End Of Watch: July 25, 2016 - Sergeant Craig Hutchinson, Travis County Sheriff's Office

A police officer is never really safe, never really "off duty," and this is true even at his own home.  This morning Sergeant Craig Hutchinson, Travis County Sheriff's Office, had survived his shift and had survived the trip home.  He had just parked outside his home when he saw several persons running from the back of his house.  The officer radioed for assistance, said that he was pursuing, and was not heard from again.

It is believed that the first assisting officers arrived at the home approximately ten minutes after Sergeant Hutchinson made contact with his dispatcher.  Responding officers found the lawman in his back yard, fatally wounded.  No suspects were seen in the area.

The investigation into Sergeant Hutchinson's death is not complete, with many questions remaining.  The first question that comes to mind, in today's militant climate, is was this really a burglary, or was the Sergeant lured out into the darkness with the intent that a hidden person might shoot him?  Over the years I have known two other officers who were ambushed at their own homes, so it could just as likely be a planned ambush as a botched burglary.  I hope this and other questions will be answered soon, and the perpetrators captured quickly.

Sergeant Hutchinson was a training officer for "new" patrol deputies; in fact, one of his former trainees was one of the first deputies to arrive.  He was devastated to find his former mentor laying in the grass, barely hanging on to life.  Sergeant Hutchinson passed away in a nearby hospital. 

This good man was only two months away from retiring as a 32-year veteran of the Travis Count Sheriff's Office, so this is even more tragic.  The lawman is survived by his wife who has now been deprived of several good years with her husband finally being able to spend his days with her instead of taking care of you and me.  That is so tragic, but the outright murder of a police officer is tragic in itself, regardless of the surrounding circumstances.

Rewards are being offered now as various agencies began a cooperative investigation.  The response from Sergeant Hutchinson's neighbors has been tremendous, and very encouraging to grieving officers.  Neighbors brought food and water to investigating officers as the hours dragged on, and some neighbors stood in their yards holding flags and even hugging the police officers.

May God HIMSELF speed this investigation...but if the murderers are not located by human means, I pray that God HIMSELF mete out the justice appropriate to this cowardly crime.

I pray that the Good Shepherd comfort the men and women of Law Enforcement as they go about this investigation and as they go about their regular patrol and other functions, in spite of the danger that they must daily face.  I pray for this family and especially for the wife left behind, who probably is only just beginning to feel the full shock and pain of the loss of her husband.

May God protect our officers

And may God Bless America

A Sign Of The Beach Times

Living in a beach house for just over a year has made a lasting impression on my life, and I will never forget my time there, just over five years ago.  I have lived "on the mainland" for all but one year of the fifty-five years of my life, and have lived in some very interesting places, but of all those places, I have to say the favorite of all was the little house in Surfside Beach that we named "Some'r Surfin'." Child A and Child B visited us at our beach home, and both of them fell in love with the place just as we did.  We had never in our wildest dreams thought that we would one day live just off the beach on a semi-tropical island, but there we were.  I spent a lot of time on the road, unfortunately, so I did not get as much time on the beach as did my lovely bride, but I am so grateful for the time I had. 

My spouse also enjoyed those fleetingly few months, although she rode out the edge of Hurricane Alex in 2009, while I was safely tucked away in a Baton Rouge hotel at the time, pursuant to my work as a private investigator.  By the time I returned to Texas the storm was gone and the island was its usual peaceful spot of paradise.  Another time, I was in Colorado on a case when a hurricane descended on the Houston area, thus I never saw the worst the island had offer.  My lovely bride was once trapped on the island during a tropical storm; nonetheless, she and I loved that place.  We adopted the island, learned to love the quirky people there, and eventually became Surfside Beach "natives."  You may be an honorary Surfside Beach native, too, if you know what is "Kitty's Purple Cow."  When we finally left Surfside, we learned that you can leave the beach behind you, but you can't get the island out of your soul. 

I guess similar sentiments must have lingered with Child B.  Not too very long ago Child B surprised my lovely bride with a small gift, but it really plucked at our hearts.  The gift was just a small sign to put up on the wall, but the words...the words really summed up our love of the beach house, Surfside Beach, and the laid-back yet magical life on a Texas tropical island.  The sign reads simply:

"May you Always have a SHELL in your pocket SAND in your shoes."

Wow, does that short phrase sum it all up!  For months after leaving Surfside Beach I indeed carried a seashell in my pocket.  Walking along the beach with the surf washing over ones toes means it is impossible to get home without some sand in your shoes.  We both wore sandals (I will not NEVER acknowledge the fact, outside this blog, that I wore sandals!) on our many walks along the seashore from the pedestrian beach to the jetty on the eastern tip of the island.  At the end of each walk, we would take off our sandals..er, shoes...and wash the beach sand off our feet and out from between our toes.  But, just like the sign from Child B implied, we were never really able to get every grain of sand out of those shoes, or off our feet, for that matter.  It seemed that we always found sand between our toes even hours after we left the beach and had taken our showers.  And of course, I always kept a seashell in my pocket. 

