Blind Faith

 

Hearts and minds need to turn to God.

God created everything that is, was, and will come to be, and it was good. Our Father in heaven sent His Son, a perfect sacrifice, to take upon Himself the entirety of humanity’s sin, forfeit His life to grant forgiveness of all who believe in Him. A simple act of faith and God grants us eternal life with Him. God loves you so much that there is nothing you can do to make Him love you anymore and there is nothing you can do to make Him love you any less. All is forgiven through faith in the Risen Son. Yet, unbelief reigns and hatred flourishes. Rather than believing in God who loves them, many bow down at the altar of selfishness, climate science, and racism. Hostility toward those in which we disagree replaces loving our neighbor. Vile language replaces civil discourse. Respect for others becomes a foreign concept. Skin color, sexual orientation, or political affiliation determines how one regards another. The murder of a child waiting to be born in the womb, becomes a woman’s right to choose or a reproductive health decision. We are empowering those who devalue the gift of life. As a nation, we have lost our way.

This United States, far from perfect, was founded upon Judeo-Christian values. Those values support freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the freedom to pursue your own vision of happiness. How have we become a nation of cowards and appeasers, failing to speak out when others infringe upon our God given rights? Our very lives, the liberty to worship God, and peacefully live are gifts from God. How is it that we ignore or acquiesce to the actions of others who would deny us those rights? This nation is at a crossroad. Our next elected representatives will either be purveyors of anti-Christianity and antisemitism, advocates for the worship of government, disparagers of law enforcement, supporters of  criminality, defenders of abortion, racism, open borders, censorship, and the mutilation of children or those who champion freedom of religion, support police, smaller government, embrace of life, equality, supporters of legal immigration, free speech, and affirm the scientific fact that there are but two genders. The contrast could not be starker.

This election is not about party allegiance. This election is a battle between good and evil. This election will determine whether this nation fails or succeeds. Are we no longer a Christian nation as former President Obama said, or will we rechart our course as the founding fathers intended? They entered into a covenant with our Creator, authoring our founding documents to integrate His chosen morals and laws for us. They agreed that incorporating Biblical values into the Constitution would provide the guidance necessary for a fledgling nation to grow and prosper. Yet those universal truths are in danger of being discarded, to be replaced with deceptive leftist ideology.

Only 62% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2020 Presidential election. That indicates that more than a third of US citizens could care less about the direction of our country. That is absolutely unacceptable! Citizens are granted the authority to choose our elected representatives. Not all countries afford their citizens that privilege, yet not even two thirds of our citizens exercise that right. Granted, many citizens do not care to be properly informed, but there is really no barrier to understand the issues to make an informed decision. As Christians it is our responsibility to support elected representatives that mirror our beliefs.

Your voices need to be heard. If we fail to elect those who will govern according to God’s will and faithfully serving the citizens, we will get what we deserve. If you are happy with the direction this nation is heading, vote accordingly. If you are not, cast your vote for those who would change that direction. The choice is yours. Exercise your Constitutional rights or sit back and allow evil to prosper.

“Could one who hates justice govern? He shatters the mighty without inquiry and sets up others in their place. Therefore, He recognizes their deeds; He overthrows them in the night and they are crushed. He strikes them for their wickedness in full view, because they turned aside from Him and had no regard for any of His ways.” Job 34:17, 24-27.

We are the hands and feet of our God here on earth. Use them for His glory!

 

 

Blind Justice

 

It only takes one broken link.

Statues of Lady Justice, the embodied likeness of the Roman goddess Justita, adorn many courthouses throughout the United States. Blindfolded, with a sword in one hand and a scale balanced in the other, she represents a fair and impartial judicial system. Justice is meted out impartially, without regard to the station of either defendant or plaintiff. The law and the facts presented should determine the outcome of any trial, independent of the race, gender, age or wealth of the accused. In our Constitutional Republic, the rule of law is the glue that holds civilized society together. All are guaranteed a fair trial by a jury of their peers, have the right to not self-incriminate and everyone is considered innocent until proven guilty. These are the linchpins of our judicial system. These rights are enumerated in our Constitution, Bill of Rights and court decision precedent. Without them, our judicial system fails.

