and not resort to human behavior. In other words, we expect them not to brutalize or kill us.

Too often police in this country let their human side come out and they panic and overreact to a situation. For example, in the murder (you heard me) of Philando Castile in Minnesota, just listen to the voice of the cop who shot him. He's freaking out. He's let his human side, that sees all blacks as potential thugs and possible threats, override his duty to execute the laws fairly and killed an innocent man.

The same thing happened to Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge. The cops had this idea in the back of their minds that this black guy, overweight, with gold teeth and poorly dressed, was probably an evil thug and so when he began to react to having his arms put in unnatural positions, they assumed he was reaching for a weapon and killed him--before he even had a weapon on display!

If you go to a football game, watch the line judge. He stands on the sideline and usually has some coach yelling in his ear about how lousy all of his fellow refs are behaving. He doesn't flinch. We need our police to have that ability. They are paid to be more human than human.

I mention that quote (you got it right?) because in  "Blade Runner" there is a scene in which someone is going through a psychological test. He freaks out at a question and kills the guy giving the test. Yeah, he's not human. We need to have a test like this for our police.  Too many of them do not have the temperament to carry a weapon.

Not only that, but most don't have the training they need. In the US it takes more training to be a hairdresser then a cop! That's right, our country apparently believes it's more important to ensure that your hairdresser knows how to braid your hair than that a policeman should know how to deal with humans.

This is why in our country we have over 550 civilians killed by police and we're only halfway through 2016!  By contrast, the police in the UK only killed 55 people in 25 YEARS (that's about a week's worth here in the US). Is it because we are more violent people? If you think that, you've never been to a soccer match over there. No, it's training. Police in the UK must go through 2 years of training. That's nothing. In Norway (even less civilian deaths) they have to get a three year degree from a university.

Plus, a big factor is that like here in the US European police are taught to use a weapon, but more importantly, they are trained how NOT to use that weapon.

Another big factor is that police are trained to have a certain attitude about people here. It is ingrained in their subconscious that all civilians are criminals. Don't believe it? What do you think they are learning when they go through that street scenario where they must spot and shoot the bad guy? Subconsciously they learn that around every bend is a baddie. Yet in reality, the majority of the time they just give out tickets to people with a taillight out. They are bred to believe that on every stop they will encounter some evil guy and so are on edge every time they approach someone who fits the image in their mind. If they are white, that image is any black person.

Lastly, the one concept that people don't seem to understand about police is that their mission is to "maintain and control."  Maintain the status quo and Control the population. "Serve and Protect" is just a PR campaign.

 

Alice Paul arrested 

It's always been like this. When kings first founded the idea of a police force, it wasn't to solve crime or murders, it was to protect their property. In more modern times, when corporations needed a strike broken, who did they send in to bust them up? Yeah, you know. When Suffragettes paraded down streets, who hauled them off to jail for daring to want to be treated like humans? Who waded into those evil reporters at the 1968 convention? Who pepper-sprayed protestors just sitting on public parkland? You get it now? Sure, they investigate burglaries and murders these days, but the overriding function of police is to control us humans.

As a people we have progressed from living in caves to living in high rises. We no longer draw on that cave wall, we post to Facebook. Although our police have modern weapons and equipment, isn't it time they also modernized their behavior? When will we have the police that we expect for the 21st century? The US needs to reform the police now!

Another Brigade apology: Too often The Thurber Brigade takes these sidesteps. Believe me, it's more fun to talk about the difference between men and women then the latest society atrocity. Yet again I apologize for straying, but keep in mind that as long as there is injustice or mayhem that bothers my soul, these sidesteps will keep showing up. Sorry. I also want to apologize for those who have read my articles on HUB about police reform. Yeah, I'm repeating some stuff here, but it's important enough that it is worth repeating. Feel free to share this info too as it's the only way we will ever see reform--enough people need to be raising their voices.

What if?

What if the Main Stream Media (MSM) reported police deaths similar to when a civilian gets shot by police?

AUSTIN—A civilian shot and killed a police officer today after a brief encounter near his house.  John Doe had been walking on Main Street when suddenly a policeman grabbed his arm and began yelling at him. Doe attempted to talk calmly to the police officer, but the policeman quickly pulled out a gun and pointed it at Doe.  Doe then pulled out his own service revolver and shot the incoherent policeman.

 John Doe               Officer Mack Johnson

The policeman, identified as Officer Mack Johnson, had been reprimanded a number of times by his boss and had on his record several past domestic disputes with his wife.  It is also reported that he walked a number of meal tickets at local restaurants and had been seen numerous times hanging around a local high school near a large group of young girls.

Several neighbors tried to console Doe after the shooting and eventually called EMS to aid Officer Johnson who died on the way to the hospital.

Social media has been livid about the incident.  Numerous popular organizations tweeted their support of Doe:

Doe, married and the father of three children works at the Good Samaritan cafeteria. Workers describe him as a friendly, caring man with an impeccable work history.

Ruth Bender witnessed the shooting.  "The man (Doe) was just walking along minding his business and this police officer ran up and began babbling obscenities at him.  Next thing I know the cop had a gun out and was waving it around wildly.  I feared for my life, but luckily the other man also had a gun and defended himself and the neighborhood. Who knows whether any kids could have been hurt if he had not acted?"