The sign that Child B gave us still sits in our house, waiting for a permanent spot.  I told my lovely bride this was a "no brainer!"  We should OBVIOUSLY tack up the sign right on our wall without any further ado.  How hard is THAT?!  "No," my lovely bride tells me MOST urgently!

"Of COURSE the sign will go up MY office."

Well, of course I lost this fight...and, really, it was not much of a fight.  Child B got the sign mostly for my lovely bride.  To be honest, I am glad the sign will go to my lovely bride's office, because so many people are in and out of her office all day.  Those people will be blessed by the deeper meaning in those simple words:
    May you Always have a SHELL
        your pocket & SAND in your shoes

And, May God Bless America

Pokemon Go: Our Herding Instinct, The "World-Wide Menace," And No Criminal Left Behind

I could NOT BELIEVE the headlines! An article on the Internet proclaimed that the new, wildly popular game of Pokémon Go (PKM Go) was a WORLD-WIDE MENACE!  I thought the article was just Internet hype, but it turns out that many online news sites are carrying similar headlines.  After perusing a few of these, from the more "mainstream" sources, I saw that the governments of many nations around the world were taking steps all the way from warning players not to trespass on government property to declaring the playing of this game "UN-Isamic!," and thus probably punishable by death in the more fundamentalist nations.  In Bosnia Herzegovina authorities were forced to post notices around the country in known minefields warning PKM Go players to please NOT ENTER areas known to contain unexploded landmines while pursuing the elusive little Poke manimals. 

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/nations-of-the-world-confront-the-pok%c3%a9mon-menace/ar-BBuzDTA

More about the "world menace" in a moment; first however, exactly how many people are believed to be playing Pokémon Go?  Well, at least one source in the United States has calculated that nearly TEN MILLION Americans are playing PKM Go on a daily basis now.  When the game was first released on July 6th, as many as three million people downloaded the app within the first twenty-four hours.  Around the world, another source estimates that at least 21 Million people are DOWNLOADING the app daily, and the number is rising.  The strain has crashed the PKM Go servers several times daily for the past two weeks.  But the big news is that Internet monitoring sources have noted DECLINES in the daily use of Facebook, Twitter, and even Pinterest.  I don't have a reliable source to check this, but I suspect that this is the first time we have EVER experienced a decline in the use of these social media, even a temporary decline.

But, you say, how can a "mere" cell phone-borne game be considered a WORLD-WIDE MENACE?!  To answer that question I would point you to the human "herding instinct."  The numbers presented above bear out the "herding instinct" without debate.  The problems for PKM Go players seem to arise when some members of the herd become so PKM Go-bound that the human sense of self-preservation (also much of human "intelligence" and "good sense") is somehow forced to the back-burner of consciousness by the overwhelming desire to "capture" the elusive Poke creatures.  Sadly, many players of this game have also lost the sense of observing the privacy and property rights of others, including state and federal governments.

As PKM Go continues to be a popular diversion, world governments are handling the situation in different ways.  Almost universally many governments are calling on gamers to avoid entering military installations and especially not to PHOTOGRAPH the Pokémon characters while on, in, or near security- sensitive areas.  The Kremlin, for instance, is emphasizing to the public that players could face years in prison for trespassing on military property or taking photographs on said locations.  Some Russian news sources have expressed their suspicions that the PKM Go craze is actually the brainchild of certain elements within the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).  These sources go on to state that CIA operatives believe they will glean information from the hundreds of thousands of players who are innocently snapping away with their cell phones, inadvertently giving away military secrets.  I am not sure how that would work, but then, I not an international espionage operative.  Nonetheless, governments around the world are condemning this game and looking for ways to control or even stop gamers before the "menace" truly gets out of hand.

Many religious leaders are condemning PKM Go as well.  I have already mentioned that several Islamic clerics have called for good Muslims to cease the game, calling it anti-Islamic.  Some of the more fundamentalist leaders are actually warning that persons playing PKM Go could face various punishments, the least of which apparently is the possibility that cell phones will be confiscated.  Other religious leaders have expressed their irritation at PKM Go players who have desecrated, or at least been disrespectful, of religious property or sacred sites in pursuit of Pokémon creatures. 

While I do not believe that PKM Go-ers are a world menace, nor that they are unwitting minions of the CIA, there is a disturbing element that has surfaced with the increasing popularity of the PKM Go game.  The herding instinct here is the desire of millions of people to play PKM Go, to capture as many of the little creatures as possible wherever the little beasts present themselves.  While most of the time capturing the Pokémon creatures is harmless, in itself, the lengths to which gamers will go to capture their prey is shocking.  Merely trespassing or playing the game in inappropriate places is the least of problems associated with PKM Go.  In the last three weeks, stories of gamers falling off high places or wrapping their cars around poles have become commonplace.  There are even accounts in various newspapers around the country of people becoming trapped in trees, lost or injured in abandoned buildings, or hurt after falling over tombstones in local cemeteries.  In the United States alone, the numbers of those killed and injured - as a result of being distracted while playing PKM Go - are hitting in the three digit range.  Accidental death and injuries, however, are not the only dangers emerging as the PKM Go craze continues. 

