Don't allow our police to be out gunned again!

By Connecticut Catholic Corner

Some people in the media, on the ground, around the nation and across the blogosphere are voicing their objections to local police departments arming their officers with military grade weapons (and some are crying over a curfew -boo hoo- see my comments at the bottom of the article).

I am not one of them.  Apparently I have a much longer memory than others.

CNN has created a scare propaganda video to make the public think our police force are “over armed” with too much fire power because of the 1033 program (you’ll see mentioned in the CNN video here) which allows the Pentagon to relocate weapons to local police forces.  This program was first created for the ‘war on drugs’, but soon after it was expanded when this nation (oh how forgetful we are) saw firsthand why our police MUST have these weapons.

I can’t possibly be the only one to remember the horrors of February 28, 1997 when two gun men robbed a bank in North Hollywood armed to the teeth with illegal military weapons, who then walked out of the bank and began to “prey spray” (shoot anything that moves) the streets of California.

The police force were out gunned- totally.  Their guns .9mm hand guns could not penetrate the military grade armor the bank robbers were wearing.  The gun men on the other hand had illegal military weapons with ammunition that pierced standard police Kevlar vests and shot threw concrete walls “like butter”.

Out gunned and out armored.

Police and civilians were shot and bleeding in the streets while the gun men walked spraying bullets in every direction completely unfazed by the police bullets that didn’t harm them.

Police officers RAN into gun shops up and down the street to BORROW weapons and ammo from gun store owners that could take down these ruthless gun men- all because the police were not armed to face such opponents.  They were out gunned- not unlike the Kurds in Iraq facing ISIS today and begging the U.S. to give them weapons.

Take a moment to remember February 28, 1997 in North Hollywood California and think about how different it might have been if the police had been better equipped with military weapons…

With police down, the S.W.A.T team was called in…they arrived 18 minutes after the second officer was down. 

Now the battle was even.

The police with the help of military weapons finally ended the bloody street battle against a mere TWO MEN who for a time had out gunned them.

Now jump to today… we’ve got more threats coming at us than back in the 1990’s- not just from ISIS promising to raise their Islamic State flag at the White House, but also from our own home grown terrorist who ARE as well armed at military soldiers.

You have to be a COMPLETE IDIOT to oppose our local police not having access to the BEST weapons available to them.

These men and women kiss their family’s goodbye each day and go off to work not knowing if they will return.  They knowingly and willingly put their lives on the line EVERY DAY to protect and serve their towns and cities.  They deserve the BEST our country can offer them, so they are NEVER AGAIN out gunned in the face of such evil.  So they can return home to their families in one piece.

I wonder how differently people would feel if it was THEIR son, daughter, husband or wife who was out gunned, shot, and bleeding to death in the streets because they didn't have a gun equivalent to guns the criminals were using...?  

Would that change your mind about the weapons local police should have at their disposal?

Since it is the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO that has kicked started this topic... how about the poor store owner when Michael Brown roughed him up while stealing from him?  

Had the store owner flashed a gun in Brown's face would things have been different?  Would Brown have continued to bully, intimidate and shove the store owner like he was nothing or would a gun have gotten an entirely different response?  It's hard to tell with bullying thugs- and YES, I am calling Brown a bullying disgusting thug. 

I am guessing the families of all the brave officers in North Hollywood on February 28, 1997 would have supported their loved ones having the proper equipment to better defend themselves and other innocents that day.

Well 'that day' will happen again.

When its YOUR ASS being shot at you see things a bit differently.

When "that day" comes- and it will come... you'll wish for all the protection in the world to keep you and your loved ones safe- lets just hope our police are still properly equipped to keep us all alive.

Keep our police well armed so they won't be out gunned by criminals, terrorists or thugs.

In Christ and standing with our police,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner


***Another case of the good guys being "out gunned" by the bad guys was in 1986 when the FBI were not as well equipped as bank robbers- this time some of them died because of it. HERE.

UPDATE SUPPORTING MY VIEWS:

