I have to admire President Barack Obama. Whatever is thrown at him fails to bring him down, or cause him to change his course of action. His every action is placed under a magnifying glass and no matter what he does, someone is ready to offer criticism. The latest attack comes from his lack of a hands-on approach to the murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. In light of the President’s willingness to expand the “war” on ISIS to include bombing raids in Syria, without the approval of the Syrian government, some believe he should also send in troops to arrest the police officer who murdered Michael Brown. While I firmly believe this police officer murdered Michael, and should be arrested, charged, tried and executed, if the law allows, I am not in favor of the President abusing his authority. Further, what’s taking place in Iraq, and potentially Syria, has no comparison to what needs to be done in Ferguson. To equate the two and use one to justify the other is to believe that two wrongs can become a “right”. We talk about how it is much more desirable to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish. Well, the same principle is in play here. President Obama, charging into Ferguson, and arresting the police officer, which would be a clear violation of the law, would not improve conditions there, and would invite legitimate claims of an “Imperial Presidency”. If we are serious about bringing this murdering police officer to justice, while at the same time, improving conditions for the people of Ferguson, the following should be considered. The minority community must be encouraged to register and go to the polls. With a 67% majority of the population, the Black community could put into office officials who share their concerns. Once a fair-minded prosecutor is in office, the officer could be then charged with murder. There is no statute of limitation on murder, so just like those who were charged 30 and 40 years later for crimes committed against civil rights workers in the South, this policeman could be charged at a later date. Once logical thinking officials assume control of the Ferguson government, this guy could be tried, convicted and sentenced. At the same time, the current anti-Black attitude in vogue within the Ferguson Police Dept would be addressed and eradicated. President Obama does not need to charge into Ferguson to give the residents justice, the residents must learn how to take the helm and mete out justice for themselves. If not, nothing will change, and after the next election, another president will need to charge in to respond to the next crisis. The residents of Ferguson don’t need the president to violate the law, they need to get up off their rumps, register, and vote. Once they learn to fish for themselves, they will never need someone to provide fish for them.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 01:03:01 +0000
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