Aside from accidental entrapments and injuries, PKM Go players have faced the wrath of store operators and private property owners when they seemingly forgot the most basic courtesies and common sense regarding trespassing.  Along with the risk of getting beat up or even shot at by property owners, PKM Go players have forgotten, in some instances, common decency.  Some players have walked haphazardly through grave yards and knocked over headstones.  Others have entered cathedrals, churches, and public memorials in pursuit of Poke prey.  In such cases players would more than likely have little concern for these desecrations, even though they did not intend any harm. 

In the United States, police departments in several states have reported theft and robberies in which PKM Go players have been victimized by thugs who, using the Pokémon Go app themselves, located Poke creatures in secluded, questionable places.  These criminals then concealed themselves in the vicinity and just waited for the distracted players to arrive.  In one city, a "crew" of four young men victimized several people across multiple police jurisdictions in the area in this manner.  This particular criminal enterprise was believed to be responsible for numerous armed robberies and several aggravated assaults.  I suspect that one or more persons have been murdered in this process, but such has not actually been proven at this point.  But PKM Go players should bear in mind the possibility that they should exercise usual and conventional wisdom and caution while playing the game.  No doubt more and more of the criminal element will join in the Pokémon Go craze.  After all, no criminal wants to be left behind!

I am not playing this game myself, but I certainly don't belittle those who do.  These types of games are fun and challenging, which equals distraction and escape from the real world for just a few minutes.  That is probably the same reason I blog, though my readers are few.  We all need a little distraction, and Pokémon Go is one more way of gaining that distraction.  Like other "crazes," one day Pokémon Go will fade as some other game takes its place.  I guess what make the Pokémon Go craze so incredible is the large size of the "herd" that is playing, and that much of the world is sort of united in something other than violence or endless protest.  Governments and religious leaders the world over are up in arms over Pokémon.  Probably the less these people worry about PKM Go gamers, the sooner the craze will blow over, and with less lasting damage.  And, with the next "craze," I hope the participants will not forget (or FAIL TO LEARN) the lessons presented by the current rage, that while enjoying the diversion (and the comradery) that such games provide, they should be careful, stay alert and safe, and respect the rights of others and the sanctity of religious sites and other memorials.  And yes, have fun as well.

From a non-Pokémon Go player to all, those who do and those who don't...

Enjoy your own diversions, whatever they may be, stay safe, and care for each other whether you are a PKM Go-er or not.

May God Bless America

Fallen Officers - Texas Police Officers Killed In The Line Of Duty THIS SUMMER

This summer has been a stunning, numbing, and angering, enraging summer as nine police officers in Texas have fallen in the line of duty since June 12th.

June 12, 2016  Officer Endy Ekpanya, Pearland Police Department, lost his life when he was struck head-on by a drunk driver.  Officer Ekpanya left behind his fiancée and infant child.  He was a young officer who had served only one year at the time of his death.

June 19 - Sergeant Stacy Baumgartner, Patton Village Police Department, lost his life in a vehicle pursuit of a driver who had just attempted to run over the officer while the officer was on foot briefly.  A vehicle struck the sergeant's vehicle, causing the patrol car to hit a lamp post while the other vehicle rolled over.  Sergeant Baumgartner and a child in the other vehicle were both killed.  Other persons in the civilian vehicle were seriously injured.  The fleeing suspect returned to the scene of the accident and was arrested.

July 7 - In one of the most cowardly acts ever perpetrated on Texas Peace Officers, at least one shooter (whose name is not worth the effort needed to print it here) and possibly other shooters ambushed officers of the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Police.
Dallas Officers killed were:
Senior Corporal Lorne Ahern
Patrolman Leslie Krol
Sergeant Michael Smith
Patrolman Patricio Zamarrippa
DART Police Officer Brent Thompson (the first DART officer killed in the line of duty).

These officers were engaged in securing a largely peaceful demonstration by Black Lives Matter.  During this event police officers were shot from several locations, possibly indicating that more than one person was involved in the ambush.  According to witness testimony (including some of the BLM protesters) some of these officers, though mortally wounded, still sheltered civilians as long as they had life in their bodies. 

The BLM organizers (unless evidence surfaces later) were not responsible for this cowardly and senseless attack on these police officers, and I firmly believe that none of those protesting wanted this terrible thing to happen.  The officers killed by this animal had LIVES, and those lives MATTERED just as much as anyone else's life did.  With this incident, more than any other this year, notice was served on police officers across the nation that they were targets for other animals of this man's ilk.  Just days later three officers in Baton Rouge were killed in what was obviously a staged "shots fired/suspicious person call."  I hope and pray these will be the last, but each time an officer steps out of his or her house and leaves for work, the officer knows he or she could become the target of other cowards who will try to murder from ambush.  Yet, these officers go to work day in and day out, just the same.

