What's wrong with us as a country?

2015-05-06T15:58:14-04:00

Whats wrong with us as a people when we riot over the wrongful death of a man that is by all accounts a drug dealer and user even though he should not have died yet the same people that raised the hate level in America have said ZERO about a Police Officer and hero that was Killed in the line of duty by a thug?? does anyone feel like we are treated the same by people like Sharpton as the Police officer? I feel like people like that care about as much about us veterans as they do about police...NOTHING

Invite others to respond by typing @name

Response by MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca made May 6 at 2015 4:00 PM

2015-05-06T16:00:05-04:00

Where to start: entitlement, lack of sense of duty and pride in youth... lack of self esteem, caving as a society to the dreaded "PC" and every self labeled social special interest group, loss of sense of country/nation, uber-individuality...

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 4:01 PM

2015-05-06T16:01:02-04:00

In a phrase; Yellow Journalism. Talking heads are one the worst things to happen since Hearst said "You provide the pictures, I'll provide the war."

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made May 6 at 2015 4:17 PM

2015-05-06T16:17:09-04:00

I totally agree with what you are saying but unfortunately controversy sells newspapers.

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made May 6 at 2015 4:19 PM

2015-05-06T16:19:52-04:00

How to phrase this... I know I'm removing context, and I apologize, but I think it's important to highlight the phrase, because I think this is the important part.

...Rioting over the wrongful death of a man...

I don't advocate rioting. But "if" I did, it would be for this. It wouldn't matter if he was a thug, or what. His past doesn't excuse the wrongful death. It doesn't excuse the rioting either.

But... Rioting is a symptom.

If you think of the Nation as a Person. Rioting is Pain. Pain is your body telling you that something is wrong. What do you do when your body tells you something is wrong? You stop immediately and try to assess what is causing it. Once we figure out what is wrong we try to fix it.

How is this any different?

So to get back to your question PO2 Mark Saffell "What's wrong with us as a country?"

If anything, it's that we keep focusing on the "symptom" and not the underlying "problem."

Response by SPC Nate Lamphier made May 6 at 2015 4:23 PM

2015-05-06T16:23:57-04:00

I agree with MAJ Robert (Bob) Petrarca Petrarca. One word can sum a majority of this up. That word being entitlement. I would voyage to say that upwards of, or even more than 90% of the people who riot are not doing so in protest...but doing so because it is a reason to act like an animal.

Maybe it is just me, but whether I disagreed with something as a civilian or while in the Military, thoughts of looting or burning down buildings never crossed my mind.

Response by GySgt David Chandler made May 6 at 2015 4:47 PM

2015-05-06T16:47:44-04:00

I put a lot of the blame on the Obama administration and the Department of Justice and there lack of leadership and support of law enforcement. What ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? The six officers in Baltimore have been rendered guilty, but yet no one has been able to provide any evidence. It was strictly a political move.

Response by SGT Jeremiah B. made May 6 at 2015 4:49 PM

2015-05-06T16:49:50-04:00

It's about trust - People trust the police to investigate and prosecute a cop killer. They do not trust the police to investigate and prosecute one of their own. In some ways, the original post vindicates this view by glossing over the wrongful death part by forwarding the idea that the victim deserved it anyway.

Response by MAJ Bryan Zeski made May 6 at 2015 5:55 PM

2015-05-06T17:55:32-04:00

As much as people threw out the name "Freddie" as the source of the Baltimore riots, you have to know that the people weren't rioting for ONE MAN. They were rioting about the 31 deaths over the last year at the hands of the Baltimore Police Department. You say that's not such a big number... but look at the number of people killed by the New York City Police Department in the same time frame - 8. Now look at the population of both cities - Baltimore has about 600,000 people, while NY has 8.5 million. There are over 10x as many people in NYC, but the police there killed over 2/3 fewer in the course of a year.

This clearly shows that there is a disproportionate amount of lethal force being used by police in Baltimore. Does this excuse rioting? No. But is it a cause for protest and outrage? Absolutely.

