Life Imitating Art?

  Writing.

   It has become a passion. I started putting fingers to keyboard a few years back after having a dream about terrorists holding parishioners hostage in a mega-church, so I started developing a plot line, characters and settings. Then I started typing.

   88,000 words and four years later I’m still working on my crime thriller. It’s almost finished, just a couple more chapters to go, but it has been quite a journey. Hours and hours of research, phone calls, map and image searches…and miles. I traveled to Charleston two years ago, where part of the novel is set, specifically to research locations I’m using for certain events in the story.

   The issue I’m having is that current events in the world have come very close to the heart of my book, and I’m now having second thoughts about trying to get it published. Is it morally right in light of the shootings at the Emanuel A. M. E. church in downtown Charleston last year or, more recently, the Orlando nightclub massacre?

   Tom Clancy, one of my favorite writers, told a tale in his 1994 book Debt of Honor that, seven years later, was mimicked in the terrorist attacks in 2001; in Clancy’s book an embittered Japanese airline pilot, after losing his son and brother in a conflict with the United States, flew his fully-fueled Boeing 747 into the U. S. Capitol Building during a joint session of Congress, almost decapitating our government.

   We know what then happened on September 11^th.

   In 1997 two bank robbers, both armed with AK-47s and wearing body armor, were met outside a bank they’d just robbed in North Hollywood by responding LAPD officers; nearly 1750 rounds were fired, with eighteen civilians and police officers being wounded during the running gun battle in the streets. The only lives lost were those of Larry Phillips Jr and Emil Matasareanu…the two perpetrators. Two years prior to this incident the film Heat, starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, was released; in the movie, De Niro and his heavily-armed crew encounter police as they exit a bank they’d just robbed…and a running gun battle through the streets of Los Angeles occurs.

   Life imitating art, or just two instances of pure coincidence?

   I’ll still work to finish my novel, but I’m certainly not assuming it will be accepted for print. Getting a work into book form is extremely difficult and highly competitive.

   IF I decide to submit it.

This Morning...

…the Orlando massacre is much worse than first reported yesterday morning. A total of fifty people were murdered by a radicalized Islamist during the worst mass shooting in United States history.

…I pray first for the families of those lost; I also pray for the police officer who was working security at the night club, who first exchanged shots with terrorist Omar Mateen, because I know he must be blaming himself for the lives lost after that initial encounter.

…although calling it “…an act of terror…”, Barack Obama never mentioned radical Islam, even though Mateen himself called 911 during the attack to tell police that he pledged his allegiance to ISIS.

…at some point today, Hillary Clinton will call for more gun control during a speech or in front of the news media. Within hours, Obama already had…and it is deplorable that, once again, he used a tragedy to further his agenda.

…several persons across the country will try to capitalize on this tragedy by producing t-shirts emblazoned with slogans relating to the shootings. I support the families and friends of the victims, but there are mopes out there who will make money on this. Numerous charity websites will be set up to aid the victims’ families, many of which will turn out to be run by scam artists.

…I strongly hope that the massive, in-depth FBI investigation will not find that some of the hostages held by Mateen inside the night club were accidentally shot by law enforcement.

…it will be found that friends, co-workers or neighbors of Mateen suspected he would commit an act such as the shootings, but failed to report their suspicions out of fear of being labeled ‘Islamophobe’. Political correctness is causing this country to suffer.

…there will be no condemnation of radical Islamists by the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. Will someone, anyone, who is a leader in the Muslim community proclaim long and loud in the media that this scumbag murderer is not representative of that religion’s tenets?

Mass Shooting in Orlando

   Another mass shooting occurred overnight, this one in an Orlando night club; as of now, at least twenty people are confirmed dead and forty-two have been transported to area hospitals. The suspect was well-armed, carrying a rifle and handgun, and was also carrying some sort of an explosive device. He didn’t hesitate to attack the club even thought there was a uniformed Orlando police officer working security; a police spokesman stated that the shooter was well-prepared, indicating the execution of this act culminated as a result of planning and research.