July12 - Officer Marco Zarate, Bellaire Police Department, attempted to stop theft suspects at a Target store.  The suspects fled in a vehicle and the officer pursued on his motorcycle.  During the pursuit the officer lost control of his motorcycle and crashed.  He was suffered severe injuries and succumbed to those injuries a short time later.  So far the suspects are not identified.

July 16 - Corrections Officer Mari Johnson was killed in a prison unit in Abilene when she was overpowered by a male inmate.  She was found unconscious and died later in a nearby hospital.  Officer Johnson had served the State for over seven years.

The very next day, July 17, was the day that at least one, and possibly as many as three, snipers staged a shooting incident in East Baton Rouge.  Responding officers were fired on by at least one subject with a rifle.  Three officers were killed in this attack, and several officers responding to the officer down call were also hit by the (or a) shooter.  Responding officers killed one suspect but witnesses led officers to believe that two or more persons had fled prior to the assisting officers' arrival.  Like officers in Dallas, it is obvious that someone has decided to target the Baton Rouge police and sheriff's officers in particular.

In Texas, what started out as a relatively safe year for police officers has turned into a bloody summer with over half the summer remaining.  Our Texas Peace Officers are brave men and women who will continue to do their job even in the face of this terrorism, and who will do their best to protect you and me even in a time when it must seem to them many civilians, if not outright hostile, are at least unsupportive of police officers.  In a very dark time, Texas Peace Officers will stand up to criminals, and especially to the faceless animals who cannot confront officers head-on, but must lurk in the shadows like all cowards do.

I, for one, want police officers to know I support them and pray for their safety.  I want them to know that I understand our society would be a disaster if there were no one patrolling our streets and neighborhoods.  I know many other Texans and Americans from other states feel the same.  We stand behind our officers and take pride in our officers.  And, we have our officers backs.  Yes, if the opportunity arose, I for one, would do all I could to assist an officer in trouble or to come to the aid of fallen officers if ever blessed with that opportunity.  No one likes getting a traffic citation or being "hassled" for some activity or another, and no one likes crooked or badge-heavy officers.  But the vast majority of officers do their best to be successful at a job that is largely thankless, friendless, financially unrewarding, and just tough overall. 

May the Good Shepherd watch over our police officers...as he comforts those who remain behind in this sad world.

And May God Bless America

End Of Vacation or Goodbye To Pete's Retreat

This is Thursday evening, the last full day/night that my lovely bride and I have to spend at our little spot of paradise, Pete's Retreat in San Luis Pass.  No, this is not a highly popular stretch of beach in Miami, but it is a wonderful place that it is just far enough out of the way to let a guy have a little peace.   Being able to get up each morning and walk along the beach or in the surf, or just to set on the balcony and enjoy the breeze has been such a pleasure, such a burden release.  I really do no want to see it come to an end.

We have relatives in the Angleton area whom we just don't get to see often enough, as well as many friends from high school.  The only regret about this trip is that there was just not enough time to see everyone.  Well, actually the other regret will be to leave the ocean.  I have developed a great love for the Third Coast, especially in the Old Fort Velasco area.  Like I said, this is not a really popular stretch of beach and not one of the prettiest beaches in the nation, but it has its own elusive beauty, much like the scraggly deserts of West Texas have their own rugged appeal.  I could even envision myself retiring here.

One of the greatest pleasure of this trip was heaving our little granddaughter with us.  This little girl, whom I call Baby Baby (a nickname I made up myself), rode with us all the way from Midland, Texas to the point where State Highway 36 terminates at the Gulf of Mexico.  Baby Baby made the ride of nearly seven hundred miles with very little complaint.  She was a pleasure all the way.  I and my lovely bride are so thankful to Child B and her husband for allowing us to bring their precious treasure all the way across Texas and keep her away from them for a week.  Tonight we will meet Child B in Houston and bring her back to the beach house with us.  A couple days from now we will all (including Child B) ride all the way back across Texas.  This will be a pleasant trip and and just an added bonus to our vacation.

I know there are more interesting and more important things going on in the world right now, but my lovely bride and I will be travelling with two of the most important points of light in our lives.  So much wrong in the world today, yes, but there is so much right as well.  Family is the treasure that stands the test of time, when all else in the world may fail.

And may God Bless America.

My Reflection On The Dallas Police Massacre

I have not posted here since the five officers were murdered in Dallas.  I have been at a loss for words, like most Americans, at the ruthless, cowardly, brutal assassinations, some witnessed live, committed by someone under the cover of a Black Lives Matter protest.