The police department expressed its concern about the confrontation and Doe's uncle, Bradly Doe, promised to launch an investigation into the incident and assures the public he will report the findings in a timely, transparent manner. After a preliminary inspection of Officer Johnson's house, Bradly Doe stated he found numerous large caliber weapons, vests, military and gun publications as well as materials that could be used to manufacture explosive devices (fertilizer, bleach).

John Doe has been temporarily suspended by the Samaritan and will take a paid vacation until the investigation is completed.

The Thurber Brigade again regrets getting off-track by presenting another sidestep (and believe it or not, there might be one more coming up). However, this is getting ridiculous. Over 550 civilians have been killed by police so far this year (http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2015/jun/01/the-counted-police-killings-us-database#)  In the UK, only 55 civilians have been killed in 25 years!  Something has to be done. I've written a few articles about reform (http://hubpages.com/politics/Police-ReformPart-II) and until there is reform, there will be more eye-for-eye incidents and more people killed. I can't change anything because I am not a government official, but at least I can say something and maybe one day, enough other people will say something and those in power will do something. Plus, there has to be balance in news reporting.  These days the media doesn't help because they present such a biased view of the victim.  So don't just sit there and say there's nothing you can do. Say something. It's a start.

Tips For Tourists: Another Thurber Brigade Sidestep

In these troubled times, The Thurber Brigade wishes to do its part to help people and to foster amity with those who travel to our shores. So we offer these Tips For Tourists. In this particular case we want to give our European friends who have crossed the ocean a guide to better understand what to expect if they encounter the police here in the United States.

First off, keep in mind that our police are nothing like what you experience in your home country. While it may take two to three years of training to become a "cop" back home, here in the US it can take as little as 15 weeks to earn the gun and badge (even hairdressers require more training).

Also, although your police may use Sherlock Holmes as a role model for reasoned policing, here in The States they prefer the "Dirty Harry" style of enforcing the law.

In that vein, while your lawmen prefer to de-escalate a tense situation, ours prefer to shoot first and sort it out, well, they typically don't need to sort anything out because they can do no wrong in the American Justice system's eyes. In other words, if they do something violent to you there is a 90% chance that nothing will happen to them save a few days of paid vacation.

With all of the above in mind, here are a few tips to avoid being shot/killed/or beat up by American law officers:

☠ Do not run from the police. It doesn't matter that you may have not done anything and fear for your life (because they are shouting at you and have their hands on their guns), stand perfectly still. Keep in mind, that even subservience doesn't guarantee that you will not be shot or beaten. But if someone is filming the exchange, there is at least a 10% chance the officer will get a verbal reprimand.

☠ Do not ask them for assistance. They may take it as a sign that you are about to attack them and will “Pre-retaliate” to stop you. 

☠  If you are driving, do not flash your headlights at them even if they are running theirs on highbeam. They might see you as a possible terrorist and think you are signaling a fellow traveler and so will again Pre-retaliate before you have a chance to do anything. 

☠ If you do as they ask, the police may shoot you.  Again, it boils down to them believing you are about to do them harm, and so want to take action before you do.

☠ They may also shoot you if you don't do what they ask. For example, if they ask you for something you don’t have in your possession and so don’t give it to them (even though you don’t have it), then they might fear you are about to do something violent to them and so will attack you before you get a chance. 

☠  If they come to your hotel room/home and want to search it, if you refuse they may shoot you. It doesn’t matter if you ask them for a warrant. If you refuse they’ll assume you are an international terrorist and will fear you are about to do them harm and so will again, Pre-retaliate.

☠   Do not take pictures while you are here on vacation or you might become horribly maimed by police. 

 

In case you got your dog through quarantine keep in mind that our police fear dogs with a passion and may shoot your pet if he:

☠  Runs away

☠  Barks (even if on a leash)

☠  Sits in your house

☠  Is a service animal

As you can see from these tips, the police here in the US are nothing like your police who typically respond with patience and calm. Our police are a fearful lot who fear so much for their lives, we're often surprised they even step outside their station. 

You may have also noticed that they really like to use their guns too. This is because in their training (remember, usually only about 15 weeks) they are taught how to use their weapon, but not about how to avoid having to use it like police are taught in Europe. So their first impulse for anything that doesn't go their way is to shoot. Yes, you might have just been stopped for something that just warrants a ticket, but hey, they have this gun they might as well use it, right?

We at the Thurber Brigade hope these tips will help you to enjoy your time here as well as maybe return you to your country safely and with little physical and psychological damage from our "peace officers." Enjoy your trip and for god's sake if you see a policeman coming for you keep your head down!

The Thurber Brigade apologizes for taking a sidestep yet again. We know it seems to be a habit, but we thought that since the number of deaths at the hands of police has now gone over 1,000 for this year (meanwhile, in 24 years police in Wales and England only killed 55 civilians), well, it might be good to give people new to the US a little warning. The Brigade plans to get back to the business of The War Between Men and Women real soon. Really.

James Thurber supports sidesteps. Trust me.

(Some Images courtesy http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/)