Darren Wilson, the Ferguson, Mo., police officer whose fatal shooting of Michael Brown touched off more than a week of demonstrations, suffered severe facial injuries  and was nearly beaten unconscious by Brown moments before firing his gun, a source close to the department's top brass told FoxNews.com.
“The Assistant (Police) Chief took him to the hospital, his face all swollen on one side,” said the insider. “He was beaten very severely.” 
According to the well-placed source, Wilson was coming off another case in the neighborhood on Aug. 9 when he ordered Michael Brown and his friend Dorain Johnson to stop walking in the middle of the road because they were obstructing traffic. However, the confrontation quickly escalated into physical violence, the source said.
“They ignored him and the officer started to get out of the car to tell them to move," the source said. "They shoved him right back in, that’s when Michael Brown leans in and starts beating Officer Wilson in the head and the face."
The source claims that there is "solid proof" that there was a struggle between Brown and Wilson for the policeman’s firearm, resulting in the gun going off – although it still remains unclear at this stage who pulled the trigger. Brown started to walk away according to the account, prompting Wilson to draw his gun and order him to freeze. Brown, the source said, raised his hands in the air, and turned around saying, "What, you're going to shoot me?"
At that point, the source told FoxNews.com, the 6-foot-4, 292-pound Brown charged Wilson, prompting the officer to fire at least six shots at him, including the fatal bullet that penetrated the top of Brown's skull, according to an independent autopsy conducted at the request of Brown's family.
Wilson suffered a fractured eye socket in the fracas, and was left dazed by the initial confrontation, the source said. He is now "traumatized, scared for his life and his family, injured and terrified" that a grand jury, which began hearing evidence on Wednesday, will "make some kind of example out of him," the source said.

Link: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/20/missouri-cop-was-badly-beaten-before-shooting-michael-brown-says-source/

Links:

http://www.dispositionservices.dla.mil/leso/Pages/1033ProgramFAQs.aspx#q1

http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/14/us/missouri-ferguson-police-tactics/index.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Hollywood_shootout

boo-hoo http://www.truthrevolt.org/news/msnbc-host-falls-apart-over-ferguson-curfew

Kurds out-gunned by ISIS: http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/Kurds-ISIS-Iraq-Peshmerga/2014/08/08/id/587628/

Miami FBI shootout: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/08/16/ferguson-shooting-police-standof

Is The Westboro Baptist Church Wrong?

Written by contributor Doug
Photo from AirforceTimes.com ( Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press )

The US Supreme Court recently upheld the right of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest homosexuality at funerals of fallen military veterans, regardless of their sexual orientation. As much as this whole disturbing affair nauseates me, it is significant enough to warrant analysis.

The Westboro Baptist Church is not wrong in the message it preaches [opposing gay marriage], but rather, how it preaches it, which strikes me much akin to using a sledge hammer to relieve your friend of a fly that landed on his forehead.

The church members argue that the evil of rampant homosexuality in our nation, which has also now recently been given an increased approval by the Obama administration (no longer with just a wink and a nod by the previous “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy) in our military is the cause of increased evil in our society, including war.

Mother Teresa said, and I believe rightly so, that increased evil in our society is because of abortion. I would add homosexuality, overall promiscuity, and various other evils into that recipe for disaster as well, so with all due respect, perhaps both Westboro and Mother fell a little short in their explanations.

There are many theological reasons for suffering, including original sin, redemptive suffering, if not for ourselves, then for others, etc… The Bible, contrary to popular and erroneous belief, does not contain contradictions, but rather, paradoxes. Suffering, while seeming to be contrary to the will of a loving God, is also in place to bring about a better good for us, and thus, His glory.

Clearly the fallen veterans are not the cause of war, but rather, patriots who bravely sacrificed their lives because of it. Their honor should be preserved, and their already suffering families and loved ones should, morally speaking, if not constitutionally speaking, be allowed their peace and privacy to mourn and lovingly bury their dead, and again, regardless of their sexual orientation. After all, in a moral society, with rights come responsibilities, and a (well formed) conscience should compliment a constitution and correctly guide our actions based on the knowledge and understanding that what we “can” do is not always what we “should” do. One of the driving principles in my life has always been, “Your right to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose.”

I believe the evangelizing/protesting Westboro members are hanging their hats, at least partially, if not completely, on a passage from Ezekiel, Chapter 33, verses 7-10:

“So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them a warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘O, wicked man, you shall surely die,’ and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his inequity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, he shall die in his inequity, but you will have saved your life.”

Perhaps these will meaning, but over the top fellow flawed humans from Westboro might consider reflecting also on Matthew, Chapter 7, verses 1-6:

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”

As Christians, we are to judge evil in actions, not in people, the former being our duty, and the latter, God’s purview. Put another and more commonly evoked way for our part, “Hate the sin; love the sinner.” With regard specifically to homosexuality, in at least some cases before our sordid and deteriorating culture deemed it trendy and acceptable to those seeking only lustful experimentation and/or lifestyles, some immutability might be involved.

Prior to its later cowardly and rushed capitulation behind closed doors because of bullying, protests, infiltration and politicalization by radical gays in the early 70’s, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental dysfunction or disorder in it’s then Diagnostic and Statistical Manual until 1973. This fact then requires us to consider # 1735 of the Catholic Catechism:

“Immutability and responsibility for an action can be diminished or even nullified by ignorance, inadvertence, duress, fear, habit, inordinate attachments, and other psychological or social factors.”