   

   Hostages were taken; A law enforcement SWAT team made entry after police negotiators came to the conclusion that the gunman could not be reasoned with. Police exchanged fire with the suspect, resulting in his death and a head wound to one of the assault team. The officer’s life was saved by his Kevlar helmet.

   Terrorism is a possible motive. A supervisory agent from the Orlando office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has stated that there is reason to believe the suspect had leanings towards radical Islam.

   Think about that for a minutes; for an agent of the federal government to bluntly make that statement to on-scene media means that there is solid, obvious evidence at the scene that would lend credence to that theory, especially considering the President refuses to use those very words.

   As more information is released we will see politicians become involved, offering condolences to the families of victims killed and wounded. Those words will be followed by calls for more stringent gun control laws, some common-sense but most outrageous. Liberal-leaning media will magnify those calling for more gun control, claiming this act couldn’t have been carried out without ‘ease of access’ to firearms in today’s United States.

   Consider this, however: the San Bernardino massacre was carried out in a gun-free zone. The City of Chicago has the strictest gun control laws in the nation, yet firearms deaths are occurring daily at an alarming rate. Criminals and terrorists don’t follow the laws of this land and gun-free zones mean nothing to those who would commit mayhem and terror on our populace.

   It will not get better anytime soon. It will get worse. Incidents will become more frequent.

   …which is why I never, ever go anywhere without being armed. I will be prepared to defend myself, those I love and even those potential victims who would want to take away that very right to defend myself with a firearm. I will not be a sheep and I will not cower before those who want to kill.

   Endeth the sermon.

Project Vigil: Remembering the Heroes of Normandy

Seventy-Two Years Ago Today...

Seventy-two years ago, the biggest sea-borne invasion in the history of mankind was occurring at this very moment, an invasion that would change the course of history. It was an invasion that involved over 156,000 Allied troops from thirteen countries, pitted against Nazi Adolph Hitler’s ‘Atlantic Wall’. Here’s a few facts you may not have known about this significant turning point in World War II:

- Many people mistake the landings as being codenamed ‘Operation Overlord’; that was the overall title for the establishment of an Allied foothold in Europe. ‘Operation Neptune’ was the actual designation for the beach landings at Normandy.

- Actual American deaths directly related to D-Day first occurred on April 28^th, 1944, when a convoy of troop ships involved in a dress rehearsal for the landings were torpedoed by German U-boats off the coast of England. 946 American soldiers were killed.

- James Doohan, known to millions of ‘Star Trek’ fans as Mister Scott, was shot in the chest and hand during his Canadian division’s landing on Juno Beach. A silver cigarette case in Doohan’s shirt pocket saved him from death, although he did lose a finger.

- Preliminary plans for ‘Operation Neptune’ blew out an open window at Supreme Allied Headquarters in London in the summer of 1943; they were found by an elderly pedestrian who immediately returned them, saying his poor eyesight kept him from reading any of the top-secret documents.

- Famed American author J. D. Salinger landed on Omaha Beach with the American 4^th Infantry Division carrying his unfinished Catcher in the Rye in his pack. Salinger would go on to fight in the Battle of the Bulge and the Battle of Hurtgen Forest.

- A Spanish-born double agent working for British intelligence, Juan Pujol, was so adept at his craft that he convinced Hitler that the D-Day invasion would not occur in June of 1944. Adolph Hitler awarded Pujol with the Iron Cross for his service without ever realizing he’d been mightily duped.

- The ‘D’ in D-Day means nothing; many believe it stood for ‘Deliverance’, ‘Doom’ or ‘Debarkation’ but that was never the case.

- War photographer Robert Capa came onshore with the second wave of troops at Omaha Beach. Despite taking two reels of film, only eleven survived for publication. An assistant developing his pictures over-dried the rest, ruining them.

