Are Red Flag Laws the Solution to Mass Murder of Children?

 Today, David French, a thinking conservative columnist, lawyer, veteran, and Christian believer, wrote advocating red-flag laws. I hope that the people who frequent my page will read his article before posting comments pointing out the problems with such laws.

However:

What good is a law which (temporarily) removes firearms from someone who presents a threat of violence if there is no effective screening and treatment option? 

The state got out of the mental health business in the 1980s, and in the 1990s insurance companies essentially shut down private by refusing to pay for anything other than brief treatment. 

We are looking at the longer-term consequences of applauding the abandonment of public mental health services, specifically, residential treatment facilities. Instead, we were told that "community mental health" was the way to go. For many, maybe most, that's true. But it's not true for all, and, without mental health beds, those suffering with severe mood and thought disorders can (at best) hope to be arrested. 

If I wanted first-class trauma treatment, I think I'd want to go to Grady Hospital, because they deal with shootings, stabbings, and industrial accidents ALL the time.  They have lots of experience. But today, who has lots of experience in screening mental health patients to determine if admission is necessary? A few, I'm sure; but did the people who screened the Buffalo shooter, or the Parkland shooter have the experience needed to make the right choice? Or was it just that there wasn't any place for them to go?

We WILL pay a price for those suffering from mental health  issues; right now, without intending to do so, we are paying in blood and grief. 

Empty buildings at

the former Georgia Mental Health Institute

There is so much more I want to say. I hope that what I HAVE said has gotten the attention of some.

Peace be on your household.

When Thoughts and Prayers Aren't Enough, by Taylor Schumann

This is an Amazon Associates link; if you click on it, and buy something, I get a few pennies.

I bought it in hardback!

Taylor Schumann took advantage of the opportunities that came her way. She had earned a degree in social work, was deeply involved in her church, and was one day away from her bridal shower.

The buckshot that mangled her hand and entered her chest changed those opportunities forever.  The day was Friday, April 12, 2013. It was the last morning she would ever wake up without physical pain.

Her book is not really about the shooting, and it’s not about the shooter.  If you are looking for some methodological police procedural, look elsewhere. True crime junkies will not fawn over this book; neither will those who are rabidly anti- OR pro-gun. That’s because this book presents us with a closely observed experience of a person who saved her own life (literally) by hiding in an unlocked closet, and then was (figuratively) forced to save her life again by fighting her way out of locked closet she was placed in against her will.

My gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, is a trained birth doula. She comes alongside expectant mothers, and guides them through the complications associated with giving birth in the antiseptic, and potentially hostile, conditions found in many hospitals. Time and again, as I was reading Taylor’s story, I wished she had an analogue of a birth doula at her side, to explain to her what was happening, what she could expect, what the outcomes might be, and mostly, to explain her choices to her. Actually, at SOME steps of the process, she had people to fill that role. She commends the police investigators, and representatives of the victim’s assistance program, for guiding her through some of the rough spots in the immediate aftermath. At other times, she was able to rely on family members to help her with procedures and paperwork that were required due to her injuries. 

Those just covered specific points in her recovery, however. Vanessa sits with the expectant mother, all through the process; she attends birthday parties afterward. And over and over, I wished Taylor had a Vanessa to sit with her, providing comfort, support, knowledge and advice; most of all, someone who understood what Taylor was going through.

Behold, I shall hide nothing from you: I own firearms. I am a Life Member of the NRA. Taylor and I are not alike in many ways. However. HOWEVER. However, Taylor’s story touched a part of me that I wasn’t aware existed. It’s not the universe leading up to her shooting that has changed my mind and heart; it’s the universe that exists afterward.

You see, except for the immediate aftermath, Taylor was ignored by too many of the people who meant the most to her. Her background is one that could be described as firearm-friendly, not firearm-hostile. I find myself unable to describe it, other than solidly Southern middle class. People didn’t carry a gun to the dinner table, but there could very well be hunting rifles in a gun cabinet and perhaps a pistol in the drawer of the bedside table. It wasn’t a big part of the lives of her friends and family, but everyone believed in the Second Amendment. 

