A Nation Built on Order and Respect

Unfortunately, as I post this new article, I've already heard about another shooting. This one being in Southern California at a Korean Christian retreat. I really haven't heard much more than a husband shot his wife and possibly more people as well. Certainly, all these shootings that have happened recently including the one in Alabama and North Carolina should be very disturbing to us as a nation.

As these events happen and cause us to reflect, we sometimes experience those moments of helplessness. What to do? Was there someway this tragedy could have been prevented? How do the people involved, as well as their friends and family, recover to get on with their lives? Often the solutions or reasons we are offered sometimes seem simplistic. Reasons such as that these events are the result of this nation forgetting God or that maybe we just need to remember that our forefathers forged this nation to be a decent one...a nation built on order and respect toward other lives and property. Some believe such reasons maybe valid.

Whatever reasons or solutions offered, we cannot forget the fine men and women in the police forces throughout this nation who help keep the order, especially those tragically gun downed in Oakland and Pittsburgh. No doubt, they are more than ever under constant pressure in performing their duties. A case in point is the massacre in Binghamton, NY. A local radio host by the name of Jack Riccardi here in San Antonio, Tx. was talking about how the police waited for an hour before going into the building, even though they could hear no more gunshots. Apparently, the police had arrived within minutes of the shooting, but did not charge in to possibly rescue anybody who may have been in danger or wounded. He claims he got that information (police waiting for an hour) from reading some articles, and I believe him to be a credible host as I do listen to him often.

Now he was not seeking to impugn the officers ( as these matters do need to be treated delicately) at the scene and certainly not the police as a whole; but he was seeking to find out that since we do arm the police, should they not be ready to charge into a building even at their own peril to rescue those who still may be in danger. Some callers to his program suggested that maybe their (Binghamton police) cautionary actions were due to not knowing for sure whether the gunman had possibly set some booby traps. Perhaps he was holding hostages, and the officer's superiors held them back to wait for the SWAT team. At this posting, not much is known for sure. There is no simple answer to that.

Still, I would have to concur as to the statement that that is why the police are supposed to be armed...to protect the public. Because from time to time those who believe that the police can't always be there to protect either because their hands are tied by their superiors or perhaps they themselves may be outmatched (and, unfortunately, there are times when that may be true), and want to protect themselves with their own arms have to hear from the busy bodies and finger waggers that "you need to let the professionals handle these situations."

"How dare you have a gun in your home for protection, especially since you have children. Don't you know you may be putting them in danger?" Then the tired argument often heard is, "You know things can always be replaced, but lives can't (that is what is usually said usually in a condescending way when the property owner possibly has the intention of fighting back)." Yes, I'm sure that's true; but the replacing of my things should be at my discretion and not the criminal's. These type of statements are often offered by those who seek to reduce gun rights and possibly ban them altogether.

Certainly, the police are in a very precarious situation many times; and what I get miffed at the most is when there is an officer involved shooting and the press always has to mention that the officer has been placed on administrative duty pending an investigation. Then they have to give the officer's name and how many years he/she has been on the force and other information of that nature. It's almost like judgement has already been passed on the officer (at least that is the tone). That he is already guilty of something for daring to do his job. I believe that is very disingenuous.

Yes, hail to those heroes who protect us from the evil in this world; and to those who seek to deny the public the right to defend himself, I have this to say: "Get out of my LZ."