Having spent well over ten years as a police officer, and having lost some fellow officers along the way, I know personally the pain that officers feel, not to mention their loved ones and friends.  It is never right to shoot a police officer lawfully performing his duty, whether you agree with the way his is doing it, whether he is being rude, or whether he is not as civil as you would want him (or her) to be. The pain is even worse, I believe, when the police officer is killed by a coward from ambush just because that person does not like (actually BECAUSE the person HATES) police officers.

In the case of the massacre of Dallas officers last week, I can only say how deeply I feel sympathy for the loss that those left behind have suffered.  Sadly, even since the Dallas massacre, other officers have been murdered by cowardly snipers.  The loved ones, friends, and fellow officers of those murdered in Dallas are left behind to feel the sadness and loss, the frustration and the anger.  The shooter is dead, and that can be both a positive thing and a negative thing for those hurting because of this animal's actions.

I commend the Dallas Police Department for first exercising restraint in their actions.  Officers, knowing their friends were dead or dying, opened negotiations with the animal trying to save his life even though he had killed and was even continuing his threat by stating he had explosives planted around the city.  Negotiations, for whatever reason, broke down and ultimately the taxpayers were spared the expense of listening to any further hate spewing from this animal's mouth, spared the expense of a trial, spared the expense of HAVING TO PAY FOR THIS GUY'S LAWYER, and ultimately spared the expense of feeding and caging this animal until he either died or was executed. Now I refuse to give any further space to this animal.

Trying to live Christian values is certainly difficult in these times, and as you can see from this post I am not successful all the time.  But only ONE Man was, and He is in heaven now.  The only thing that makes this event bearable for many people is knowing that the five Dallas Police Officers, who were peacemakers, are now with the Good Shepherd and part of the Blue Line up there.  The Good Shepherd said that we are all appointed a day to die, so we ALL know our last day is coming.  It is just a matter of when.  And how.  The Good Shepherd also said that we would have evil with us throughout our life in this world, but WOE TO THOSE WHO BRING IT.  Enough said.

So the officers from Dallas are in the Comfort of the Good Shepherd, and I believe, are looking "down" on their loved ones from a Higher Plane.  The comfort to their families now is that one day they will meet their Officers in heaven, and will even see and embrace the Good Shepherd himself. Until that day arrives, the families of these fallen officers will have to struggle through life suffering from the loss they feel and the loss of fellowship with their loved ones that they will not have again on this earth.  I think that occasionally (I cannot back this with Scripture but I believe it) these brave men will somehow make their presence known to their loved ones at just the right time, perhaps easing the loved ones' burdens as they continue in this life.

To the slain officers, I know that you know now your lives were not a vain sacrifice, and that you are loved and missed here in this world.

Regardless of my beliefs, may God touch and bless those left behind, and may God protect the remaining men and women as they continue to work the best they can to hold the Thin Blue Line against the evil and inhumanity in this world.

And may God Bless America

The Pot Called The Kettle Black - or - Hillary Clinton and The United States Criminal (IN)Justice System

First of all, let me just say that the events of yesterday and the latest news from United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch today do not surprise me IN THE LEAST, and I trust it did not surprise any of you, either.  What we have seen have seen is one of the grossest miscarriages of justice in all of United States history!  But again, this news did not surprise me, surely did not surprise any other reasonably intelligent person in the United States, and will (I predict) have no effect whatever on the coming presidential election in November.

Second, just a minor point.  Loretta Lynch proved early on that she was just an Obama "yes man" by her lack of handling of any obviously criminal matters dating all the way back to possible action against Former AG Holder and "Operation Fast and Furious."  Then, just before no less than the DIRECTOR of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) PERSONALLY made the announcement that no charges would be pursued against Hillary Clinton, AG Loretta Lynch met with former president William (Slick Willie) Clinton on an airplane in midflight.  It suggests that the participants wanted no one on the ground to know the agenda up for discussion.  So, AG Lynch meets with Slick Sick Bill, then, just one day after Director James Comey declares that the FBI was through with this matter, Ms. Lynch announces that she will follow the FBI's (Comey's) recommendation (Bill Clinton's as well????) and will not pursue any further criminal action against the Democratic presidential candidate.  So Miss Loretta continues her role as Obama's official "yes man." 

So FBI Director James Comey declares that Hillary Clinton did nothing wrong "legally," she was just "careless" about how she handled information related to matters of national security.  Further, Ms. Clinton had no "intent."  The good Director did not mention exactly what kind of "intent" that he determined Ms. Clinton did not have.  I mean was it "criminal intent" she did not have?  The word "criminal" was only used once, when Director Comey said no "criminal charges" would be pursued.  But he did at least "chide" the innocent of intent Clinton for being "careless" with information that was actually a matter of national security.  Some of this information was in fact "top secret." 