And because of that, when Taylor got shot, too many of those she cared for simply didn’t know what to do with that. SO, she got ignored. And so, she suffered another loss, in addition to the physical loss of the use of her hand.

That is the figurative closet she was locked into, against her will. 

This book is the story of how she saved her life, a second time. It is also a story in progress.

Taylor offers some action steps, for those who hear her story. Will you understand me if I tell you that there is NO WAY that some of those steps work for me? However, I am compelled to take action to assist those who, like Taylor, had their opportunities limited because someone shot them. I’m open to anything God leads me to do in this respect, but until I get directed in a different direction, I will be donating money to benefit gunshot victims. I’ve already started the process, and will refine it as I get more light.

Peace be on your household.

Guest Column: Addiction and Spree Killing

 I regret that I didn't post this earlier; at the time I got it, I was in a schedule crunch, and then I forgot. But I DID remember this morning, WITHOUT being reminded, so: here is a guest column!

First off, hello Padre, thank you for taking the time to read your favorite daughter's discombobulated thoughts!

Second, HELLO, INTERNET WORLD!!!!!! Hello to friends and family, known and unknown, I sincerely pray that this finds you healthy and full of joy! 

If you haven't already read Papa's posts (HERE and HERE) on the events in Georgia, you should start there, or at your news outlet of choice, otherwise this may not make much sense. It may not make sense anyway, but I digress. 

I grew up in a little town called Woodstock in the state of Georgia. And when I was growing up, it really WAS a little town. It was SAFE, it was SHELTERED, and bad people didn't live there or ever go there. At least, in my kid brain, that's what I thought. And most of it might have even been true. But then, as is known to happen, the Big City just south of us got bigger and bigger, and Woodstock turned into "north Atlanta." Now, that doesn't really matter, EXCEPT that for my kid brain, BAD THINGS DON'T HAPPEN IN WOODSTOCK, AND NO WOODSTOCK RESIDENT WOULD EVER DO ANYTHING BAD!!!!! My adult brain knows how false that is, because I was a heroin addict in Woodstock, and I did plenty of bad things. Again, I digress.

I heard a snippet of a "news" program the other day, I do apologize, I didn't pay enough attention to know names or stations, but I did see the header "Parlor Shootings in Atlanta" and I was aware that they were interviewing an Asian reporter (the only reason that stuck was I feel like they said something about "thank you for being the voice of your people" and it made me roll my eyes a little bit, again, I didn't really know what happened). 

It's a bad day when a 32 year old woman can see something about a shooting on tv and just think "ah crap, another one. Here come the lobbyists for gun control." I had NO context about it. NO IDEA except for "shooting in Atlanta". And then I read Papa's blog post, and looked into it a bit. And my first thought was "Oh no..... He's from Woodstock." It immediately shattered my "small town feel" of my home town. IS THAT IMPORTANT???? Yes and no, but mostly no. People are dead, lives have been changed forever, in the long run it doesn't matter where the suspect received mail at. Yes, only because it shows me that the whole world is hurting. It's not just the big cities. It's not just minorities. The whole entire world is on fire, but instead of trying to do something about it, we want to micromanage issues that are political hot buttons and "sexy" right now. Namely, gun control. Here's the problem..... There have been changes. There have been issues that have been addressed. This VERY young man (he's only 21, that's a BABY) still somehow got his hands on a firearm, walked into several buildings, and took innocent lives.

This is not a gun issue.

Another hot button that we will choose to talk about? Racism. Most of his victims were of Asian descent, and he is a white man, so OBVIOUSLY he was a racist. Now, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THAT, so I'm not going to say anything about that, but I will say this: this is not a race issue.