Unfortunately, our system of justice is being perverted by District Attorneys that use their position to reject the law and set their own standards of justice. Progressive District Attorneys in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other blue cities decide that precedent and written laws are irrelevant when holding accountable those accused of committing criminal acts. They lead an effort to create a more equitable outcome by reducing or eliminating bail and ignoring criminal behavior in an effort to decrease the number of persons of color incarcerated. The lawlessness witnessed in the cities that have District Attorneys that embrace these ideals is unprecedented. Criminals who understand that there will be no consequences for illegal behavior will be emboldened to escalate their criminal actions.

District Attorneys fail their citizens and abdicate their responsibility to hold criminals accountable when those committing crimes are arbitrarily released without appropriate bail. Bail is meant to keep dangerous offenders off the streets. Those released instead of remaining jailed, are free to go out and commit more criminal acts. Darrell Brooks, the perpetrator of the Christmas parade massacre in Waukesha, Wisconsin was released on a $1000 bail, for felony offences in Milwaukee County, including being charged with running over his girlfriend with his car. DA John Chisholm bragged about his policy of leniency in 2007, “Is there going to be an individual that I divert, or put in a treatment program going to go out and kill somebody? You bet. Guaranteed. It’s guaranteed to happen. It does not invalidate the overall approach.” His prophesy was fulfilled. Far too many have paid the price for his recklessness. This cannot continue.

“Defund the Police” casts aspersions upon the very people charged to uphold the law and protect the citizenry from bad actors. Police are vilified and use of force incidents are criticized in an effort to divert the criminality from the offender to the police officer. Mistakes made by police in the heat of the moment are used to attack policing as a whole. Dishonest claims that “systemic racism” permeates law enforcement is repeated over and over by the mainstream media. The number of actual unlawful arrests, police “targeting” persons of color and reports of police “brutality” are so rare that each incident is amplified by the media for weeks and months to make it appear that it as common place as issuing a speeding ticket.

Without the “Thin Blue Line” our society devolves into lawlessness and anarchy. “Woke” DA’s that devalue the work of law enforcement by releasing accused criminals on low bail or fail to even charge them with a crime is extremely discouraging to officers trying their best to protect the citizenry. When these DA’s continually disparage law enforcement, morale and any enthusiasm to enforce the law wanes. When police face more scrutiny than criminals, the resolve to place themselves at risk fades. The assault upon and the lack of respect for law enforcement has begun to take a toll. Fewer and fewer people are willing to apply for positions in law enforcement. In the recent past, there were many more applicants than positions available. This has fallen precipitously. Without qualified candidates to fulfil the role to actually “keep you and your community safe”, our society becomes more and more vulnerable to lawlessness. Police need our support, not unwarranted vilification. Prosecutorial misconduct by “Woke” DA’s is increasing. Don’t stand by and allow another link in the chain of justice to break.

Cause and Effect

 

“If you comply, you won’t die!” There is a simple solution to the “systemic racism” of our policing, as so dutifully trumpeted by the press and the race mongers that always swoop in to create additional divisiveness in our society. Police have the authority to stop and demand identification in any number of situations. Police have the authority to take away your freedom when they make an arrest. Police have the authority to escalate the force necessary to effect an arrest. Resist and police will escalate. Continue to resist or fight and the chances of injury or worse, increases exponentially, for both the citizen and police. The unfortunate death of George Floyd did not have to happen this way. If Floyd had cooperated fully with police the situation never would have spiraled out of control. Follow the lawful orders of the police, allow the handcuffs to be placed on without struggling and sit in the back of the squad car peacefully. Floyd chose to do none of these, causing the chain of events that ultimately ended his life. Had he complied, he would likely still be alive, unless the cocktail of drugs he ingested caused his heart to stop.

Far too many instances of black men dying at the hands of police began when that person failed to comply and chose to resist. The default position of many in the African American community is to be confrontational, flee or simply resist. If police have the authority to stop and question or to investigate a potential crime, why would any reasonable person choose to resist? This culture of distrust of the police escalated exponentially with our first Black President, Barack Obama. A black professor in Cambridge, MA, locked out of his house, lacking any identification, decided that he should attempt to break in. Neighbors reported that someone was breaking into a neighbor’s house and police responded. Police, as they should, detained Henry Louis Gates Jr. and after he became belligerent and combative, the police ultimately arrested him, creating a stir that reached all the way to the Oval Office. Lacking the ability or desire to diffuse the incident and without considering all pertinent facts, President Obama decided to inflame the situation using racial overtones, by accusing the officer of acting stupidly, inferring that the officer should have accepted that Professor Gates was acting lawfully. In actuality, the officer acted appropriately, but of course, adding to the intrigue of racial animus, the officer just happened to be white.