- John Steele of the American 505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment was part of the unit that was mistakenly dropped into the French town of St Mere Eglise; his ‘chute snagged on a church steeple, where he hung for two hours before finally being taken prisoner. Steele later escaped and rejoined his unit, which took the village from the Nazis. For his actions and injuries during combat, Steele was awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Steele was so enamored with St Mere Eglise and its townspeople that he often visited after the war; a tavern, Auberge John Steele, is named after him there. Steele died in 1969 of throat cancer.

Dinosaurs

That’s what I consider myself and those I worked with in law enforcement back in the day.

The job was a lot different back in 1979, when I began my career. There was more respect for police officers from the public…and the media. We were allowed to do our jobs and we were effective. You could call a scumbag a scumbag without fear of a personnel complaint because, back then, there was no such thing as ‘political correctness’. A mope wants to fight with the police? Most times, he went to the hospital before he went to jail. The next time, he knew better.

Back then a police officer always wanted to have an edge when it came to physical confrontation with a mope. That’s why we had sap gloves, convoys, blackjacks and billy clubs. A true copper used those tools as a last resort, after it became clear that talking wasn’t going to solve the issue with a subject who was bent on violence. Those things are all gone now. The new generation is the ‘kinder, gentler’ police officer…for the most part. If a criminal is struggling with you to gain control of your sidearm, you can’t slap him in the jaw with a blackjack anymore. That would be an open invitation for the mope to file suit against you and the police department, and would probably cause the cop to lose his/her job for using excessive force.

Now, police officers carry tools such as pepper spray, Tasers and PR 24s, otherwise known as ‘side-handled batons’.  A few things about those items: pepper spray…I’ve seen people high on dope walk right through it. During training back in the early 90s, we were told it was ‘target-specific’ because it comes out of the canister in a stream. Ask any officer who’s been in close proximity to a ‘specific target’ and they’ll tell you it isn’t, that they, too, were significantly affected by pepper spray.

Tasers….the name stands for ‘Thomas A. Swift Electronic Rifle’. A guy by the name of Jack Cover, who was a fan of the Tom Swift series of young adult action books when he was a kid, invented the device. A Taser delivers very quick, repeated jolts of electricity through two darts connected to the device via small, thin wires. Both darts must have contact within two inches of the target’s skin surface in order for them to deliver the voltage, which then interrupts the neuromuscular messages from the brain that controls limb movement, causing muscles to ‘lock up’. It is also very painful. If one of the darts miss, the device doesn’t work. If the target is wearing thick, winter clothing that inhibits dart penetration, it doesn’t work. You can’t use it on children, obviously pregnant women or persons with heart issues. You can’t use a Taser if a subject is at a height which would cause injury if he/she falls. You can’t use it in a flammable environment, nor can you employ a Taser on someone behind the wheel of a vehicle that is in gear. You do not want to use it on someone holding a firearm.

In other words, there are numerous things to consider before using a Taser. Sometimes, those things must be decided in the blink of an eye.

I’ve often wondered what the ‘PR’ stands for in PR-24; I’ve heard several different terms, but ‘Police Restraint’ seems the most logical. Its 24 inches long, which is self-explanatory. I can count on one hand the number of times I witnessed a PR-24 used in the field…and not use all my fingers. I never used it because I had no confidence in it; I had TOTAL confidence in the blackjack I carried in my back pocket so many years ago and, in this day and age, if I knew where I could still get one I’d buy it. I cannot tell you the last time I’ve even seen an officer anywhere with a -24 hanging from their gun belt, which might mean they’re no longer in use. Oh, they’re still out there, but either in a locker or a cruiser’s trunk, covered with dust, road flares, rolls of ‘Police Line – Do Not Cross’ tape, the med kit, the fluorescent orange reflective vest cops have to wear seemingly every time they get out of the cruiser….you get the idea.

Technology has, and will constantly, change the job. Disappearing is the written incident report; everything is seemingly done via laptop computers in the cruisers; no more barely legible words due to poor penmanship. Computerized traffic tickets, printed by the Mobile Data Terminal, are becoming the norm. Cops no longer have to radio in a license plate number for owner information; they run it themselves. Automatic License Plate Readers, mounted on the trunk decks of police vehicles, scan thousands of registration plates on cars and trucks passing by, alerting the on-board officer to such things as stolen, lost, expired and wanted plates.