And then we're going to go a little bit old school and rehash some hot buttons of years past: Pornography. Ted Bundy blamed it for his crimes, as did countless other serial killers that I don't feel like naming. I'm going to go ahead and pop this bubble right now: Pornography does not make people murder other people. It just doesn't have that power! It can ruin relationships if it's allowed to, sure, but then we're getting into another issue altogether, which is what the suspect has blamed his abhorrent acts on as of now: Addiction. As an alcoholic and an addict, this is something that I understand, at least to a point. The suspect has said that he blames massage parlors and the people who work at them for fueling his sex addiction. 

During my sickness, I blamed poor Kroger for selling alcohol because I was an alcoholic and I was GOING to buy booze when I went grocery shopping.

I blamed the people I hung out with for having drugs in their pockets that they would share. 

BECAUSE I WAS POWERLESS OVER MY ADDICTIONS AND THE REST OF THE WORLD SHOULD HAVE KNOWN IT. 

Oh but we are a selfish lot. 

I'm going to bring this up, and I'll put it right back in the box, because it's something I am currently working through so I don't have as much knowledge, wisdom, or understanding as I will, God willing, in the future days, weeks, and months. 

The article that I read (from The Patch) stated that the suspect was very active in his church. Keeping in mind that this is a sick individual who needed help BUT I BELIEVE chose not to seek it, bear with me here..... I was brought up in the church and I am unashamed to say that I am a Born Again Christian and I do attend a church that preaches the Word of God. I ALSO have some very deep wounds from "the church" when it comes to sexuality. I believe that we live in a CULTURE where, if you are religious IN ANY CAPACITY, sex is a subject that is off limits. I say in any capacity because THIS IS NOT A CHRISTIAN THING. This is something that is seen in almost EVERY religion around the world, sex is not talked about in a healthy way, and HUMAN SEXUALITY has been DEMONIZED, and as a result, people are going off the deep end because "if I have sexual feelings, then I obviously don't really believe in *enter deity here* and I'm going to *enter bad underworld here* so I might as well be bad because I OBVIOUSLY am hopeless". AND THAT IS A LIE!!!!!!!!!! I'm not going to get into a talk about sex here, but I will say this: SEX IS NOT UNCLEAN. IT DOESN'T DAMN YOU TO HELL. THE CREATOR CREATED YOU AS A SEXUAL BEING, SO STOP THINKING YOU'RE UNLOVEABLE BECAUSE YOU HAVE FEELINGS!!!!!!

Now, that being said. This young man stated he has a sex addiction, and that brings me to my possibly final point: I am curious to know if he sought addiction counseling. I highly doubt he did, and here's why:

1) Counseling is expensive

2) We still hold on to this archaic belief that if we go to a head doctor, there's something wrong with us, people will look down at us, they'll think we're crazy, and they won't want to be around us anymore.

3) Counseling is expensive.

4) Most "regular" people don't even know where to start when it comes to looking for a therapist who is an expert in what we're dealing with, so after a quick webmd check to diagnose ourselves and then getting distracted by other things online, we get frustrated with not being able to find any help and we stop. 

5) I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but COUNSELING IS EXPENSIVE. 

So we self medicate, which makes us more sick, which makes us that much more unlikely to reach out for help.

All of that to say, yeah, I know what PART of the solution is. Quality, affordable, accessible mental health options. I don't know how it'll happen, because that's not what they're paying me for, but I will say this: I'm a recovering addict and alcoholic. I sought out help. When one thing didn't work, I tried something different. I go to my psychiatrist on a regular basis. I'm on a wait list for a talk therapist. And yes, it's expensive. I wish it wasn't. But I will die if I don't get help.

I leave you with this:

Feeling bad, don't mean doing bad.

Be angry, and sin not.

Do the next right thing.

Bess B.

Mass Murder: An Oblique Approach

The solemn nature of this post, along with yesterday's, prompts me to abandon my typical whimsical opening. Be sure, though, that I do care for those who read this, and ALL my posts. 

