Dear Friends and Fellow Republicans
Is Policing on Trial in Minneapolis
Slightly over a week ago, the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin started. The killing of George Floyd, has echoed around the country and forced many of us (myself included) on how we view policing and how much leeway officers should get.
( For the record, back in 1994 one of my best friends was murdered by federal law enforcement in Washington DC - and no we did not riot - for more please read this - https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/09/the_life_lessons_of_mike_ercoli.html )
We tend to idolize people who we look up to for protection and such, and then when something happens, we forget that those we look up to are human after all, and then do everything we can to trash them - this is part of the human condition - something most of us do - not really sure why - and then we wonder why that person let us down in the 1st place.
Cops are in a horrible situation - they often only have a split second to figure out if a potential suspect is armed, and often by the time they find out, it's too late. There are certain things none of us should ever have to watch. Among them are
1) Sausage being made
2) Politicians making laws
3) An officer making an arrest where the suspect is acting badly.
Most of us being law abiding citizens - if we're approached by law enforcement, will respond politely and humbly. We would never want to offend a police officer. It's how we were raised. But too many career criminals have no respect for authority, and many are also strung out on drugs (aka George Floyd), and thus will act out.
With that being said, most law enforcement agencies have very strict guidelines for how to behave in such situations. This is for everyone's benefit - including the person being arrested. It is very obvious to everyone involved that Officer Chauvin did not follow these guidelines. Is this a crime according to Minnesota law? That's for a jury to decide.
Many of you have seen a video of a Tennessee officer being overly polite to an African American lady who was driving a car with stolen plates. This officer allowed the woman much more leeway than he should have. The end result was - this woman pulled a firearm on the officer, wounding him. She did not survive the exchange.
The TB police department was wise to release the video immediately, showing the woman opening fire first. No riots occurred - because most everyone could see the woman pulling out her gun and shooting the officer first. The officer returned fire - and she died.
Here is one of my favorite people - Officer Tatum - a former cop - dissecting what happens when officers are too nice to a perp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB5mP7w8QqA
Police Officers have a tough job. You cannot have a civil society without a functioning and 1st class police force. We need to remember that officers are human beings - not demi gods. We need to give them some benefit of the doubt. However when there is a rogue officer - we must hold them accountable. While George Floyd was no saint - fact is that he should not be dead. For that matter, nor should Ashli Babbitt, a female protester who stormed inside the US Capitol, be dead either. She should not have been inside the US Capitol, but she should have been arrested and not shot. It is too bad that the same media which enables the rioting in Portland and holds up George Floyd as a hero has forgotten that Ashli Babbitt - a former veteran, should not be dead either. Officer Chauvin is standing trial for the death of George Floyd, and rightly so. I do not know if the officer who shot Ashli Babbitt should be on trial - but there should be a full accounting of her death. Yes she should not have been inside the US Capitol. But just like George Floyd, Ms. Babbitt should not be dead either.
Please remember to respect our officers - they do hard work and often do not get the respect they deserve. It's a fine line between a good stop and an arrest going bad. Policing should always be looked at by the local departments, and improvements always must be made. But policing must not be on trial in Minneapolis. Officer Chauvin should be and is.
Ben Cline Standing Up For Life
Last week, 26 different US Congressmen, all Republicans, signed off on a letter to Appropriations Committee Chair Rose DeLauro, asking her to remove the taxpayer funding of abortions from this year's budget. While this effort is unlikely to stop the Democrats from doing what they do - we must take a few minutes to thank Ben Cline for being one of the 26 signers of this letter. A copy of this letter can be found on FB on Ben's Congressional FB page. If you are not on FB - email me and I'll send you a copy of the letter.
Also a reminder that more letter writers are needed. Please do what you can to defend Ben and all of your local elected leaders who are trying to curb wasteful spending by defending them in local newspapers on the Op-Ed page.
Political Correctness Gone Bad Again
Our buddies the PO Police have gone bad once again. A local shelter for Special Needs children and adults has concluded that calling their residents "clients" or "clientele" is demeaning. And now they should be called "individuals". The definition of the word client is: "a person or organization using the services of a lawyer or other professional person or company." Aka a "client" is by definition a person/customer.
Guess it's now no longer appropriate in Liberal Land to call people "people"?
A Final Reminder
Nomination contests are tough things - everyone wants their candidate to win, and we get emotionally involved in making sure that the candidate of our preference is the nominee and the only person who can win. The fact is that no matter which candidate wins - we will need to come together as a party to ensure a defeat of Terry McAwful come November. So it would be wise to not attack your fellow volunteers who may be supporting a different candidate than the one you are supporting. Just my 2 cents.
S John Massoud
6th District Republican Party Chairman
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Upcoming Events:
April 17 - Harrisonburg GOP Committee Meeting - 1PM - Wood Grill Harrisonburg.
April 17 - Rockbridge Conservative Coalition - details to follow
April 24 - Freedom Rally - Hosted by the Shenandoah Valley Supporters of the 2A. Hawsbill Luray Greenway near the Power Company.
April 24. 3 Mass Meetings in Augusta County to determine Board of Supervisor Nominees. Pastures, Middle River, and Beverly Manor Districts. Visit the Augusta GOP website to learn more.
May 8 - RPV 2021 State Convention. Start time 9 AM - closes at 4 PM. Contact your Unit Chair for voting locations.
May 22 - Lynchburg Mass Meeting - 9 am 219 Breezewood Drive Lynchburg - Nomination of Constitutional Officer candidates. 2 pm cutoff time
NOTE - Neither the 6th Congressional District Committee, nor the Chairman of the 6th District GOP Committee will endorse any candidates. Any Member of the 6th District Committee who endorses any candidate is doing so personally and not on behalf of the 6th District Committee. This Events section is to pass out information and nothing else.
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