Sunday, February 17, 2013

Christopher Dorner: Supporters organize on Facebook - latimes.com

Christopher Dorner: Supporters organize on Facebook - latimes.com:

We don't know if Dorner actually killed anyone.

Dorner wasn't charged with a crime.

Dorner wasn't convicted of any crime by a judge or a jury of his peers. Our system of justice had nothing to do with the end of his life.

Dorner's dead from a gunshot wound. Was it from his own gun, or other law enforcement? Would he have died anyway as flames engulfed him?

We also don't know if Dorner was unjustly fired from the LAPD. We don't know if he was justified in any way to take justice into his own hands (against victims who obviously were not guilty of any crime, against him or society).

LAPD has a long, documented history of corruption and racism. We do not know to what extent they are complicit in inciting Dorner (which obviously does not justify his actions, but may illustrate what angered and blinded him). The time to find out what provoked Dorner would have been before he went on a killing spree.

You who were cheering law enforcement to  catch him and bring him down should probably reconsider a few things. Was the collateral damage worth it? Casualties both from innocent bystanders and law enforcement? The huge public expense of a massive manhunt?

Do you also cheer our Federal so-called Kill List and Drone Program? I thought not.

Does the LAPD bring out this kind of full tactical alert whenever anyone is killed and the killer is at large? Of course not.

We need to re-examine how we gauge the worth of each of us. Is the life of a law enforcement officer somehow worth more than civilians? Police officers are simultaneously exposed to danger and far better equipped to protect themselves from it than the average citizen, and we will argue until the end of time if that balances.

One thing for sure: next time something like this happens, let's not turn it into another reality show. Let's let law enforcement do their job instead of turning it into a gladiator spectacle. And, yes, now we have to do the painstaking work of determining what provoked him, whether this kind of behavior continues in the LAPD and will sooner or later provoke another, and provide appropriate support for those who serve, both in the Army and LAPD.

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Yes, I Do Hate Guns

Yes, I do hate guns.

You don't have to join me in this. Hate is a powerful emotion, and probably should be reserved for a few people, not a hunk of metal.

I fear guns. If you have a soul, shouldn't you join me in this? Guns, as inanimate objects, don't hate. They don't hate other guns, they don't hate wabbits, they don't hate people. They just kill.

Don't try to tell anyone that people still kill without guns. Of course they do, sparky, but if guns don't kill, why don't we send people into war without guns. That way people could kill people. Crazy people in China have attacked schoolchildren with knives, and how many have they killed - c'mon start thinking here.

Would any of the spree killers in recent memory have killed as many people if they'd had only knives, poison, automobiles (why did I even type that?)? Of course not.

Without guns, people I knew, loved, and admire would probably still be alive now.

Think you have some God-given freedom to own as many guns of any kind at any time as you want? You are just plain wrong, and there is nothing in our Constitution that says anything remotely like that.

Think you need a hoard of guns to fight off a tyrannical US Government? You'd need a lot more that a bunch of ARs to fight off nukes, bunker busters, or even (LAPD?) incendiary grenades, Cletus.

Sure, admire guns for their workmanship. Their craftsmanship. Their place in history. You don't need a cache of weapons to do that. You can admire bicycles, guitars, or dishware in the same way, without the extra 60% chance of a loved one dying from that collection.

Sure, if you have a farm in the middle of Missouri, you'd be a fool not to have a shotgun or .22 to get rid of some critters from time to time. Sure, every household in 1791 had a weapon - one that took a long time to load or reload. There were bears.

The #NRA exists for one reason - to sell more weapons. It benefits arms merchants and terrorists, and cares not for any supposed sacred right you have.

Sure, I hate guns. I don't hate you, or your gun, but thousands and thousands of deaths from guns a year in the US is bad policy, and we're all guilty of letting it happen. I don't even care if your guns get confiscated - your security or freedom won't actually change - but a few sane, reasonable and Constitutional regulations will help us all.