Yesterday, I called for a return to federal and state support of mental health services. I referenced a WORKABLE solution to the specific problem of school shootings, which I had personally been involved in establishing in my home county, about 30 years ago. 

My gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, had some mild concern that my linking the shooting with mental health would serve to further stigmatize that problem. This was troubling to her. As is the case with many, if not most, of you, there are people we know, and love, who are struggling with some mental health issues. I hope NEVER to add to the burden these must bear already.

As I said, Vanessa had some mild concern. This she expressed in both digital and analogue form. The digital manifestations were comments that she added to yesterday's post, as well  as on my BootFace posting. These were written in brief, in passion, and on her scant lunch break.

However, when she got home, she expressed those same concerns in analogue fashion; although, her approach COULD be termed as analogue digital, as she used her DIGITS (fingers, get it?) to get my attention. After grasping my mat off chest hair and drawing me close, and driving her knee into an area I'll not be using for much of anything for a while, she whispered gently, directly into my ear, at about 120 decibels: 

"It's not mental health, dear. It's sin."

I disagree not at all with my wife, for her scintillating exposition gently brushed away any objections I might have. In addition, even before she explained her position to me in a way I could understand, I, too, believe the root problem is one of sin. In fact, I'm inclined to say the sin runs far deeper than what my Sweet One was suggesting.

Vanessa, despite my jokes about her affirmative approach, is above all a nurturing mother (and grandmother and great-grandmother). When she heard of the shootings, her heart  turned first to the families of the eight dead, and the wounded, and almost simultaneously to the family of the shooter. (My policy is NEVER to mention the name of shooters, thus I can't identify them here.) Vanessa is appalled and horrified that the innocents are paying a terrible price for something they bear no responsibility for. 

And thus, not ONLY does she wish to protect the people suffering from mental illness from being compared to a murderer, she also can NOT tolerate the idea of the bringer of so much suffering and grief being excused by a casual classification as "he is mentally ill." Who could NOT appreciate her perspective?

I agree with her. One of the FEW things we know about the shooter, is that he stated that he was driven to eliminate sources of sexual temptation, stating that he was a sex addict. Clearly, treating other humans as an object, only useful as a means of gratifying lust, is sin. If you are willing to admit that such a thing as 'sin' exists, then treating other humans as things has to qualify. 

In fact, I regard a core element of most, if not EVERY vile action to be regarding humans as things. Genocide: get rid of those things; they aren't us, therefore they aren't worth anything. Looting pension plans: the people who invested their life savings aren't real; they are barely significant as entries in a ledger somewhere. Slavery; Rape; Pedophilia; all have at the core the concept that these are not humans to be considered, but objects to exploit. Even trivial, misdemeanor crimes likely have some element of objectifying humans. Would you speed in traffic, if you were thinking about the people in the other cars as people, not barriers to your progress?

Four dead; one wounded.

I do NOT know what transpired inside the three businesses that were attacked on Tuesday. I know the names of the businesses; I know that seven of the eight people killed were women, and six of those were Korean; and, I know that the shooter regraded them as temptations. I have ZERO evidence that they did anything unethical, immoral, or illegal. And Atlanta Mayor Keisha Bottoms quickly, and correctly stated that there was NEVER going to be any blaming of the victims. She is right, she is right. SHE IS RIGHT.

But, let us return to the concept of sin, and to the idea of victims.

Even without the assumption that the employees of these businesses were performing lewd acts, I maintain that they were already victims, before the shooter entered the building.

About five years ago, my family lost a close friend, a smart, charming, beautiful young single mom who had grown up eating meals and hanging out at Vanessa's house, classmates of our (now adult) daughters. Struggling to make it on her own, while earning a degree in psychology, she took a job as an "exotic dancer." In other words, a stripper. 

She was a victim. Men paid outrageous sums of money to see her take her clothes off, and that is all they valued her for. She was a victim, in part because there was NO WAY that she could make the money she needed to support herself and her little girl, and pay for school, without being a stripper. 

