Throwback Thursday
Meditations On Duty
Social media has seen something of an uptick in women asking, “Where are the men?”
It’s not just in a general sense, though. It’s a link to a news report of a woman having a flat tyre on a road somewhere and hours going by where no-one would stop to help her, and in the comments somewhere one of the distaff side of the species asks, “Where are the men?”
Or a report of a woman assaulted on a train, and none of the bystanders intervened — a female commenter will post, “Where were the men?”
Well, that’s a question for a very convoluted situation, and one of the answers is here:
This is not a statement as to whether Daniel Penny was justified as to what he is charged with. That is up to a — hopefully — unbiased jury to decide1.
No, this is an indictment — pun intended — on a local prosecution that has literally released — without requiring bail of any kind — known felons with felony charges; has downgraded felony charges by repeat offenders to misdemeanors; and has refused to seek charges against known felons with long felony histories.
Yet this same local prosecution dropped the hammer on a man with no previous criminal history.
In Kenosha, Wisconsin a known criminal with previous violent charges and a current felony warrant for sexual assault got stupid with a knife while being arrested for that felony sexual assault warrant and wound up getting shot. Which is what happens when you engage in knife-related stupidity at cops.
During the resulting mostly peaceful demonstrations sodding riots in which forty businesses — which had absolutely nothing to do with the shooting of an idiot felon — were burned out of business, another 100 were damaged to the tune of probably about 50 million dollars, and a teenager with no previous criminal history wound up shooting 1) a paedophile felon with a history of multiple sexual assaults on minors; 2) another felon with a record for felony strangulation of a domestic partner and felony false imprisonment; and 3) A man who pointed a gun at him who also had an expunged felony conviction and misdemeanor weapons convictions.
Of course, local prosecution dropped the hammer on the teenager with no previous criminal history, while excusing the rioters.
Every day we are bombarded with news articles about District Attorneys campaigning for “No bail requirements”, “Reduced sentencing”, “Alternate sentencing”, all of which appears — in some cases outrighted stated — to give felons and habitual criminals a leg up.
We are continually shown footage of riots in major cities and at universities where the rioters arsonists, and violent thugs are treated with kid gloves.
Just or otherwise, there is a very definite perception that District Attorneys would much rather throw the book at someone with no previous criminal history, while the felons and violent thugs get deals.
On the other paw, for a man to be even hinted at any variety of sexual offence, whether it be harassment or outright rape, is to be guilty until proven innocent.
And to certain parts of the howling Internet mobs you can never be innocent — and they will make it a crusade to destroy your life.
In 2018, a Texas DPS trooper named Daniel Hubbard made a standard DWI arrest. The arrestee accused him of sexual assault. The Department of Public Safety released over two hours of dashcam and bodycam footage which conclusively proved that Trooper Hubbard acted completely professionally throughout the contact and arrest.
Despite lying about the sexual assault, the woman whose bogus claims about being raped by a Texas trooper has never been charged.
Brett Kavanaugh made the unfortunate decision to accept the honour of being nominated as a Justice of the United States Supreme Court. What happened thereafter was … educational.
I find myself in a position that I’ve never been in before. All of my life I have known that if people needed to be helped, I should help them — I’ve literally been a Boy Scout. All of my adult life I have known that if there is gun-fire, I will run to that sound and protect people.
I … don’t know anymore.
It’s already started. If Rita isn’t with me, I will not stop to help a female stranger, or children. I will call local law enforcement and have them sent there, but without Rita being present I will not offer aid on my own. That goes double if there are children involved.
And that mortifies me, but the risk of having my life destroyed with false allegations is not worth it.
For the first time in my life I do not know what I will do if gunfire erupts in a public place where I am.
If a spree shooter attacks a public place where I am, or am near — I will get family and friends to safety, but after that I literally do not know.
Do I run to the sound of gunfire and solve the problem? I’ve already been the victim of wrongful prosecution once, do I risk that again? Do I take a chance going up against a protected class, and earning the “mostly peaceful” wrath of the howling mob, and a legacy media that lives for stirring up rioters?
The thought of engaging a murderer and losing was one that never bothered me. To take on a mass-murderer and get injured, crippled, or killed was a price that I have contemplated, and accepted.
To take on a mass-murderer and possibly have my name dragged through the mud by the Media; to be prosecuted by a District Attorney who may have political aspirations; to be investigated by a Grand Jury who would indict a ham sandwich if the DA wished it; and to be heard by a jury who cares more about feelings than facts …
I don’t know. And that shames me.
Ian
Acquitted, by God.
Sadly, times have changed. And valor tends to be punished in the here and now. You have given much to protect and serve over the years. And being careful in these crazy years does not diminish your inner good self.
My wife has made a house rule of "Don't be a hero." She knows my first instinct is to help people. But, after I broke my left elbow while helping a woman who was stuck on ice in Dallas traffic, she said no more. And, with the way our legal system is now, I have to agree with her.