Re-fund the police.
Notions of “defunding” are vacuous, dangerous, and simultaneously naïve and cynical. After decades of falling violent crime rates (despite Chicken Little cries from pandering politicians), crime is now rising—dramatically in many areas. “Defunding” now would be particularly ill-timed.
We need more police presence, not less. That requires more money, not less. We can make no better investment than in the safety and security of our citizens and communities.
But police must always earn, and in many cases now recapture, the trust and respect of the people they serve. “Backing the Blue” means holding The Blue to a standard worth backing. When the police are right, they’re right, and they deserve our steadfast support. But when the police are wrong, they’re wrong, and they must be held accountable. Good cops good. Bad cops bad. What’s so hard to understand?
Recruiting and retaining good cops is going to take money. Getting rid of bad cops is going to take money. Tight screening of police candidates is going to take money. Better and more extensive police training is going to take money. I can think of no better investment or no higher priority.
Defund? Are you kidding? Re-fund. But raise expectations. And stop protecting and coddling bad cops.
Thanks and respect to General Mark Milley for going all Mutombo on That Little Punk Matt Gaetz. Rejected. Erased. Faced. Go away, little boy.
Yes, we have a politically and philosophically divided Supreme Court. But I thought SCOTUS had a pretty solid Wednesday. In a case I’m calling “Pissed Off Cheerleader v. The World,” an 8-1 majority (Justice Thomas was the lone dissenter) ruled in favor of upholding free speech rights for students outside of school grounds. The majority opinion penned by Justice Breyer was both Constitutionally and logically sound, in my view. “It might be tempting to dismiss (the student’s) words as unworthy of the robust First Amendment protections discussed herein,” he wrote. “But sometimes it is necessary to protect the superfluous in order to preserve the necessary.”
Don’t retire, Steve! You’re good at this stuff.
Later, The Court in a 6-3 decision split completely along ideological lines, ruled that California cannot allow unions to enter the private property of agricultural businesses to address workers without compensating the businesses for the visits. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the Conservative majority, maintained that allowing uncompensated visits “amounts to simple appropriation of private property.” I have zero problem with that.
Praying for the victims of that horrific condo building collapse in Surfside, Florida. Hoping for the best. Fearing the worst.
