Deja Vu Boulder

Sadly, this blog has made a number of sidesteps related to gun violence. Many of them dealt with police shooting an unarmed man, but a few also were about mass shooting of civilians.  

 

One of those blogs discussed how the NRA was founded as a shooting organization, not one for the protection of the 2nd Amendment. Plus, that same blog noted how the 2nd Amendment isn't really about gun ownership, it's about slavery, or rather, arming militias so they can control slaves.

 

Just like everyone, when a mass shooting event occurs I’m outraged that it could even happen. Unfortunately, here in the U.S. it’s become just a way of life. You can’t say we’re used to it, but you can say it’s a regular occurrence, and we've been doing it for a long time. 

 

Of course, nothing will be done to stop this repeating occurrence. The GOP, yes, just that party, will not allow anything to change. It doesn’t matter that gun regulation is very popular with everybody, because they don’t want to offend their big donors they will slam the door on reform.

 

So instead of me ranting again about how we need to stop this madness, or tell about how in the past the NRA actually believed in gun regulations, or how in the early history of our country we did regulate them (turn your weapon in to the sheriff before entering our town, cowboy) I’ll just go the symbolic route.

 

Play this video of the lonely sound of the wind sweeping across the plains as you look at the following pictures and think about the lives of those who will no longer be with us.  (Click this link to play the sound effect in the background)

 

Boulder, Colorado

Atlanta, Georgia

Pittsburgh

El Paso

Roseburg, Oregon

Sutherland Springs, Texas

Las Vegas

Orlando

Aurora, Colorado

Newtown, Connecticut (Sandy Hook)

Columbine, Colorado

 

 

 

 

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/)

The Oregon Mass Shooting: Another Thurber Brigade Sidestep

Did you know that the NRA was founded by a handful of Northern Civil War veterans who wanted to make sure their fellow Yankees could shoot as well as their Southern counterparts?

Believe it.  In fact, their stated purpose was “Firearms Safety Education, Marksmanship Training, Shooting for Recreation.” 

I bring this up because every time a madman kills a large number of people in the United States, the gun nuts—excuse me—enthusiasts, rush to the airwaves to stress how it’s every citizen’s 2^nd Amendment right to carry a gun. 

But it’s not.

The 2nd Amendment got added to our Bill of Rights because many of the Founding Fathers owned slaves and they feared that the Federal Government would disarm the state militias.  Those state militias were an important tool used by slavers to quell slave rebellions and hunt down runaway slaves. If you took away the guns of the militia, well, as Leonardo DiCaprio in Django Unchained  asks, "Why don't the slaves just rise up and kill the whites?"

Yeah, the slavers feared that.

Individual gun ownership was not really a concern of the founders. I think this is largely because they believed the country was a wild frontier and so it went without saying that people would own guns. Of course, in colonial days running around with guns (open carry) was frowned upon by just about everyone unless absolutely necessary, but that’s a different story.

The NRA changed its tune in the 1970s and grasped the 2^nd Amendment as its own useful tool for controlling populations.  Populations of people who wanted to have more strict control on guns. 

It hasn’t really worked.  When I say that, I mean it hasn’t changed peoples’ minds. Most people still want more regulations of firearms. Things like background checks, etc.

The NRA has been very good at impressing congress though. Although the regular populaton supports more gun regulations and there is always a large public outcry after the latest mass killing event, congress refuses to do anything.

To further pound home the reason why congress SHOULD do something, let’s compare the number of deaths caused by firearms versus congress’ big PR fear target—terrorism:

So just in case congress and the president decide to really do something about gun violence, here’s my 2¢ or actually, two ideas that would help.

• Universal background checks.  Admittedly, this is a small step and would only reduce gun deaths a bit, but we have to start someplace. It would need to be a bit more thorough then the current method, and get all the states to buy in by reporting all information that would be useful. Information such as time spent in a mental institution. Right now, that is barely reported and seldom reported if it was voluntary.

• Require liability insurance for all guns. That’s right, just like those other killer machines, cars, we need to require gun owners to be willing to pay to protect us from wrongful use of their weapon. 

This would be a big boon for the insurance companies of course, but the reason this would work is because sooner or later those same companies would have to start paying out massive amounts of money for violent acts. And they’d hate that.

So once insurance companies begin to get really angry about having to pay out all that money, it means they’d also begin to put the hammer down on congress and get them to do even more gun control regulation. Once insurance companies begin lobbying as extensively for gun control as the NRA currently does to stop it, well, I think we might get something done.

So there are solutions out there for America’s penchant to have a mass shooting just about every two weeks. We just need to get Big Money behind the initiatives to actually have those solutions happen.

This picture has nothing to do with the issue of this blog. It's just that I've been to Oregon quite a few times and believe it's a beautiful state.  So although there is no way to forget that horrible incident in Roseburg, OR, I thought I'd leave you a more picturesque image of the state (that's Mt. Hood).

**The Thurber Brigade apologizes for yet again veering off the road of the War Between Men and Women and assures everyone that it will return to the straight and narrow soon. Maybe. 

James Thurber!