Look, I GET it. Consenting adults. Freedom of speech. And so on. ALL of those are good ideas, and I will not speak against them. 

It's just that I happen to know, via private sources, that the women in the clubs are paid as independent contractors, and thus are denied ALL fringe benefits, INCLUDING employer payments into Social Security, any health insurance; AND!!!! they are not truly in the status of independent contractors.

So, let us NOT blame the victims, but let us DO consider the sins against them. 

Mayor Bottoms: you had four women killed in your city. Were these women essentially forced into working in these environments because there was NO OTHER WAY they could support themselves and their families? I think that's systematic, institutional sin. Were they ALSO being paid as independent contractors, without really qualifying? Also institutional sin. 

Also: two of those killed in Cherokee County, and all four killed in Atlanta, were Korean women. I don't know; perhaps those six consisted of ALL the Korean women working in massage parlors. Maybe the shooter went after them specifically, although the cops are saying that doesn't seem to be the case. But if we were to investigate, and find that Korean women are vastly over-represented in employees of massage parlors, then I think that is evidence of a systematic sin. 

I'm sick about this. I'm sick thinking about the way things were before the shooting, and I'm sick thinking about the fact that unless the institutional sin is addressed, victims will still suffer.

SO: I'm going to start by writing my congressman, to address the mental health issues I discussed yesterday, and I'm going to contact the IRS to see if they will investigate the employment status of the women in the shadowy industry. And, I'm gonna pray, too.

Peace be on your household. 

  

When Will We Pay The Price To Stop Random Mass Murder?

I had written something else for today, but then I discovered that a 21-year-old Woodstock man had murdered eight people in three separate shootings last night.

Police identified the shooter, and somehow discovered he was heading south. He was arrested in Crisp County (county seat = Cordele)  in a combined Georgia State Patrol and Crisp County Sheriff's Office pursuit. The location is a little more than halfway to Florida from the Atlanta area. 

I'm a little confused about the locations where he committed the murders. The one a few miles from me had the word "Massage" in the business name; the other two , "Spa;" some of the articles have identified all three as massage parlors. We do know that most of the victims were female, and reportedly at least four were Korean. (And so far, Newsweek has the best information.)

I believe that it is inevitable that the same tired old arguments are going to be dragged out again. 

One group will shriek "No more thoughts and prayers! Time to pass sensible gun control legislation!" and then move to ban, or restrict...something. Or, all things related to firearms.

One group will shriek "The only solution to a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun!" and then decry any attempt to take action as un-American, wicked, and dictatorial.

And they will BOTH have missed the point. 

I know this, because EVERY time there has been violence, they have missed the point. Actually, I don't think most of the Big Mouths on either side REALLY are invested in solving the problem. That's because it will require them to advocate for something that will IMMEDIATELY cost money.

The problem is mental health, and it's a problem because:

1. Our country, and individual states, made the decision to get out of the mental health business
2. A few private hospital groups discovered they could charge insurance companies $900/day to provide mental health beds (including addiction issues), and keep people in the hospital for a year or more
3. Insurance companies finally got fed up at the ABUSE of the system, and cracked down under the umbrella of  'managed care.'

It was GREAT for taxpayers! At first. And the ability of insurance companies to limit just how many days they would pay for helped their bottom line. But it was AWFUL for the general public.

First, it tossed a LOT of people with poor social skill out on the street, and we had an immediate homeless problem.

Second, as mental hospitals and treatment centers had their income slashed, the budgets for services got slashed as well, and what USED to be a pretty good safety net vanished. I addressed some of that in my post about solving school shootings . 

Here's what we have now:

• You have reason to believe that someone is a danger to themselves or others.
• You report that to your doc, or the cops, or county mental health
• A designated professional person evaluates them, and makes a recommendation
• Pretty much, nothing happens.