President Obama made other inflammatory statements regarding race. He accused his own grandmother of racial bias, stating the she would cross the street whenever a black man approached her when she was out walking, with the inference that she believed that all black men were up to no good. When George Zimmerman shot and killed Trayvon Martin after Martin attacked him and knocked him to the ground, Obama opined that if he had a son, he would look like Trayvon. As the President of the United States, Barack Obama swore an oath to the best of his ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. His rhetoric actually inflamed racial tensions, especially when he declared, “Too many young men of color feel targeted by law enforcement, guilty of walking while black, or driving while black, judged by stereotypes that fuel fear and resentment and hopelessness.” After a white Ferguson Missouri police officer Darren Wilson, shot and killed Michael Brown, after Brown attempted to disarm him, President Obama unleashed the full force of the Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder and began Federal investigations into a number of police departments in order to overcome the “systemic racism” he falsely believed was so prevalent throughout law enforcement.

President Obama, in his efforts to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, has exasperated this generation of Black Americans, actually encouraging them to distrust, fear and fail to comply with lawful orders, by obstructing, resisting and fleeing by using accusatory rhetoric at those who protect and serve. If there is anyone in authority that shoulders the most blame for many, what should be, non-confrontational police interactions or simple arrests that end in tragedy, it is Barack Obama. The preamble to the Constitution states, “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

President Obama controverted justice by falsely accusing those that unappreciatively protect and serve, with unfounded and provocative rhetoric, rejected domestic tranquility by using accusatory language that encouraged divisiveness, undermined the common defense by creating an environment of distrust and racial animosity, diminished the general welfare by pushing a false narrative that our nation is indelibly flawed and irredeemable and furthermore, endangered our future liberty by engaging in reckless foreign relations by engaging with our enemies and apologizing to other nations for his baseless belief that our nation has harmed other nations by our reckless behavior and deserves to be condemned for those actions.

“If you comply, you won’t die!” Such a simple and logical concept that is unfortunately disregarded by far too many who listened to a President that had the potential to be the “Great Uniter”, but instead became the “Divider in Chief”. In the immortal words of Obama’s long-time Pastor, Jeremiah Wright, the chickens have come home to roost on the door step of the Obama’s $11.75 million estate in Martha’s Vineyard. Laws for thee, but not for me! And now, with President Biden continuing to stoke the flames of racial animosity, what could possibly go wrong? After all, when it comes to the left, the ends really do justify the means.

Systemic?

Since the rioting and protesting began after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police officers, we have expanded our vocabulary to include such terms as systemic racism, white privilege, all lives do not matter to everyone and defund the police. It has been reported that the consensus is that one’s skin color hinders the ability to escape the oppression exerted by those in power. In other words, everyone is out to get the black man and to keep him down and if escape is attempted the police will hunt them down and murder them. Facts are indeed the enemy of the left. If people understand the truth, they are much more difficult to deceive or to be led astray. When one misinterprets or fails to realize the objectives of various organizations or persons, they can be easily manipulated. If one takes the time to understand just what defines the talking points that the left, democrats and the mainstream media parrot, the truth begins to come into focus.

Systemic: Relating to a system, especially as opposed to a particular part. In other words, widespread practices that permeate entire systems, such as business, the criminal justice system and in general, economics.

Systemic racism: Racism resulting from the inherent biases and prejudices of the policies and practices of social and political organizations, groups, or institutions. It is the belief that the unfair targeting of persons of color has led to increased incarceration, lower wages and unfair practices in general society that disproportionally and negatively affects persons of color.

Institutional racism: This is a form of racism that is embedded as a normal practice within society or an organization. It is believed that it leads to such issues as discrimination in criminal justice, employment, housing, health care, political power, and education, and pretty much everything else.

Reverse discrimination: The practice or policy of favoring individuals belonging to groups known to have been discriminated against previously. An example of this would be the policy of affirmative action.

Respect: The act of having due regard for the feelings, wishes, rights, or traditions of others. This is a simple and logical concept that is becoming increasingly underused in our society.

Society: The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community that has common laws and expectations of acceptable behavior.

Societal norms: Common standards within a social group regarding socially acceptable or appropriate behavior in particular social situations, the breach of which has social consequences. A prime example of societal norms is the respect of others and their property. To harm another, steal or damage their property would be considered aberrant behavior in civil society.