I wonder what sort of criteria Director Comey might have used to decide that Hillary Clinton had no "intent."  For instance, Ms. Hillary said she did not handle any information that was "classified" as top secret "at the time" that she sent and received this information over an unsecured (and UNREPORTED) private server.  Actually, according to Clinton's champion, Director Comey, there were at least THIRTY TOP SECRET pieces of information, and many more that were at least "classified."  In other words, Hillary Clinton LIED to the FBI when she said she handled NO top secret information on her private server.  Isn't lying to investigators sort of an indication of "intent?"

But Hillary Clinton went on to delete (or ORDER to be deleted - uhh...isn't this now a conspiracy?) over THIRTY THOUSAND separate emails, many of which the FBI's computer forensics experts were not able (?) to recover upon searching her computer equipment.  I think (of course I am not an attorney, like Hillary is) that this action ALSO is at least a hint of (dare I say it?) "intent," and intent of the "criminal" kind.  But what do I know?  After all, Director Comey said Ms. Hillary had no "intent."  She was, according to him, simply CARELESS.

An aside here - Years ago President Richard Nixon was forced to resign the presidency because he deleted 18 minutes of incriminating conversation that was NOT related to national security, but only to the failed mission of the Watergate Hotel "plumbers."  How many HOURS worth of information regarding Hillary Clinton's culpability for direct NATIONAL SECURITY BREACHES was deleted in those 30,000 emails?  Yet this woman is STILL A CANDIDATE FOR THIS NATION'S HIGHEST OFFICE!!! 

So Hillary obstructed an investigation, lied to investigators, and broke all kinds of state department protocols regarding handling TOP SECRET information on unprotected, un-vetted, and certainly unauthorized computer equipment.  But she will not be charged because, as she insisted over and over, she "did nothing wrong."  But just a few months ago, Hillary Clinton herself was yelling for the head of a young American government contractor named Edward Snowden.  And what was she yelling?  She was SCREAMING that this man, who should have been protected as a "whistleblower," be prosecuted...for what?  He should be prosecuted for his "CARELESS HANDLING OF TOP SECRET INFORMATION THAT RELATES DIRECTLY TO NATIONAL SECURITY!!"

No, I am not making up any of this.  All of what I have written can easily be "fact checked" via multiple sources both on the Internet and in print media.  Hillary Clinton, the "pot" in this case has invested at least a year in decrying Snowden's (the kettle's) actions.  Now we know that Hillary was herself engaged in misusing secret government information, and not with the intent of warning the United States, and yes, the WORLD, that the NSA and various other alphabet agencies were busily engaged in actively spying on both United States citizens and citizens of other nations as they communicated with US citizens.  No, I am not sure WHAT Hillary's intent was (is) with her misuse of top secret information, but I am certain it was not to alert law-abiding citizens that their government was ILLEGALLY spying on them. 

Hillary Clinton wants Edward Snowden to be prosecuted for his "crime" of revealing to US - you and me - and to various nations around the world that the United States government was engaged mass, world-wide espionage - not against known criminals, international gun-smugglers, dope cartels, terrorists, but against YOU and ME.  After all, the American elites have much more to fear from honest citizens than against those elements listed above.

BUT -

Hillary Clinton does NOT believe she did anything wrong in her misuse of top secret information, transmitting this information via unsecure electronic media, lying to investigators about it, and attempting to cover the full extent of her actions by deleting 30,000 (that she admitted to) emails.  Not only did she do "nothing wrong," but she now calls on you and I to just "move on" and "put this email thing" behind us.  Come to think of it, I believe she said the same thing about Benghazi.  I believe she said we need to just "move on."  Never mind the American dead there.  In fact, never mind the trail of the dead that doggedly follows the Clintons across America.  Just "move on," just "put this behind us" and get busy and elect her as the next president!

Note to Director Comey:  While no person can be COMPELLED to talk to FBI agents, a person who voluntarily participates in an official FBI interview, and LIES in that interview, is guilty of a federal crime, whether that person is charged with, or even SUSPECTED of another crime.  You can, Director Comey, prosecute Ms. Clinton for the listed crime of "Lying to Federal Agents During an Investigation."  Ah, but Ms. Clinton had no "intent," did she, Director Comey?  Isn't that what you told us.

Yes, the Pot called the Kettle "black" (dirty) even as the Pot was SMOTHERED with dirt of the worst kind!  Yet this Pot, Hillary Clinton, will NO DOUBT be the Democratic nominee by the time their national convention is over.  Electors are salivating ALL OVER THEMSELVES to get this woman into the White House.  Very likely this will happen, regardless of the outcome of the popular election.  The delegates are all but set. 

My friends, what we have seen here is one of the greatest travesties of the United States criminal (IN)justice system of all time.  Not an example of "White Privilege" but of "Elite Privilege."  No person who wants his or her job in the current administration would DARE tell President Obama that Hillary Clinton should be prosecuted.  And Obama himself is now stumping for Hillary.  Obviously HE does not believe she did anything "wrong."  As far as the "underlings" who carried out the "email" investigation, many of them have families, job security, and good retirement plans, which they have no desire to endanger by going forward with the Clinton prosecution.  Plus, there is quite the possibility that the trail of the "dead" that doggedly follows both the Clintons might lead to their own door steps.  Certainly their careers would take a sudden and very deep dive to the south.