You see, there are only a tiny number of mental health beds. The evaluators KNOW this. So, if there are not beds to place a person for treatment, then something OTHER than hospitalization is recommended. Sometime after I wrote my post on school shootings, I discovered that at least ONE time, the Parkland shooter had been referred for an evaluation, and: nothing happened. So, 17 people DIED, more were wounded. And nothing of significance has changed.

Nor will it this time, if we leave it up to the shriekers. Oh, some legislation might get passed; in fact, there is already some ineffective (legislation) which the House passed, now in the Senate. And some of the shriekers on the other side will protest.

PLEASE HEAR THIS: if they had WANTED to solve a problem, it would have been solved! None of those who shriek WANT the problem to go away, because it makes for a GREAT fund-raiser topic. Yes, I am a life member of the NRA, and they don't want the problem solved. Not saying that's true of all members, nor of other groups, but the Big Mouth doesn't want to throw this football away.

This will ONLY get fixed when We, The People, make a demand on those in state and local government to 

SHUT UP, and TAKE OUR MONEY, 

and re-implement a public mental health safety net. 

We can choose: pay for it in money, or pay for it in blood. 

There are no other solutions.

Peace be on your household; and mine; and theirs, as well.

Yes, We Have No Revolution

I am NOT a political person. I place no great trust in politicians to fix me, and I am not invested in a political party. On September 7, 1972, I took an oath which stated, in part, that "I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same." It has no expiration date. And THAT'S the beginning and the end of my politics. (I hope.)

That may mean that I become stone tone-deaf, when it comes to political things. So, a special THANKS to daughter Tobhiyah for previewing this, to make sure I didn't sound political.

I don't go to places where politics are discussed, because it has, at best, no interest for me, and is likely to aggravate me. Even so, TWICE this morning I have encountered people I respect who believe that the US is about to descend into chaos. They point to the mass protests/riots over the summer, and the rhetoric that the world will end if _________ (fill in the blank with whatever name you prefer) is elected. 

I beg to differ. I am disinclined to believe that mass uprisings are going to take place, either as a result of the November elections, or in the near term.

I think it INEVITABLE that there will an amplification of the whining we saw after the November 2016 election, and I think it LIKELY that those who are advocating and performing street-level violence will also escalate.

BUT: folks ain't hungry. The communications net is still up. And the weather is getting cooler. And the COVID-19 restrictions have eased. As long as we have bread and circuses (a classical reference), and we have some freedom to travel, and it's not roasting inside our dwelling,  we aren't going to have an uprising. 

Here's another factor: there IS no organization with power to move large groups of people to violence, on ANY side. 

I live in Georgia; within my lifetime, there was Klan activity. Now? Zip. Nada. Nothing. There has been NO organized reaction against black folks, protesting or not, and to me, that speaks volumes about the potential for violence. The Klan was the PRIMARY collection point for the extremists who killed people trying to get out the black vote, such as Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney in 1964. And for you young people out there: Yes. That sort of thing really happened. 

Michael Schwerner, 24; James Chaney, 21; Andrew Goodman, 20

They died working to bring YOU a better country.

Now? There IS no corresponding rally point like the Klan, because there IS no monolithic power base being threatened by an organized opposition. Back then, you had a solid white establishment, with a lock on political power. That isn't true today! Now, not only black folks but LOTS of different kinds of folks are in positions of power; even the ranks of us white folks include SOME people who aren't vile.

As for the forces trying to burn it all down: those doing violence in our cities have primarily been opportunistic thugs, with absolutely NO shared revolutionary ideology. Sure, there are loud voices of those WITH an ideology, and some of them have deceived themselves into believing they are providing leadership to the thugs. However, the thugs do not give a rip for revolutionary zeal; the thugs are motivated by individual benefit, and NOT some classist rhetoric. As the weather gets cooler, the streets will get empty, and there goes the 'revolution.'