Crime: An action or omission that constitutes an offense that may be prosecuted by the state and is punishable by law. Crimes consists of misdemeanors and felonies, conviction thereof will likely result in incarceration.

Anarchy: A state of disorder due to absence or non-recognition of authority. ie; Portland, Oregon where the Mayor and Common Council order police to stand-down and allow rioters to burn their city.

Antifa: is an anti-fascist political movement in the United States comprising a diverse array of autonomous groups that aim to achieve their objectives through the use of both non-violent and violent direct action rather than through policy reform. Antifa is not against facism, they are anarchists that engage in all sorts of violence and wanton destruction of property in an effort to destroy civil society.

Black Lives Matter: A Marxist organization that seeks to radically transform America into a socialist country. No, BLM is not a movement meant to seek justice for blacks that are wrongly targeted by police or society in general. Its’ first and only goal is to overthrow the system of government and destroy capitalism, and to replace it with socialism, the first step toward communism.

Legal authority: The ability of a participant in a legal relation to take certain actions or demand certain actions of another participant in this legal relation; this capability is provided for in the law. Police are granted the legal authority to detain and arrest, in effect taking away freedom, for those who choose to violate the law.

Police: The civil force of a national or local government, responsible for the prevention and detection of crime and the maintenance of public order. The police enforce the law and maintain public safety. Defunding of which would lead to far less public safety.

Acknowledging that any death that could have been avoided is tragic, one must keep the consequences of those regrettable events in perspective. According to a study conducted by Rafael Mangual, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, in 2018 there were over 800,000 police officers in the US that engaged in over 10 million citizen contacts. Of those over 10 million contacts, less than 1,000 ended with deadly force, and .003% of those contacts ended in a deadly shooting. Over 91% of those deadly shootings involved a visibly armed suspect, certainly indicating that deadly force was likely justified in those shootings. The reason that a plane crash makes the news is because of the infrequency of plane crashes. The same goes for deadly police shootings. If this was such a common occurrence, it would not be newsworthy.

The study also indicated that the use of non-lethal force by police is also greatly exaggerated. Negative contacts with civilians consist of less than 3% of all interactions with the public. Arrests are made in only about 70% of that 3%. The greatest use of force by police in making an arrest is bodily force, which includes simply placing hands on the suspect, not just the use of less than lethal and not lethal force. Having served 30 years as a police officer in a Milwaukee, WI suburb, arrests of compliant individuals did not ever escalate into a use of force incident. Civilians that followed the lawful commands of police did not end up injured or shot. Civilians that were non-compliant or combative forced the police to escalate in order to effect the arrest.

Police have continued to train in de-escalation techniques that are constantly updated and improved. Police are trained to use minimal force, while keeping themselves and the public safe, and those techniques are formulated to have the most effect while keeping the risk of injury to the suspect minimized. Are police perfect? Of course not. Could police training be improved? Of course, anything can use improvements. One of the factors not receiving the appropriate notice is that more and more of the public are acting inappropriately when interacting with the police. In almost every instance of alleged police brutality is that the suspect refused to comply with police orders and resisted, causing an escalation of the incident. Take the most recent incident in Kenosha, WI. Jacob Blake refused to obey lawful orders to drop a weapon, attempted to flee by opening a car door and reaching into the floor area of an auto. Was there a gun under the seat? Was Blake going to use the knife against the officer? The lesson to be learned is that police have the authority to give orders to citizens and citizens are obligated to obey. Should the police be determined to have acted outside the scope of their authority in any arrest situation, the price of their misconduct will be paid in civil court.

Black Lives Matter and local activists have been organizing protests around the country decrying their perception that police unfairly target black males and claim that the United States applies a pattern of systemic racism targeting blacks. These protests have devolved into rioting and looting in cities across the nation. Professional sports, athletes, Hollywood, the mainstream media and many businesses virtue signal their support for an organization that has a primary goal of transforming our nation into a socialist society, which if realized, would necessarily bankrupt those very organizations that parrot their support of BLM. The facts simply do not meet the veracities of these claims. The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King said, “The limitation of riots, moral questions aside, is that they cannot win and their participants know it. Hence, rioting is not revolutionary but reactionary because it invites defeat. It involves an emotional catharsis, but it must be followed by a sense of futility.”

