The Ferguson Mirror: Let's Not Forget History

 

"Social justice cannot be attained by violence. Violence kills what it intends to create."

-- Pope John Paul II

Another young, black criminal, Mike Brown, is killed after assaulting a police officer.  That he was a thief? Proved by video.  That he was a bully?  Prooved by video.  That his parents did not know him - proved by their ignorance of his being a thief and a bully, and the fact he thought it was proper to attack a police officer.

There is an idea running through the land that, if the black children had a father in the household, this kind of violence would subside.  Michael Brown had a "father" in the household, a father that seemed to have no clue what his son truly was.  So, we can throw that theory away.  The father actually has to BE THERE, not just exist there.

******************************

The following is the combination of two posts I wrote at the end of 2014, when criminals thought it was appropriate to set fire to Ferguson, Missouri, trying to make a statement about the death of another criminal who died while attacking a police officer.  Ever since Ferguson, cities have been rocked with violence and have burned, flames fanned by people who didn't even live in the cities they helped to burn. I thought it might have some historical relevance, considering what this country has gone through since, and is still going through today.  The difference is the people fanning the flames have been replaced by a political party that enjoys never letting a good controversy go to waste.

******************************

Everyone is upset at the violence in Ferguson.  The violence is a reflection of society's inept ability to control criminal activity.  The violence is a reflection of the damage "well-meaning" religious leaders can do when they fan the flames of intolerance.  The violence is a reflection of the black citizens of Ferguson not exercising their ability to vote for a more racially equitable police presence.  More importantly, the violence is a reflection of the apathy of Ferguson citizens to stand up against the violent demonstrators, looters, and criminals, in order to protect their businesses and way of life. Ferguson is a mirror of what we all, our society, are becoming.  

I sat with a black gentleman, at a local restaurant, and we watched CNN as blacks in Ferguson compared what was happening there to Mississippi, and the reporter mentioned the impending violence that would occur when "justice isn't served."  The reporter, and CNN, seemed to have already convicted the Police officer of wrongdoing ahead of the grand jury finding; news agencies fanning the flames of discontent.  We both agreed that these were "northern" blacks who had no clue where racism existed in America.  We also agreed the newscaster was an ass.  The south still has its pockets of intolerance, but Northerners are the ones constantly dealing with "issues" like Ferguson.  For everyone's edification, Mississippi touts a more equitable percentage of black politicians and government officials than any other state.  Racist?  Be real.

Ferguson is mirroring the frustration of the country's poor that have been prevented from moving forward to something better by the very social programs, like welfare, that was meant to assist them.  They exist under the heel of a welfare boot that politicians keep firmly planted on their necks.  They listen to promises of "better times" the politicians have no intention of fulfilling.  It is a frustration that is rearing its ugly head as more and more poor come to the realization they are being used as a tool; a realization becoming painfully evident thanks to the personal computer age bringing easy access to all sides of information and opinion.  Is it any wonder the Democrat party wants more control of "truth" on the internet?  Not in my country, they won't.

Ferguson erupted due to mistakes.  Governmental, police, community, and family mistakes came to a head after a young man stole cigars and then pushed around the store owner when he was confronted.  Everything that came after was a reflection of people steeped in a culture that thinks this kind of criminal activity should be rewarded and held up as a model for more of their young people to emulate, an attitude that is evidenced by the ensuing violence that hurt more of their own people than it affected the population outside of Ferguson.

Everyone in this country needs to ask why this happened.  Everyone needs to look at the mirror that is Ferguson and ask how it reflects their own region's current state of racial tension.  Most of all we need to ask if it is appropriate to continue awarding bad behavior.  We need to ask if it is appropriate to teach our children that it is okay to be standard, to not be awarded for "first place," and that it's appropriate to just "get by" in life.  This bad behavior extends to our government.  The government considers it appropriate to send jobs overseas, not be energy self-sufficient, and invite millions of illegal aliens into this country to steal our jobs and our chances for a better life.

We worry about ISIS breeding domestic terrorism when, in reality, domestic terrorism has been with us for years.  We breed it in every inner-city in this country.  We nurture it by allowing students to threaten teachers in our "schools" whose curriculum literally sucks as we teach liberal or conservative values instead of reading, writing, arithmetic, and "factual" history; a curriculum that would be well served to include world religions as a topic to promote understanding and tolerance.  But, no, our schools indoctrinate students with Critical Race Theory so any gains in equality are discounted in favor of new racism that will allow socialism a solid base of disenchanted minorities they have no intention of ever supporting.

"The Ferguson Mirror" will be a talking point until it is forgotten.  If liberal history is any indication, this will occur all too soon.  As Americans and people of conscience, we need to look into this mirror every day.  We need to constantly be mindful of where we've been, who we vote for, and that we do vote.

From the picture above I think we can conclude that these folks at least know what they are.  They can continue to be what they are if they can learn what the word STOP means, especially when a police officer says it.  Everyone can pad their bets on living if they don't steal, grab for an officer's gun, push around those smaller than they are, or act like a sociopath. 

The following article came across my Facebook page the other day and, as much as we are all tired of hearing about the criminals acting out in Ferguson, I thought I'd share it:

http://viral.buzz/kkk-resurgence-in-ferguson-and-you-thought-things-couldnt-get-worse/

My comment to the article was the following:

Okay, so we have the police trying to control the terrorists, the terrorists being threatened by the KKK, another group of terrorists terrorizing the police and the KKK in order to protect the original terrorists, homegrown Islamic terrorists threatening to hit unknown targets, and ISIS terrorists promising to plant their flag on the Capitol. Here's just a thought. Let Ferguson play out and "burn baby burn." Let the KKK and these terrorists have at each other and we'll deal with the winner down the road. This will cut the legs out from under Anonymous. It also leaves the rest of us free to handle the real threat of ISIS and the homegrown-murdering heretics. Just a thought.