Response by CPL J Sannizzaro made May 6 at 2015 6:00 PM

2015-05-06T18:00:40-04:00

Those people claim to care about the minority, which would mean weaker or defenseless. For someone like Sharpton to recognize the Military, Veterans, or Police officers he would have to admit that we are the true defenders of all those in need. Therefore admitting he is a useless headline grabber.
Rest assured when he needs any of us we will hear about it, we will do our duty, and then he will tell everyone that we were late, did a poor job once we got there and left him in a worse state the he had to correct by calling the media.
We have the gratitude of 90% of those we serve. Don't worry about the Sharptons. The truth is we will do the right thing even if we didn't get any gratitude.

If you start to get smoked by the naysayers go to a true function. They exist. Any they make us whole as we continue to serve.

Response by TSgt Christopher D. made May 6 at 2015 6:20 PM

2015-05-06T18:20:50-04:00

PO2 Mark Saffell Over the last 5 years or so, I have paid increasing attention to violence and death perpetrated by police against citizens. I have also paid close attention over that same time frame to the militarization of the police force. I have seen more than a few videos of cops shooting someone for absolutely ridiculous reasons... videos of cops killing people's pets... killing innocent people on no-knock raids, only to find that the cops then investigate and magically determine that the cops did nothing wrong.

Cops have no constitutional duty to protect you.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/28scotus.html?_r=0

Cops regularly engage in asset forfeiture (google that term and read some of the horror stories), they have unspoken quotas for tickets... they are revenue generators. Period.

A former district attorney for Turner County informed me that along a stretch of I-75 near Ashburn, the county sheriffs and police write between 1,150 and 1,500 tickets each month. They TARGET people with out of state license plates because they realize those people likely won't return to fight the ticket in court. They will cite the speed at 86 mph regardless of the actual speed. The out of stater will simply pay the $300 ticket thinking it's over. But 86mph makes one guilty of breaking GA's Super Speeder law, and subject to an additional $200 fine. The poor victim won't be notified of this fine until 30-60 days after they paid the original ticket.

Do the math: An average of 1,325 tickets per month at $300 per ticket... That's $4,770,000 each year for the county... a rural GA county. If half of those super speeder fines pay out as intended (and the percentage was closer to 78%), then the state gets $1,591,200 per year from this one county on one stretch of one interstate in the state of GA. And I'm just sure none of that haul gets kicked back to the county. No sir. That would be unethical. It would make it look like a theft partnership between the state and the county...

Perhaps we should reevaluate our views regarding the police in this country. My current primary concern is this "scared for my life" defense in the use of deadly force. I've seen some videos where the cop who was scared for his life shot a suspect who was running away from him. This is utter cowardice.

To save articles or get newsletters, alerts or recommendations – all free.

Response by PO3 Michael James made May 6 at 2015 10:04 PM

2015-05-06T22:04:28-04:00

Career politicians.. and tax payer generosity..

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made May 7 at 2015 1:25 AM

2015-05-07T01:25:07-04:00

I can not call Freddie Gray's death a wrongful death yet. The court proceedings have not even started.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made May 7 at 2015 1:26 AM

2015-05-07T01:26:11-04:00

We live in a period of ignorance, and it is worldwide. There is turmoil when you call a spade a spade, and can be treated as if you are racist, based on the color of your skin, type of criticism you are making, and the color of the skin of the person you are criticizing. Sad state of affair, our country education system is run by intolerant communists, that at their younger times were either dopped up hippies living in communes were everything was a go, or radical activist (also communist or anarchists) that are rewriting history and teaching that to the new generations, and what is coming out is tender cry babies who feel entitled and don't know the actual truth, of who we are where we have been and where are we heading.

But, hey, it is just an opinion.

