To Protect and Serve

Have we lost our minds?

Are we so intimidated by the left-wing politically-correct gang in our society that we have chosen to keep our courage in a glass jar on the mantle?

Will our kids (and grandkids) survive, or have we created a generation of permanent victims?

TO PROTECT AND SERVE

Yes, it's our motto. But, I fear that we've stepped across a line. Someone has decided that violence in any form is an unacceptable tool in the hands of anyone other than us cops. Only the professionals can use force we're told.

The leaders in our schools embrace a zero-tolerance policy on violence. It no longer matters who started it. Anyone and everyone involved in an act that is even remotely violent or physical gets full-force punishment. How absurd.

Let's look at a short list of mass shooting incidents that are both infamous and horrible:

• 9/23/08, Finland - Dead: 9; shooter commits suicide after opening fire in a vocational school classroom.
• 2/14/08, DeKalb, IL - Dead 5; wounded: 17; shooter commits suicide after opening fire in a classroom at Northern Illinois University.
• 12/06/07, Omaha, NE - Dead: 8; wounded: 5; shooter commits suicide after opening fire in a shopping mall crowded with Christmas shoppers.
• 10/10/07, Cleveland, OH - Dead: 0; wounded: 4; 14 year old shooter commits suicide after opening fire in a high school.
• 04/16/07, Blacksburg, VA - Dead 32; wounded: 23; shooter commits suicide after opening fire at two locations on the Virginia Tech campus.
• 10/3/06, Nickel Mines, PA - Dead: 5; wounded 5; shooter commits suicide after opening fire in a one-room school house. The victims range in age from 6 to 13.

Unfortunately, this list is far from complete. It will likely never be finished.

Many of the cops in our community insist that the right to use violence is reserved only for those in our ranks. I believe that this attitude is causing people to die.

I believe that our attitudes on this subject have led John Q. Public to develop a false sense of security. It has caused an improper transfer of personal responsibility for self defense to someone else, i.e. society, the government, or more specifically, to the cops. Citizens are literally afraid to protect themselves.

In some communities, this fatal notion is rooted so deeply that even police volunteers, e.g. auxiliary and reserve officers, are prohibited from carrying a weapon and/or using force to end an adversarial confrontation. What are we thinking?

Let's be very clear about a few fundamental concepts. First, nowhere in the U.S. Constitution will we find anything that requires the government to provide the populace with protection from acts perpetrated by other citizens. The U.S. Supreme Court has upheld that citizens cannot hold the government responsible for providing complete and comprehensive protection to individual citizens.

THE POLITICALY CORRECT RESPONSE

With each incidence of a mass shooting, very predictably, handwringing from the left-wing crowd begins. Their solution is ever constant: more strict control of guns with more laws and more government.

Duh!

Are these people complete morons? Are they really as stupid and ignorant as their words make them appear? Do they really believe that people who commit such heinous acts are concerned with the latest statute passed by a legislature? Lawbreakers of this magnitude don’t much care about what the law says.

Do they somehow believe that in an open society, such as ours, that the authorities can ferret out evil-doers in advance to prevent an incident? They aren't thinking clearly here either. That level of intrusion into our personal lives wouldn't be tolerated by any of us, least of all by their spiritual leader: the ACLU.

Gun-toting, sick, perverse individuals who commit such egregious crimes are likely emboldened by the preaching of these do-gooders. The murderers realize that as a direct result of the PC crowd, there will be no one armed at schools, churches and similar venues who might be able to abort their killing spree. Where I come from, these No-Gun locations are more commonly referred to as SEZ: Shooter Empowerment Zones.

No one ever suggests the obvious: teach the potential victims how to recognize a potential/actual risk, how to intervene, and how to respond, i.e. defend themselves with up to, and including use of deadly force.

The PC crowd got very quiet after 9/11/01. They should have stayed quiet, but they haven't. This collective group of numbskulls seems to have three primary concerns:

• Foster individuality. Being different is good for its own sake. Now, it's no longer enough to be American. I must be Irish-American, Italian-American, African-American or some form of hyphenated American.
• Nourish diversity in the populace. Blow away the notion of our forefathers: it is our similarities that make us strong. To be strong we must act as a single people.
• Don't ever offend anyone - even if they're wrong. No one ever loses. No one is ever wrong. Everyone gets an award, even if they didn’t earn it.

The PC group is driven in their efforts to achieve a fantasy-land utopia that never has and never will exist. They make the rest of us feel guilty for violating any of their tenets for behavior. "Horse-hockey," as the Colonel on M*A*S*H* used to say.

CAN ANYONE DO ANYTHING TO STOP THIS CRAZINESS?

A few weeks ago, I became aware of Strategos International and I talked with Vaughn Baker of that organization. Strategos is a professional training organization. Its operation is firmly rooted in basic Christian values and that belief is abundantly clear when reviewing their website linked below. With the introduction of Intruder Response courses for workplace, schools and churches they have entered a field rarely touched and certainly not approached in the same way.

Strategos has instructed over 6,000 law enforcement and military professionals since 2002 on various tactical related topics to include Law Enforcement Response to the Active Shooter, Strategies of Low Light Engagements, Strategies of Vehicle Engagements, Ballistic Shield Operations & Deployment, Special Operations Team Tactics and several other live-fire and defensive tactics related topics.

Strategos recently recognized the need to not only educate law enforcement personnel on active shooter response strategies but also to educate administrators, faculty and leaders of colleges, governments, schools, teachers, churches, and others to recognize potential risks and prevent these incidents prior to them occurring. Additionally they educate these same leaders in immediately responding to these types of incidents PRIOR to law enforcement arrival.