Yes, the Pot called the Kettle black, and the United States criminal (IN)justice system prattles on...

May God Bless (and save) America

America - 237 Years Old Today!

Today marks the 237th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Some people do not realize that the American Revolution began nearly a year earlier, on April 19, 1775 and would continue another eight years, before fighting ceased on September 3, 1783.  That a few hundred poorly trained citizens-turned-soldiers were able to defeat the most powerful military force in the world (at that time) was truly astounding.  It was said that the first shot of the American Revolution was "heard around the world," but the VICTORY of the new republic was major world news!  World history was (and would be) changed in such a way as no American could have imagined back in 1783.

Today in America we can say (and it would be true!) that there are many things wrong in this nation.  Most of us could spend several minutes (some of us probably several HOURS) listing the problems facing this country, things that are not right in this country, and things we would like to change in this country.  But today, I choose to see the many things that are RIGHT with America.

First of all, our nation is a nation under the law as given by one of the greatest documents ever written by human beings.  This nation was formed around the idea that all people were born with INALIENABLE rights, such that no man, no governing body, no military, nor any other human institution, could take from us.  The Constitution of the United States enumerated rights which God (referred to as the Creator) gave to men, and which were never to be taken away; but the Constitution went one step further.  This great document also limited the power of the government, outlined the powers of each branch of the government, and then went on reserve any other powers not accorded the government to the people themselves, or the states.

Even with all that is going on in America today, we are all still protected by the Bill of Rights, as the first ten amendments are called.  Included in those (inalienable) rights are freedom of speech and religion, freedom to be secure in our home from unreasonable government search or arrest, and also the right to bear arms, which Congress shall not infringe.  No other nation guarantees its citizens these rights.  Some nations come close, but none meet the standards of our Bill of Rights.  We should not take these rights for granted, since they were bestowed by the Creator.  Not everyone in the world lives under these standards, so we should all  count our blessings.

Along with the near-sacred Bill of Rights, we Americans enjoy a standard of living and a standard of convenience that many people, even in England, do not enjoy.  We can assemble (PEACEFULLY) to protest or to make demands of our government.  We do not routinely fear contact with police officers or members of the military.  In fact, in the vast, vast majority of our interactions with law enforcement, the military, and any other local or national government contact, we are treated fairly or at least strictly in accordance with our constitutional rights.  The vast majority of the time we are not subject to misconduct by police, government, or military officials.  In fact, a political science professor whom I studied under several years ago proved to us with his own research that in all levels of American government (or bureaucracy, if you will) the processes work correctly over 85% of the time.  Not many other nations can make this claim.  Also, the vast majority of us go to sleep at night in relative peace, not fearing that someone will invade our home during the night, and more importantly, not fearing that some federal, state, or local enforcement agency will come bursting through our door while we are sleeping.  Again, many nations do not enjoy this...this freedom.

Americans, and even immigrants who are not yet citizens, have almost unlimited opportunities to work in any profession or career they desire, and to reach for nearly unlimited heights in these careers, and to strive for income levels unsurpassed in other nations around the world.  No one can force a person into a certain career or vocation here in America.  We all have the freedom to choose what we do for a living, how much education we seek, how high we go in any organization, or even to work alone in an individual business endeavor if we so desire.  Above all, Americans are free to make for themselves the life they desire, to live where they want, to travel freely between the States, to launch or change careers, in other words, to be who we want to be, and to be free. 

Freedom...
That is really the point of it all.  Men and women fought and died over two centuries ago to separate themselves from England, to create a new nation in a new land, under a revolutionary form of government for those times, a democratic republic.  When the fighting came to an end in 1783, there were many people around the world who did not believe the fledgling United States of America would last even ten years.  Others were more optimistic.  They felt that the United States would thrive for several years, maybe a century or two, and then it would go the way of Greece or Rome.  Democracy would fade back into some form of monarchy or dictatorship, or some other form of government in which, once again, the will of the people would bend to that of those in power.

But here we are, 237 years since the Revolution ended.  America withstood an attempt by England to retake "the colonies" in what has been referred to as the War of 1812.  Just over eighty years later, in 1860, Americans went to war against each other.  It was a terrible, bloody war, but the formerly divided nation survived, was reunited, and former slaves became Americans.  No, it was not perfect then, but America survived and thrived.  No, it is not perfect now, but America STILL survives and STILL thrives.  Will America survive as long as, say, the Roman Empire?  Who can say?  But today I believe that America will survive at least for another few generations.  Beyond that, only the Creator knows.