It is also breeding laziness in some police officers. I’ve heard numerous car stops initiated by officers who ‘cherry-pick’; they’ll drive through a business lot packed with cars and run license plates. Eventually they come across one that’s expired or whose owner is under a driver’s license suspension. Once they find one of those, they’ll bring up the owner’s picture on the on-board monitor in order to verify that the car’s driver is in fact the subject under license suspension. The officer then parks away from the vehicle and watches it, waiting for the driver to get into the car and enter onto the public roadway, where the officer then initiates a traffic stop. The driver gets cited, the car gets towed and the officer pads his/her stats.

Peachy, right? In my opinion it is laziness. The time you’re spending surveilling that car could be better spent patrolling a high-crime area or any other of a myriad of tasks. Then there’s the whole liability issue: what if that suspended driver pulls onto the roadway and hits a pedestrian or another car, causing injury? The officer had prior knowledge of the owner/driver being under a license suspension yet still allowed that person to get behind the wheel…all for the sake of a traffic ticket. Same thing with the practice of sitting on a bar at closing time, watching a patron stagger and stumble their way to a vehicle and get behind the wheel. The drinking driver pulls onto the public roadway and BAM! The officer stops them and makes a DWI arrest.

Let me say this: I am not, and will not, defend suspended or impaired drivers. There are better, time-tested ways of taking those people off our roadways that actually might involve thought and good-old probable cause. It also involves a little more effort.

To a man, all my retired law enforcement buddies agree: if we could go back in time and do it all again, we would. In a heartbeat. But to start today, right now, and do thirty-plus years?

Not on your life.

Memorial Day 2016

Memorial Day.

Remember when it used to be called ‘Decoration Day’? I do, back when I was a kid in the early 60s. It officially became Memorial Day and a federal holiday in 1971, although, in 1966, President Lyndon Johnson designated Waterloo, New York as the birthplace of the holiday. Waterloo has held an annual observance of Decoration/Memorial Day since 1866.

This annual day of remembrance started the year after the Civil War ended, to honor both Union and Confederate soldiers who gave their lives in the four-year struggle. General John Garfield of the Union Army spoke before a crowd of 5,000 people at Arlington National Cemetery ( which had been part of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s plantation at the war’s outset ), after which more than twenty thousand graves of war dead were decorated with flowers.

Since then, Memorial Day has expanded to honor all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our great nation in the name of freedom, including soldiers from wars that occurred prior to the War Between the States.

Here is a non-comprehensive list of American soldiers killed in action in correlation to the wars in which they died:

American Revolution: 4,435. War of 1812: 2,260. Mexican War: 1,733. Civil War, Union: 140,414. Civil War, Confederate: 74,524. Spanish-American War: 385. World War I: 53,402. World War II: 291,557. Korean War: 33,739. Vietnam War: 47,434. Gulf War: 148.

The Global War on Terrorism is still ongoing; as such I can’t include a final sum of American heroes.

Through the Gulf War, over 650,000 American soldiers have given their lives in combat to preserve this great Republic, and untold millions more suffered wounds as a direct result of battlefield violence.

Over six-hundred-fifty-thousand.

On this Memorial Day 2016 I honor those dead, those heroes from just yesterday back to the Revolutionary War. Those long since forgotten and the names of the places they fought. From Bunker Hill to Fort Dearborn; From El Brazito to New Market to Fredericksburg; from Belleau Wood to Chateau-Thierry; from Pearl Harbor to Guadalcanal to Normandy to the Ardennes to Anzio; from Inchon to Kapyong to the Chosin Reservoir; from Ap Bak to Ia Drang to Khe Sahn to Hue; from Fallujah to Khafji to Qom, and all the places over the last 242 years that most of us have forgotten or don’t know about.

As you enjoy your long holiday weekend…be it at family gatherings, on the road traveling or just flipping burgers on your backyard grill…remember those who made it all possible.

God Bless the United States of America.