Just my opinion; I do not claim to be a prophet. Except to predict this: my gift-from-God, happily-ever-after trophy wife Vanessa, the elegant, foxy, praying black grandmother of Woodstock, GA, is going to whop me upside the head for publishing this. She prefers that I keep such opinions to myself. I accept this action on her part; it's part of the package.

Peace be on your household. (And on mine, too!)

Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft

Greetings, internet friends and neighbors, and to those family members who have stumbled upon this post: we are yet holding on.

"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft" (I Sam 15:23a, KJV)

I almost always prefer the New American Standard Bible (NASB), since it was the version I bought, and began studying, upon becoming an adult believer in 1973. 

Sometimes, I have found the transparency of the New International Version (NIV) to reveal a previously hidden truth. I liked this feature so much, I even wrote a song  in praise of this translation, to the tune of the Beach Boys' "Little GTO."*

Every once in a while, though, I revert to my very first Bible, the King James Version (KJV), when a particular verse seems to be hard-wired into my brain. And this morning, when I read that three men, loosely affiliated with a movement known as "Boogaloo Boys," were arrested for planning to firebomb power stations in Las Vegas, King James is what I heard in my head. 

I believe it's because "witchcraft" has a greater punch for me than "divination," the word used in the more recent translations. 

This last is part of a tangle of a few different threads in my recent thinking.

First. Prior to reading the news article this morning, the last thread was prompted by a rabbit trail conversation I was a part of, at a Georgia law seminar I attended last night. The topic was the issues surrounding the use of deadly force. primarily by civilians, but also touching lightly on the use of force by police. One of the other attendees had been a college classmate of former Georgia governor Roy Barnes, and upon hearing that the presenter was a Cobb County lawyer, asked if he knew him.

(The answer was yes; they were neighbors; they all called him "Uncle Roy.")

If you aren't a long-term Georgia resident, it's not likely that you have heard of Roy Barnes. If you have, it's likely due to his actions in getting the Confederate battle flag emblem removed from the Georgia state flag in January 2001. In a nutshell: in six days, he got legislation pushed through both the House and the Senate changing the flag, and the opponents were taken by surprise. 

It cost him re-election, BUT: further significant conflict was avoided. In my opinion, Roy Barnes exemplifies the example of self-sacrifice for the common good. If you want to hear some details, try this article here. 

Second.  I discovered several years ago that snug-fitting T-shirts were no longer the effective fashion statement that they were when I weighed 165 pounds. Hawaiian shirts, though; that appealed to my love of the bizarre, as well as providing comfort for my expanding belly. I peaked at 305 pounds! I've lost around 50 since then, and am slowly creeping downward, but the loose fit of those shirts is still something I appreciate. Furthermore, loose shirts really make the "concealed" part of "concealed carry" work for me. I do not like the association of these shirts with terrorists. 

Third. Like many of you, I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. In my case, the occasion was taken upon my enlistment in the U. S. Army on September 7, 1972. It still applies. Although most of the talk I've heard over the past couple of decades has been about defending our Second Amendment rights, it is the First Amendment that I see being challenged now. Specifically, it is the RIGHT of the people to peaceably assemble. The protests, whether you agree with them or not, fall into that category. The challenges are coming from at least two sides: those in authority, who react in fear and oppression; and those who are using a protest venue to launch violent and tumultuous attacks on people and property. Whether those latter are opportunistic thugs, or agent provocateurs, I do not know. I hope that will be revealed, and as soon as possible. Depicted here is a peaceable protest of remarkable beauty; it is also RE-MAKE-ABLE beauty, as this can serve as a pattern for future events. 

Fourth.  The Fulton County DA charged a former Atlanta police officer with 11 felony counts, including felony murder. An official with the Atlanta chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. called this decision bold and courageous, but at the same time wondered why similar charges had not been filed in a half-dozen similar cases since 2015; these came during times when the DA was not fighting for re-election. 

And it's possible that the cops are responding by staging an informal job action, although news on this is hard to come by. If the link at the beginning of this sentence is dead,  you might need to try Google.