Thus, where applicable, gays may be given at least some latitude for their sins, but they should also seek treatment (as some have successfully done so) for their affliction, as well reconciliation and a mindset toward repentance as well. Those who choose homosexual behavior purely of a free will simply need to stop, confess, and repent.

For brevity sake, I will only refer to a longer passage, although I highly recommend its reading, namely, Mark, chapter 4, verses 3-21, in which Jesus teaches a parable about a sewer of seed and the various situations and subsequent explanations as to how the seed falls on the ground, and the ramifications for the results. But like on rocky soil, seed cannot be planted and expected to fully grow. Thus, to evangelize to a person with a clearly closed mind is not only more often than not a waste of time, but in some cases, such foolishly boorish, albeit well-intended action can even further drive someone away from any future hope of acceptance of God’s Word and will, and thus, perhaps even salvation itself.

So what conclusion can we draw from this debate? As much as I so often bristle at trendiness, I refer to the bracelets made popular a few years back that simply contained the letters, “W.W.J.D.?” The abbreviation stood for, “What Would Jesus Do?” and the bracelets were theoretically intended to model better behavior in the wearer of the bracelet, as based on the example of Jesus.

So what would Jesus possibly say regarding the whole Westboro debate? Again, we can refer back to the Gospels and review not just the words of Jesus, but His actions as well to find the answer. Clearly, Jesus evangelized, passionately and often, but He did not waste His time or energy on people who couldn’t be bothered with His message or dismissed it, and He taught the same evangelization technique to His traveling apostles in Matthew, Chapter 10, verses 11-15:

“And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. As you enter the house, salute it. And if the house is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.”

While Jesus and His apostles did evangelize, they never beat anyone over the head with their messages. That is because God wants us to come to Him, but only by our free will, which He lovingly gave to us as a gift to be used, and not abused. Such is the difference between ‘freedom” and “license.” And that is also another reason in some cases for suffering: the abuse, or “license” of our God-given free will.

The gravely confused members of the Westboro Baptist Church apparently have not yet figured out, or simply don’t care about this stark difference in evangelization methods. And make no mistake about it, while their intentions are clearly good, their horrifically clouded judgment, as manifested by their all too frequent, and now ironically court sanctioned misguided actions, are wantonly cruel, purely evil and a grotesquely ugly, and impeding mutation of true Christianity.

And for so-called “Christians,” that’s just not “good” enough.
　
~Doug~

Catholic Teaching on Homosexuality:

Catechism #2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, 141 tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." 142 They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

Catechism #2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

Catechism #2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

*emphasis added

Comments and thoughts by Julie...

Doug clearly you are a nicer person than I am by giving Westboro Baptist Church the benefit of the doubt that "their intentions are clearly good". While I agree that gay marriage is a sin in the eyes of God and the Holy Catholic Church, I do not agree that Westboro Baptist 'church' (and I used that term very lightly) is doing any of this out of any goodness.

I believe (and I do hope I am wrong) that the folks at Westboro are so filled with hate for people they wouldn't know Jesus' love if he walked up and hugged them. The most important thing Jesus taught was LOVE. LOVE is what changes people. Love is what gives hope to the hopeless. Love is what inspires people to do better and be better. Without love, you've got nothing. Who will even consider listening to the Word of God if the person talking to you is screaming you are 'going to hell' and 'God hates you'?

Compare the loving acts shown by Mother Teresa to the Westboro Baptist folks. We will "know them by their fruits" our Lord said. Mother Teresa spoke out against evil, but she did it in love and with respect for human beings. Westboro Baptist Church in my view fails miserably at that. I'll take Mother Teresa's fruits over Westboro any day. That said, I hope you are correct about them and that I am wrong. I just don't see their "goodness", all I see are 'fruits of hate'. I'd like to think and hope that all their protests come from a will to do good and please God...a desire to do the will of God... - I just don't see it I am sorry to say.

As always, thank you Doug for being a Connecticut Catholic Corner contributor! You bring wonderful thought provoking articles to the table and I truly appreciate that.