There are a myriad of issues surrounding why blacks perceive a lack of fairness in society. The claim that police unfairly target them is not one of them. Certainly, there are “bad apples” that wear the badge, but they are few and far between, identified and removed, especially if there is a pattern of behavior. Defunding the police is not only an absurd demand, it is dangerous on its face. With the increased civil disobedience and violence, there should be a move to increase our police force, not decrease it. Should the police be reformed? Training for police should continue to evolve and improve. New and better techniques should always be considered and implemented. The Thin Blue Line is the only thing between the public and anarchy. Eliminate the police and it truly becomes the Wild West when each and every citizen is responsible for providing for their own safety and security.

“Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.” Romans 13:1-4

No Tears for the Fallen

There are two professions in which the practitioners understand full well that they may not return home from their tour of duty alive, soldiers during wartime and police officers. These brave men and women that wear the law enforcement badge upon their chests know full well their next call may be their last. Yet, they are willing and able to protect and serve the public at the risk of their own lives. I served for 29 years in a Milwaukee County suburb and the only time I ever shot my firearm was during training. Every day I prayed that God would guide my mind and body to take whatever action was necessary to protect the public. I prayed that if I was put in a position to use any type of force, I would be guided to use no more than what was lawful and necessary. Law enforcement officers are highly trained, skilled in more than just the use of firearms and are dedicated to placing their lives before those they are called to protect and serve, even those who break the law. Now those who put themselves in harms’ way to protect society are in the crosshairs of those that seek to gain political advantage over tragedies that deeply sadden decent citizens. President Obama’s first chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said it best when he declared that no crisis should go to waste.

No law enforcement officer begins his or her tour of duty with intent to cause anyone harm, no matter what color their skin is. To intimate otherwise is propagating a bald faced lie. As in any part of society, some people fall through the cracks, but 99.9% of the 800,000 law enforcement officers in the US treat everyone they meet with respect and want every contact with citizens to end peaceably. As I read the news stories today I am saddened by so many that are rejoicing that at least five Dallas Police officers were gunned down, simply because they wear the uniform and the color of their skin was white. During a peaceful protest, the officers assigned to keep the peace were executed by an assailant that was angered over some recent police shootings. Realize that the incidents are still under investigation and if the officers involved committed a crime they will be held accountable, yet due to the incendiary rhetoric from the left, this depraved individual felt compelled to commit these heinous crimes.

Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the plots of evildoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim cruel words like deadly arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent; they shoot suddenly, without fear. They encourage each other in evil plans. They plot injustice and say, “We have devised a perfect plan!” Surely the human mind and heart are cunning. But God will shoot them with his arrows; they will suddenly be struck down. He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; Psalm 64:2-5,7-8

What has become of our democracy? Evildoers use the freedoms granted by our constitution to create havoc and push our nation towards anarchy. Satan and his minions like Saul Alinsky, should be proud of the bitter hatred that is overcoming our society. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t make our country right again. Pre-judging police interactions with persons of color by our commander in chief simply emboldens those who choose to hate and harm our great democracy. As President Obama now tries to pick up the pieces over the dead bodies of five of our finest with his fine rhetoric at their funerals, it is too little, too late. He has fueled the fire beyond human abilities to quench it. The only way to bridge this societal upheaval is to turn to God. It is always when we think that we have the ability to fix problems of our own accord is when we spiral out of control. The experiment called the “Great Society”, put into place to end poverty, has been an abject failure, trapping so many African Americans into decaying inner cities, enabling men to father, then abandon their children, and pushing God out of their families. A return to God is in order, lest we continue our fall into the abyss.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Mark 12:28-32

Pray fervently that we come to see the error of our ways before it is too late to turn back. Pray for each and every law enforcement officer that the Lord protects them, as they in turn put their lives on the line to protect us. And finally, pray that those who come into contact with police simply comply, rather than try to escalate situations, based on false pretenses, that would otherwise end peacefully.

Matter of Respect

Disrespect; noun, meaning a lack of respect or courtesy. "There is a growing disrespect for the rule of law". It is interesting, with the current demonstrations against law enforcement, that the Google dictionary chose that particular phrase to illustrate the word disrespect. In urban culture “disrespecting” another can cause much angst, often subjecting a person who committed a “perceived” disrespectful act to suffer retribution that often includes violence. And a perceived act of disrespect can be as simple as gazing upon someone who is simply looking for an excuse to act out in violence. Unfortunately, most of those who seem to be the most offended are those who have done nothing to merit respect. Those young men who father numerous children, yet take no part in their children’s lives are not due respect until they decide to accept their parental responsibility. Those young men, who place little value in women other than to be their bitches or hoes, deserve even less respect than they show to those women. Those young men who are able bodied, yet choose to be a drain on society by engaging in crime and violence have earned the frustration of society and are due no respect at all.

