My Column - Portland Daily Sun - December 23, 2014 Its Christmas and writing about anything other than the joyous birth of a Savior is really not something I want to do, but I feel compelled to do so. So many voices of good will in our nation are silent, even as the voices of hatred, ill-will, turmoil and destruction speak loudly. Those who seek to divide because division is good for their wallet and the expansion of their power base are working overtime, while those, the overwhelming-vast-majority of people, who seek harmony are simply working, doing the right thing and staying out of the limelight. Over the weekend, two police officers in NYC, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were assassinated. There is no other way to say it. They were targeted because of the job they do and it was done so in a manner that was sudden and final, without any opportunity to protect themselves. They were good men, family men, men who dedicated their lives to the protection of others and who ultimately gave their lives because of the profession they chose. Unlike the two men whose lives have been used to create division, unrest and chaos, these men were NOT the catalyst in their own drama. They were merely innocent victims whose lives were taken by a crazy person who was riled up by the likes of Al Sharpton, Jessie Jackson, Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of New York City and Barack Obama, the President of the United States. The killer wrote on Instagram the day of the murders, Im putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, lets take 2 of theirs. Let me be perfectly clear. I am not accusing de Blasio, Obama, Sharpton, Holder or Jackson of pulling the trigger. No, they did not actually fire the gun. They were more like the driver of the getaway car. They did not actually rob the bank, but they helped the robbery happen. Instead of leading this nation in a national conversation about racial relations, President Obama has chosen to use his pulpit to further the divide, to pour fuel on a fire and watch it burn hotter. He gave a national address on Trayvon Martin, on Michael Brown and on Eric Garner. He did not, however, speak to the nation about the killing of these two innocent police officers in NYC or the officer in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a father of six children who was murdered simply because he answered the complaint about loud music coming from a car in a neighborhood. He did not call on our nation to seek calm and to remind us that murder is not how we handle our dissatisfaction with a legal outcome. No, he and Mayor de Blasio and other civil rights leaders fanned the flames of discord. Instead of supporting those who serve and protect they essentially put targets on their backs. Why, you may be asking, why would the President and the Mayor of Americas largest city not stand with the brave law enforcement officials who serve our country day in and day out? The answer is simple. The answer lies where it is always found .... in power and money. Discord and discontent are good for business, good for raising money and broadening power bases. No, it is not good for the nation. It is not good for the overwhelming, vast majority of the good people who live here, but when has that mattered when money and power are at stake? The irony in New York City is that the lunatic who assassinated the two police officers, because he was supposedly outraged over white police officers killing black men, took the lives of two minority police officers. This is what happens when supposed leaders are irresponsible with their words and actions ... they rile the crazies into action, and tragedy occurs. Let us keep in mind whose side the leaders took in this situation. Let us remind everyone what actually happened and why it happened. Michael Brown robbed a convenience store. If he had not robbed the convenience store, we would not be discussing this today. Michael Brown refused to follow the direction of Police Officer Darren Wilson. If he had followed the direction of Officer Wilson, we would not be discussing this today. Michael Brown assaulted Officer Wilson, attempting to get his gun. If he had not assaulted Officer Wilson, we would not be discussing this today. Anytime a parent loses a child, it is a tragedy. With that said, we must remember that Michael Brown was the catalyst. His actions were the reason the results occurred. He was not an innocent bystander merely sitting in his car who was executed for no reason. The officers in NYC were innocent. They had no connection to Michael Brown. They also had no connection to Eric Garner, the man who died while resisting arrest in NYC last July. The murderer did not care, just as those who burned down buildings and looted stores in Ferguson did not care. The people they look to told them their anger was righteous. They told them that black lives matter, even though race did not play a role in either incident. I know details do not matter when you can rabble-rouse ignorant people into action, but I think it is important to remember this. Details do matter. Actions do matter. Timelines do matter. Officer Darren Wilson has nothing in his personal history that would suggest he bore animosity toward people of color. Nothing in his personal history would suggest that he had latent racist tendencies. By all accounts, Officer Darren Wilson was a good cop, just doing his job, answering the call to duty when it came. Unfortunately, because he is white and the young man who robbed a store and assaulted him was black, two police officers in NYC who had nothing to do with Darren Wilson or Michael Brown, other than wearing the honorable uniform of a police officer, are now dead. Amazingly ... the race baiters, commonly known as civil rights leaders, held press conferences in the aftermath of the NYC shooting and made it all about them and how they were getting blamed and how it would hurt them. Dont take my word for it. Google Al Sharptons comments from this past Sunday. I support our law enforcement community. No, they are not perfect. Yes, they make mistakes, just as any other human being does. That said, they are honorable. They are courageous. They protect the most vulnerable in our society and they do it while the rabble-rousers seek to second guess their every move. This Christmas, I am very thankful for the brave men and women who serve this country and keep our communities safe. A final note: As this goes to press, NYC Police Officer Rafael Ramos son is a student at Bowdoin College. Bowdoin announced on Monday morning that his tuition at Bowdoin would be free as he completes his degree. (Ray Richardson is the host of the Ray Richardson show, heard weekday mornings from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on the flagship station 1310AM News/Talk WLOB in greater Portland and the LOB Statewide Lobster Radio Network. He can also be found at wlobradio and rayrichardson.net.)
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 10:34:10 +0000
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