What a bunch of mental midgets

When my father would come across a bigot or someone small minded and full of hate for someone he'd call them "mental midgets". I think he got that from watching Archie Bunker, but I can't be sure. It's a fitting expression for what I see happening very often today here in America and currently sweeping Australia. The mental midgets are the protesters who are passionately obsessed with disrupting Catholic youth who wish to celebrate their faith at World Youth Day. These mental midgets are not only handing condoms to Catholic youth, but mailing them to the housing places the youth are staying at. They are "gifting" Catholic youth with coat-hangers to show opposition to the Catholic faiths views on abortion. They are having "kiss-ins" where gays are going to make out in front of Catholic youth because these mental midgets say the Pope and Catholics are "homophobic" because we believe God created woman for man and instituted marriage between a man and a woman. They are also handing out gay stickers calling the Pope a "homophobe" and altering photos of the Pope to give him horns on his head. A well known brothel in Sydney is offering a 10% discount to any WYD Catholic who shows their WYD accreditation card and is encouraging them to "commit their sins before the Pope leaves Australia". And the list goes on with the anti-Catholic attacks and hate that our Catholic youth and all Catholics suffer daily from these people simply because we are Catholic and live our faith. Is this fair? Let's imagine for a minute that Muslims were having a WYD. What would happen if anti-Muslim protesters were handing out pork to Muslims? Or lets say Jews were having a WYD and protesters were handing them shellfish? How would the world view it if anti-Muslims or anti-Jews were being intolerant and forming coalitions to "annoy" them? "A newspaper ran a competition for the best anti-Catholic T-shirt. And an ABC host urged men to bait Catholics by going naked, but for a condom." (quote from Australian Andrew Bolt-more below) Would the world be appalled at such a display of intolerance for other faiths? Yes! But where is the outrage for Catholics? Barely a blip in the media over the "cracker" mental midget last week desecrating the Eucharist and taking great pleasure in belittling Catholics and our faith, and same now with WYD in Australia. I did find one guy, a non-Christian defending not only Catholics but the entire Catholic Church against the bigotry of these mental midgets. His name is Andrew Bolt and he's a columnist with the HeraldSun in Australia (link below). He not only sees the bigotry but he went a step further to write about it and call it what it is. Thanks Andrew Bolt! These gays, atheists, and other anti-Catholic groups demand their rights to "freedoms" for themselves (gay marriage, abortion, etc.), but they don't want Catholics to have the freedom to be Catholic and keep our faith. They want Catholics to change our faith to accept condom use, accept gay marriage, accept abortion and anything else THEY decide for us. Where are OUR rights to freedom of religion as WE believe? They are trying (but will never succeed) in forcing the Catholic Church to change its doctrines/beliefs to allow for gay marriage, condom use and abortion. They want to force THEIR beliefs on us, then tell us "Now you can be Catholic and we'll leave you alone because you've caved in to our demands." Where is tolerance for the Catholic faith? Why are non-Catholics demanding that Catholics accept their beliefs? Is this not the stuff of intolerant bigots? Who are they to dictate what our faith should be? What nerve! What intolerance! What mental midgets they are.

If you don't believe they want to force their beliefs on Catholics see what they are saying:
"We will say to them [Catholic youth], 'Take up the campaign within the Catholic Church to promote condoms.' We're not planning to get into any trouble. We don't want to condemn Catholic youth for being Catholics. We want to condemn the Pope for being homophobic and anti-condom. He [the Pope] is clearly a bigot ... many in the Catholic Church are also raising these issues, condemning the Pope for his hateful ideas."-Rachel Evans, from NoToPope Coalition and Community Action Against Homophobia
"Wearing a political T shirt, promoting safe-sex - pre-marital or otherwise and criticising the World Youth Day (WYD) 08 'code of ethics' will all be showcased at our highly annoying fashion show" noted Evans. "Criticising WYD ethics includes promoting contraception, access to abortion and conducting any criticism of the reactionary views of some Catholic Church leaders", said Evans."We will hand out condoms at our rally to young Catholics" said Anthony Englund. "The annoyance laws will not stop us. Young Catholic people are quite capable of distinguishing what they want from their church's theology and what they don't want. By providing them with a token number of condoms we're reminding them they can make up their own minds about what they believe is appropriate behavior in terms of their personal sexual health, "he concluded.

So where's all this tolerance they are screaming about? Where's the right to Catholics to be Catholic? Where is the outrage at these anti-Catholics for trying to force their demands into our doctrines? Don't Catholics have the right to our faith as other groups do? Just how do anti-Catholics define "tolerance"? I can't tell because I see so little from them. They scream tolerance but never show any. When will Catholics see the tolerance anti-Catholics are screaming about? And when will the world see the bigotry against Catholics that Andrew Bolt saw and spoke of? Those yelling for tolerance need to practice tolerance themselves.

Sources:
http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/sydney-condom-protest-against-pope/2008/06/24/1214073209465.html

http://www.notopope.com/news.php?item.5

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24036598-5000117,00.html