A Friend Tells A Friend

 “Why is it," he said, one time, at the subway entrance, "I feel I've known you so many years?"

"Because I like you," she said, "and I don't want anything from you.” Ray Bradbury

Finishing the editing of The Fort in the Harbor, I came across this:

“You mean that Miracle’s murder was an empty, pointless act?” Karen asked.

“I suppose.” Colin walked slowly to the granite wall, placing his hand on the rough surface. “In Afghanistan, when one of my friends was killed, we knew he died fighting for us.”

“Us?”

“Yes. We were there to help the population, of course. We were there as instruments of our country’s foreign policy goals, at least to an extent. But, as soldiers we fought to keep our friends alive.”

“I get it.”

“So long as someone of us survived, no sacrifice was in vain. We would meet again, in Valhalla. As warriors.”

I claim no special insight into the events of this past week. But, with the help of a good friend I may have written one of the characters properly.

A Thought Experiment

 

noun

noun: influencer; plural noun: influencers

1. a person or thing that influences another.

   "he was a champion of the arts and a huge influencer of taste"

   • Marketing

     a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.

     "influencers can add serious credibility to your brand"

      
     

   We've had a week.

    

   

   
   In light of that, or maybe in spite of it, I thought I'd do a little experiment. Apparently, in the realm of marketing a product (novels, for example) it helps to be an "influencer." So, I'm going to try my hand.

    

   Apparently, that word is new enough that even Google, in its omnipresence and omnipotence, hasn't loaded it onto the spellcheck for Blogger. And, as a writer, it is important for me to stay ahead of the game, so to speak.

    

   I always wanted to have one of those Hollywood names. You know - Writer, novelist, influencer, gadfly, blogger, one-eyed cyclist, former professional hero James Greer... Okay, the professional hero thing is a little over the top, although at Roosters Grooming Center if you are a first responder the haircut you can request is the "Professional Hero" haircut, which provides their usual cut at a discount. Although, it sounds more like a sub you might order at the Firehouse Sandwich Shop. Welcome to Fiiiirrrehouse...
   

    

   So I'm going to try my hand at influencing. I'm going to recommend an item. We'll see who I influence.

    

   I am partial to a certain kind of breakfast, one for the lame and lazy... No, that won't do. It is a breakfast for the active and engaged, for those who are clearly on their way to interesting places to accomplish meaningful things (life is about adjectives, a writing class taught). It is portable, self-contained and does not require utensils beyond the construction phase.

    

   The first step is to scorch some bread. "Make toast" seems overly general, as toast can be those little Melba things, or the tiny teeth breakers they make at the grocery store out of day old baguettes. Scorching without burning is essential - the smoke alarm scares the dogs, and ruins the taste. So, a mild scorch. Also, if you've ever tried this dish non-scorched, you know the mess you make when the bread tears.

    

   Next is butter, not margarine.  One of my favorite authors, known for his thick and often impenetrable writing (The Black Swan, Skin in the Game), asserts that human beings have spent thousands of years assimilating butter into their digestive systems, but mere decades with margarine. Which is healthier and easier on the body, he asks. Butter tastes better, and if it is calories you're worried about then a workout ("Doing It Portie") is in order. Nassim might be a total asshole, but I think he's right on this point.

    

   The next layer reflects personal preference. Peanut Butter seems to have three varieties - smooth, chunky and "a big piece of the peanut." