What Have We Become?

Murder is now acceptable.  We cannot just blame "dirty cops" when juries are giving the verdict.  How would a juror feel if down the road it was their child or grandchild?

A number of news feeds this week are simply unfathomable and inexcusable!  Too many people are being maimed and killed by those who are supposed to serve and protect.  I'm not saying all cops are bad, but this is happening with entirely too much frequency.  Not only are citizens being harmed, and justice aborted, but as the trust devolves and the animosity increases, this will place the good cops in a terrible position.

I remember, as a minister, years ago, serving the police department in a voluntary chaplain capacity, as I did in many places throughout the community.  The chief talked to me at length about the trust issues cops had with "civilians," even clergy.  He referred to the blue line.  Well, I'm here to tell you, if they were that paranoid and that untrusting before 9/11, they needed to get out of the cop business then.  Sadly, since 9/11, we've become almost terroristic in our rule of law . . . Which is really becoming dangerously close to anarchical authority.  Many of our laws lack logic, and some of those who are enforcing the law, lack logic and critical thinking skills.

My neighboring state has had some frightening reports of police brutality, and I just read today that three officers are "on administrative leave" pending an investigation.  Interestingly, they are not named and the reason for the investigation has been withheld.  You can bet your bottom dollar, if this was anyone but a cop, the "person of interest" would be named, the allegations would be known, and I'm guessing there'd be no privacy protection, much less leave with pay.

When I saw the headlines and images of a 64 year old deaf man who had been beaten for not responding properly, disgusted, is not a strong enough word.  The man could not hear them.  His son and son-in-law are in law enforcement, so you know he would have been more cooperative than the average person.  He showed respect, his vehicle was marked with a sign that stated the driver was hearing impaired, as well as it being on his license, yet those who take an oath to protect and serve, caused that man to need medical treatment.  The Chief of Patrol has directed the investigation to be expanded to see if any state laws were violated.  Seriously?   The Chief of the Highway Patrol doesn't know if it's against the law to beat up an elderly man who is deaf.

As if that isn't bad enough, we now have juries who render decisions based upon everything but evidence, it would appear.  As I read about the homeless man who was beaten to death by three cops, a jury returned with an acquittal on two.  The charges against the other cop were simply dismissed.  Those jurors better remember the whole reaping and sowing principle, a.k.a. karma.  It's truly getting frightening.

The earth also was corrupt before G-d, and the earth was filled with violence.  Torah of Holy Scripture