I know I left out the Black Panthers, but really, without the left calling the shots for them, they are fairly impotent. They have been relegated to enforcement thugs, evidenced by their threatening people at polling places and the AG turning a blind eye to it. The left has it's hands full putting out all the fires they've started in Washington right now to really care about feeding their "dogs" new assignments, but if they'd like to join the fray I'm sure the KKK and the Ferguson terrorists won't mind a bit.

And, yes, I was being flippant.  This whole situation is ridiculous.  When a student from UCLA lectures an older, black, police officer on what racism means, the educational system in this country needs to take a hard look at its curriculum.  But, this lack of quality education has just added to a situation already spinning out of control.  Authorities should declare martial law and put an end to it.  Civil rights for these criminals should be curtailed and the law-abiding population should be protected.  The situation here went south the minute after the stepfather of the dead black criminal yelled to "burn the bitch down" referring to the city of Ferguson.  He should have been immediately taken into custody, tried, and convicted of crimes too numerous to list.  To make this situation even worse, I heard on the news this morning that the communist party from New York is now on site.  Oh, joy... more socialists.  You know, since we have them all in one spot...

The problem here isn't that a police officer shot a black man in the commission of a crime, attacking said police officer, but, rather, the anarchist attitudes and decay of the family unit that permeates our society as a whole.  Ferguson is not a lesson on black crime in poor black neighborhoods.  The protesters and criminals that have come out of the woodwork in response to the killing of this young criminal, are white, black, Hispanic, communist, KKK, Black Panthers, anonymous, and all the others that are not from Ferguson.  They are the evidence of a much larger problem.  This is not free speech.  This is anarchy.  This is burning property and hurting innocent people when all the evidence and the facts, show Mike Brown to be a thug and a criminal.  This is a lack of respect for everyone's "rule of law" and the perpetrators should be dealt with harshly.   

What has happened in Ferguson is a reflection of the deterioration of American values, family values, religious values, and the laws of our society.  For too long we have bowed to the perpetually offended in this country that finds fault at every turn.  Like putting too much water in lemonade, the flavor has dissipated.  We have thinned out our laws to the point of non-existence; to the point where, for many, they are meaningless more like guidelines than something of substance.  For the law-abiding, we hope an officer shows up when we call for help, but deep inside we know, if they do, it will oft times be too late.

If the grand jury had been comprised of equal parts black and white, would it have made a difference in burning the city?  Probably not.  This crowd was an unstable explosive, waiting for a match that came in the form of the step-father's exclamation to burn it all down.  This was blatant disrespect for the laws of our country that began with Mike Brown and his family of "upstanding" role models.  This continues to be a disregard for the truth behind the evidence and testimony that shows what really went down during the incident and the lies that were revealed when witnesses began changing the stories and coming forward with the real truth that many of them didn't witness anything.  What the black community in Ferguson needs to address has more to do with the truth than with justice, because the truth will truly set them free.  

I hate to be cold, but Mike Brown's real father seemed to be the only voice of reason in this insanity, and I find the difference in attitudes between him and the stepfather interesting.  Perhaps evidence of why the marriage failed; why this family unit collapsed?  

We, all of us, need to work on family values.  We need to work on keeping families together and not making divorce or abandonment a matter of fact.  We need to sit down with family for our meals and discuss the day's activities and news.  We need to have meaningful discussions and debates over things that happen in our communities and our country.  We need to ensure our young people are raised to think for themselves and not believe hype and bullshit.  We need to show them there is a process for grievances that is peaceful so the protest is not worse than the crime it stands for, and so innocence doesn't suffer the effects of intentional, or unintentional, criminal stupidity.

My own marriage collapsed in on itself, but only after I spent more than 20 years trying to hold it together.  I held out long enough to ensure the kids were old enough to make their own sound and moral judgments.  Sometimes things just don't work out, but that does not excuse you from your responsibilities to your family or to society.

Did we need more boots on the ground in Ferguson, or was it better to just let the "bitch" burn?  I don't know.  As an interfaith minister, I can only judge the inaction of the community as a whole to prevent their community, and their neighbors, from being torched.  I can only judge the obvious lack of Christian, spiritual, and other peaceful religious and societal values evidenced by the protesters.

Will we learn from Ferguson?  To date, we certainly have not.  As a society, we are beginning to spin out of control.  History will continue to repeat, from Ferguson forward, until mankind learns to listen to the lessons life is presenting.  It seems to me, that we are traveling down the same path as Rome.  I'm sorry, that's history, and you'll have to look it up if you miss the point. 

"[S]tudies consistently show that the most important issue to public evaluations of the police is whether they believe that the police are exercising their authority fairly. This means that they are not making decisions about who to stop based upon race; that they are willing to listen to people when they stop them; apply the law consistently and without prejudice and take time to explain the reasons for their actions. Most importantly, the police need to treat people in the community respectfully and with courtesy. When the police do these things they build trust. In other words, we know how the police can build trust in communities, White or minority. If people see the police acting with justice, they respond with trust.

CONCLUSION: The allegations in Ferguson are shocking and distressing, especially given the comments that they are not limited to this one city. Efforts must now focus on resolving the issues in Ferguson and elsewhere, rather than merely continued criticism. Municipalities owe an obligation to protect and serve their residents rather than treat them as sources of revenue."

-- Lessons Learned from Ferguson 

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion, in an arena of mutual respect, concerning those opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience, and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with the United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and, finally, a senior manager. He spent 17 years, following his service career, working with the premier, world-renowned, Western Institutional Review Board helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As the weapon for his war on intolerance he chose the pen, and wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He currently resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony:  tolerantpastor@gmail.com