Response by SGT Curtis Earl made May 7 at 2015 10:23 AM

2015-05-07T10:23:48-04:00

Well, being a drug user doesn't devalue this man's life. He still shouldn't have been killed by police. Every life matters. A man is innocent until proven guilty. There aren't degrees of death and there aren't degrees of innocence. People are protesting because our police force is brutalizing and murdering people. It doesn't matter if its black people or white people getting killed. The fact is that our police force kills more Americans than terrorism and utterly terrifies an entire demographic. That's what people are peacefully protesting.

I think the looters are just assholes looking to take advantage of a situation. But the people in Baltimore aren't any worse than Ohio State fans that burned a town. Jerks will be jerks.

Take NY for example:
In 2004, New Yorkers were stopped by the police 313,523 times.
278,933 were totally innocent (89 percent).
155,033 were black (55 percent).
89,937 were Latino (32 percent).
28,913 were white (10 percent).
152,196 were aged 14-24 (52 percent).

The police actually violated the Fourth Amendment rights of more black people than there are blacks in the city. It was clearly race based. That's why they're protesting.

In my town of Charleston, the Police pulled over more black residents than there are black drivers in the town. You'd need to count the children and the elderly to make the numbers work out more favorably. Last month an officer shot a man in the back for running away. And then planted evidence. That's why people are protesting.

No one wants to increase racial tension. To be honest, I hate that this has even turned into a race debate - it's a personnel issue. But we need to look at these situations differently. See them for what they are. There are parts of Columbia, SC that I refuse to even drive through. My wife is white, ask her what it feels like to be stopped over and over and over. What it feels like to fear for your life when blue lights flash. I now keep my ruck sack in the front seat permanently. I believe it's saved my life a few times.

If the numbers weren't so obviously racially biased, sharks like Al Sharpton wouldn't have anything to crow about.

Response by MSgt Marvin Kinderknecht made Aug 11 at 2015 1:01 PM

2015-08-11T13:01:01-04:00

I would like everyone to read this: Quote of the Century"
The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a manlike him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama Presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgement to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive Barack Obama, who is after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president

Vaclav Klaus (former Premier of The Czech Republic)
There you have it folks.

Response by SA Harold Hansmann made Aug 11 at 2015 1:53 PM

2015-08-11T13:53:18-04:00

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 11 at 2015 3:07 PM

2015-08-11T15:07:25-04:00

I'd like to think veterans are all part of a "family", and as "brothers and sisters" we can say what's on our mind with a little more "truth" than we might give to an outsider. If I'm correct about that, then hopefully you'll take what I'm about to say as coming from a "brother". I don't know if police in some parts of the country are abusing their power, let alone focusing on the African-American population when they do. I don't know if the thirty-or so lives lost referenced here, and many others not were innocent victims, or criminals. I'm willing to give just about anyone the benefit of the doubt because I want that doubt on my behalf. I do know this: every time I took a convoy out of the wire, I viewed EVERY non-uniformed, non-U.S. service member as a potential threat. That meant I had to balance the readiness to use lethal force against the odds that 99% of the time, they were completely innocent bystanders. Cops in some of these cities are without a doubt facing the same conflict. I've had police officers "bait" me...I've had family members pulled over for ridiculous reasons because it was nearing "quota"...I've also seen officers go out of their way to be respectful, patient and helpful. When I hear "black lives matter", I don't question that my African-American friends, comrades in arms ,co-workers and neighbors matter...I question whether or not there is an implied message that because I'm white, I don't already "get" that. I feel frustrated that despite the fact that I've had educators, mentors, employers, commanding officers, politicians and statesmen above me that were black...there's some insistence that I should feel "guilt" or somehow view my own heritage, success and or rights as being "stolen". Listen, as far as I'm concerned, God made us all in His image...we take it from there. If you treat me and mine the way you expect to be treated, I'll stand by you to the hilt...what frame of mind do you think I'm placed in when some people seem to slap that respect away and suggest rather than asking me to stand by them, they want to stand over me?

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Aug 11 at 2015 8:00 PM

2015-08-11T20:00:41-04:00

It's frustrating because we have no solutions or winners. Society appears to be more segregated now in ideology.