I am proud to be an American, and I thank the Creator for this nation.  I especially thank the Creator for the people who fought and died to create this nation, and for those who have since fought and died to keep our country strong.  American is strong enough as a nation to face all difficulties and solve them.  America is strong enough to endure even when our leaders seemingly ignore that great document, the Constitution.  So I say...

God Bless America....
And may God continue to bless America for many years to come.

Another Cowardly ISIS Attack - Baghdad

My heart goes out tonight to the people of Baghdad, to those who are hurting physically and those who are hurting emotionally as well.  Once again terrorists have struck, this time Muslims hurting fellow Muslims, as unknown persons set off a car bomb outside a crowded market place and business center.  Initially over 120 persons were killed, and well over 200 others injured.  No doubt that death toll has risen due to the severe injuries suffered by many of those wounded in the attack.

Many in government circles in Iraq believe the bombers were members of ISIS, the Islamic State, and that this attack was just the latest in the series of attacks that have wracked various nations including Turkey and Bangladesh.  This particular bombing is particularly ironic, and savage, because of its timing.  Of course terrorists want the timing to be right, because when the timing is "right" there are more targets in the kill zone.  Today's bombing was timed for a particular hour because the people were coming out of their homes at that time, breaking their fast during one of the last days of Ramadan.  The people had been fasting all day, and no doubt the size of the crowd in the area was much larger than usual, a factor ISIS counted on when this atrocity was planned.

The irony is that during "Gulf Wars I and II" the Muslims, and many others around the world, expected and demanded that US military forces, and the Coalition, honor Ramadan by not attacking targets during this holiday.  Of course, Ramadan is a holy MONTH.  I recall that many US operations were delayed because of Ramadan, while those operations that were executed were condemned around the world.  But now, in order to maximize both human casualties and psychological impact, the Muslims themselves, at least those in ISIS, chose to use this holiday that they demanded so loudly the US honor in the middle of war.

ISIS is of course in desperate straits these days, and of course its main weapon is well-timed bomb attacks that are calculated to cause the most damage at ground zero, and to maximize the perception that the Iraqi government cannot protect the people, that bombs and other methods of terrorism can occur at any time - even during Ramadan. 

A guerrilla force, whether ISIS or some other organization, by definition CANNOT face the enemy army or government "head on."  If it were to do so, ISIS would be wiped out immediately, either by the Iraqi government, US forces, or both.  Guerrilla forces then must necessarily attack defenseless non-combatants or under-equipped, out-gunned civilian police forces using the element of surprise.  If the element of surprise can be achieved by detonating explosives, this is the preferred method.  A huge explosion will both maximize casualties and minimize the danger of capture or death to the guerilla forces.  Suicide bombing is effective as well, but necessarily means that the bombers will not be able to duplicate their act somewhere else.

In the United States right now, of course many of us feel a certain hostility and suspicion of Muslims, particularly those who are being forced upon this nation as refugees.  But I would like to point out that the people killed by this latest act of cowardice in Iraq were for the most part innocent victims.  These people are forced to depend on a weak government to combat the irregular fighters of ISIS, nor can these people defend themselves due to the efforts of this same government (with US support) to disarm the population. 

I hope you will join me tonight in trying to empathize with these innocent people who are literally at the mercy of ISIS and many other terrorist forces.  I hope you will join me in understanding that these people, Muslim though they may be, are heartbroken at the loss of their loved ones and are living in the fear that another bombing could happen again - literally at the next second.  I hope you will join me in the understanding that these people, the victims who survived, literally have nowhere safe that they can go.  All they can do is carry on with their lives, with their mourning, and wonder when and where the next bomb will explode.  Not only that, but to live with this burning fear day in an day our for as long as ISIS lasts, or at least for as long as they choose to rain death on their fellow countrymen and fellow Muslims. 

ISIS, and its colleague groups and individual sympathizers, are desperate now, and in desperation will set off more and more explosions, or will commit more and more multiple shootings and other massacres.  This can only get worse for the people of Iraq, and I hope you are not laughing at them in their suffering, or that you are simply thinking too bad, but that is just the nature of the Middle East.  We as Americans should understand this:  As ISIS gets weaker and more desperate, there is a great possibility that sympathizers here, yes here in America, may perpetrate another deadly attack like that at Orlando.  There may come a time, just like on 9/11/01, when we will again be mourning the loss of our fellow Americans.   Yes, Muslim terrorists are attacking us, but they are attacking their own people as well.  We may not like them, we may not want Islam to become a dominant force in America, but at least we can sympathize with those who are hurting and afraid in Iraq today. 

The Good Shepherd said it this way:

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

That is a tall order, and I have to admit I struggle with this myself.  But just for a little while, I hope that you can forget any ill feelings you have for Muslims in general, and feel the hurt they are feeling if not the tears they are crying.  Say a prayer for them tonight.  Many Muslims said prayers for us after 9/11/01 (yes, I know, many others celebrated in the streets!) and tonight I think they could use our prayers and our love, as one human to another.

May God help these people

And God Bless America