In our society there are those who do not need to earn the respect of the citizenry. Parents, teachers, clergy, your boss and yes, the police officers that are charged with maintaining the peace and protecting you are due the respect of society simply because of the positions that they have earned. Yes, earned. Hatred towards those that place their lives at risk on a daily basis is escalating at an alarming pace. Systemic racism is cited as permeating our law enforcement community. Black lives matter, is the rallying cry on all the banners that are all conveniently professionally printed. Ever wonder who pays for all those signs? Here’s some statistics for you to consider. From 1999-2011 police officers shot and killed 2151 persons described by race as white, 1130 persons described by race as black, and 2133 police officers were killed in the line of duty. In 2012, 49 police officers were shot and killed by assailants. In 2012, 123 black Americans were shot and killed by police. In 2012, 326 white Americans were shot and killed by police. Granted whites make up a majority of the population, but the results are not as skewed as the liberal media would have you believe. Roughly 62% of the US population is categorized as non-Hispanic white, 22% black and mixed race according to the 2010 US census bureau. In 2013, 59% of police shooting deaths were white, 41% black. This refutes those liberal estimates that state that blacks are as much as 30 times more likely to die at the hands of the police than whites. The numbers are still troubling, but are definitely not as disparate as some would like you to believe.

Most troubling, is the lack of any honest discussion about the underlying issues that cause more blacks to die at the hands of police, a ratio that greatly exceeds their percentage of the US population. Why are black men or anyone, regardless of race, placing themselves in the position to confront law enforcement authority? And let’s be honest about this. After almost thirty years in law enforcement, I dealt on daily basis with “No people” of all colors. Those were the persons, who violated a law, sometimes simply traffic violations, yet had the temerity to challenge authority, when they understood that their behavior was clearly unlawful. As the myth of “driving while black” is shouted from the rooftops by the liberal media, more and more black men are choosing to become “No people”, choosing to challenge and confront, rather than cooperate with police. This places more people at risk of escalating what may be no more than a simple traffic stop, into an arrest or worse.

Needless to say, personally I was more inclined to simply ignore simple traffic violations by persons of color, rather than run the risk of an incident that could spiral out of control. My tactic to avoid conflict was not an isolated occurrence in the law enforcement community. Sometimes it is just not worth it to get involved in the low priority incidents that, based upon the color of a person’s skin alone, would have a greater probability to spiral out of control and lead to any number of negative outcomes, both for the offender and the officer. Does having law enforcement turn a blind eye to the little things benefit the greater community? No consequences for those involved in minor offenses more often lead to greater offenses committed later, so I was indeed, doing my community a disservice. When the first black president, Barack Obama (although the US census would consider Obama mixed race, which would put him into the white American classification) was elected in 2008, it was to be the beginning of the end to racism. Not so much, as racial animosity is reaching a fever pitch.

In God’s eyes, there is but one race, the human race and all human beings are His children. All of God’s children are either my brothers and sisters in Christ or those brothers and sisters only waiting to hear the word and believe. 1 John 3:1, 16-18, ”See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” The color of our skin does nothing to differentiate us from each other. We are all the same in our Father’s eyes.

Progressives conspire to foment distrust among God’s children. Many of His churches stand with the progressive left and denounce those charged to protect and serve. ELCA leaders demonstrate to bring attention to homicides "committed" by police, inferring that crimes were committed by police. Are the ELCA, UCC and Episcopal churches upholding God’s will by promoting that His children love one another or are they blindly performing the evil one’s work by circumventing God’s commands with words that divide rather than unite? 1 John 4:9-12, “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” No one’s life matters more than any other and proclaiming otherwise diminishes God’s kingdom.

As this post is being written, news of two New York police officers ambushed, shot and killed in their squad car is announced as breaking news. The evil one wins this battle, but we know who wins the war. It is time that we open our eyes and recognize that our relationship with Christ brings us all together. Our worldly desires and goals are what push us apart. When we focus upon that life giving cross, every other thing is simply a distraction meant to divert us from building His kingdom. We ought to learn to love one another if we want to properly love and respect our Lord and Savior. If we first live for Christ, we can then live together in love.