Strategos is a faith based, conservative Christian training organization. They put that out there for all to see and make it clear: they won't change their approach. If their approach is not for you, then you’re welcome to go elsewhere. How refreshing.

Strategos teaches people to recognize a potential (or an actual) threat. Strategos educates these leaders on the history, demographics, traits and behavioral characteristics of those that have a potential to commit these types of crimes. This training hopefully increases the chances of preventing these incidents PRIOR to them taking place.

Violent acts required for self-defense & protection of the innocent are not wrong but rather, necessary and blessed by our Maker. That is, after all, the fundamental manner by which the United States was born.

Remember that the greatest fear of a predator is an armed victim. 'Nuff said.

The Strategos principles are simple: recognize a potential threat; intervene and prevent acts PRIOR to them being committed; and the quickly responding to reduce, minimize and neutralize the danger. They are taught effectively, efficiently, and tailored to the attendees needs.

WHAT MUST WE DO?

We must reject the Politically Correct philosophies that are paralyzing our society. No partial acceptance. No compromise. Those notions are tearing at the fabric of our nation.

End this crazy notion that profiling is bad behavior. Profiling based upon race alone is wrong. When profiling is done based on a variety of elements, it's an effective way to prevent criminal behavior. That is exactly what John Q. Public wants us to do. The public wants the bad acts prevented.

A holy war (jihad) has been declared against America by fanatical Islamic fascists. We must focus on that group of people as our enemy. Stop the silly searching and grilling of grandmothers at airports. We've been told that we can't just focus on folks of Middle Eastern descent as they might be offended. Hogwash! We're at war. Wake Up!

The zero tolerance of violence in schools must end. Now. It is right for a person to defend themselves. It is their duty. As a kid, my dad taught me never to throw the first punch - but make sure I threw the last one. He was a very wise man.

We have a responsibility to teach our children about guns, knives, and other weapons. Children need to know how to use them safely, just like driving a car. Teaching a child that, guns are bad, is a sin. A parent instills the concept that going to one's death as a sheep is preferable to defending yourself, your spouse and/or your children. It's pure garbage and it needs to stop TODAY.

Guns are not bad, and they never have been. Some people use guns in bad ways. Those actions don't vilify the gun, but rather the actor. The notion that guns are bad would lead one to conclude that calculators are bad because people use them to cheat on their taxes. It's proven: we cannot legislate guns out of existence, no matter how hard we try. It's time to wakeup and smell the coffee.

John Q. Public must be encouraged - at every turn - to participate in the law enforcement process. As cops, when a citizen chooses to become involved, we must praise that ACTION. We need to remind people constantly that they are the first line of American defense. If something seems wrong, it probably is wrong. If they can't handle it (or don't want to), they need to report it. Again: we need to praise their decision to get involved.

SOAPBOX: too many in our ranks exude the attitude of arrogant coppery to John Q. Public. We talk down to him. We minimize his contribution. We make him feel unimportant. We act as though, "I'm the cop and you're nothing." STOP THAT! We need every ally we can get with all of the eyes, ears, and hands we can muster. Our survival depends on it.

As cops, we need to recognize that many of our citizens see us as leaders. They weigh our words and actions carefully. I realize that, at first blush, you think of the dirt bags who ridicule you. Believe it or not, those jerks are in the minority. Realize that most people value what you have to say.

We need to encourage new immigrants to contribute their heritage to the American melting pot. That's what has made us great and strong. Encourage them to become active Americans. Bring their traditions to our common table, much like the Irish brought St. Patrick's Day. An immigrant should not forget their heritage. But the notion that America is multi-cultural needs to go the way of buggy whips and sealing wax. Our commonality and similarities are what give rise to our strength and endurance. That behavior is what we must encourage.

Acting in self defense or defending the weak among us is not solely the job of cops. It belongs to every citizen in our nation. Failing to rise to a challenge is wrong. Self defense is good and honorable.

We need to encourage the good citizens to join the good fight. We need to encourage them. We need to help train them. We need to acknowledge and praise their participation.

When responding to an incident, we often have opportunities to share the concept of "if / then" thinking with the victim. We can provide concrete examples of how the victim can be the first line of defense, rather than remaining a victim. When appropriate, we can offer information about self defense training, gun safety, and other structured settings where an individual can learn more, if they want to.

EPILOGUE

Thinking back to active shooting incidents, we learn that people who knew the shooter suspected a problem. Rarely does such a person materialize from thin air. Someone noticed something that they found odd or suspicious. Unfortunately, no one acted on their hunch.

As a people, we must stop acting like pansies. We can no longer afford to be afraid to act because the other person might be offended.

Americans don't hunker; we fight, else America will cease to exist as we know it.

When confronted with a threatening situation imagine, "What would John Wayne, Davy Crockett or Wyatt Earp do?" What would you have done had you been on Flight #93 on 9/11 - the one that the citizen patriots took into the ground rather than let it be crashed into Washington D.C.?

You're an American. It's time to STAND UP!

You have a duty to defend yourself and those you care about. You have an equal duty - as a cop - to encourage that same behavior in the good citizens around you.

We must put a stop to those who want us to believe that we will be better if we become a nation of pacifists. It just ain't so.

The folks at Strategos have a great story. I hope you'll check it out.

In the meantime, stay strong, stay staunch, and keep yourselves wired tight.

Your comments are always welcome. Email me by clicking on my name below.