I think that a citizen has the right to go about their business/recreation without being hassled, and without fear of being treated more harshly than the situation calls for.

I think that police should be accountable for criminal actions, but should NOT fear being criminally prosecuted for political advantage of elected officials.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Peace be on your household.

*For those of you who are curious, the first verse of this song, performed at a summer evening service at my home church in Woodstock, GA, around 1994:

Well, Little NIV, you know you read so fine,

From Genesis to Revelations, you really blow my mind.

When I look into your pages, it really drives me wi-i-ild,

I'm gonna take it down, open it, read the book,

NIV!

His Duty As A Trooper

I didn't write this post. 

(It seems I am mostly still not able to write. I'm trying to figure that out, but if you have been wondering? Well, I'm wondering as well.)

This post was written by Richard Holman, a 27 year-old second-generation member of the Georgia State Patrol. I cannot speak highly enough of his parents, who I have known since 1991. In fact, I'm not even going to try, except to say that if you lived next door to them, or had the privilege of working with them, you would call yourself blessed, just as I do.

August 2017: 

New graduate Richard is issued the same badge number

his father Lee had, when he served.

I was nearly overwhelmed with pride, when I read Richard's reflections on his duty as a member of the GSP, and as a man, during the unrest in Atlanta in the recent past. These are his words, verbatim, which you may also find on his May 31 entry on his Facebook page.

I’ve been pondering the “right” way to put this, but if I keep thinking about it then it’ll never be said. The more I grow the more I am able to clearly formulate my own opinions and feeling about the world. I’ve felt a hard press on my heart this week to share these thoughts, and I’ve ignored too many calls from God to not share this one.

First of all, hi I’m Richard. I am In law enforcement, and I am proud of the job I do everyday and the department I serve. I love to serve my wife, my church, my friends, my family, and my community. My mission goes beyond getting bad folks off the roads. I strive to dig into my community to bridge a gap that for far too long has been left void. A large part of my job includes listening to people. When I encounter someone I’ve always found that listening to them is a fantastic way to start that conversation. I know what I have to say to people, so I want to know what they have to say to me. I can’t change the past, and I can’t change someone’s perspective. I CAN listen to understand perspective, and pray I leave a better footprint.

With that said, the pain that is being expressed in these gatherings is felt. The tears have been seen. Your chants are being heard. It is my obligation as a good man to support and listen to the protest. It is my duty as a Trooper to bridge that gap. I’m speaking out against any man or woman in law enforcement that does not believe that it is our duty to truly serve with love and compassion for each and every person. I have unregrettably apologized to people for the way they have been treated by other law enforcement officers in the past, and will continue to do so.

For the last 3 days. I have been in Atlanta. There have been numerous protest with meaning and real passion with real missions taking place. I value your expressions and your mission. I have had conversations with people where I did nothing but listen, and ask more questioned to gain a new perspective. I did this because I needed to understand the best I can. My duty as a Trooper and my obligation as a human is to defend your protest. If harm comes to you I will defend you, and I have seen you defend those on duty. We should begin to value each other as God values us. For me that starts with listening.

There are many coming that do not have a real cry. They do not have any words that add value or express pain. They have a mission to cause pain, and to divide even deeper. These are the wolves. They’ve swept into a meaningful expression, and stole the mission from millions of people. I want those that are protesting to know that I see that. I see that your agenda is to bridge the gap just like me. And I will defend you in these streets as the wolves are trying to tear apart what you’ve so desperately needed to say. I love you all, and I’m always here for you.

Even if you don't know Richard personally; even if you don't have the privilege of living in the Great State of Georgia; if you care about the future of the relationship between law enforcement and civilians, then this should make you proud. This should give you hope. As long as there are men and women who understand their mission the way that Richard Holman does, then the LEO side of the equation will work. It's up to the rest of us to take care of the civilian side.

Peace be on your household.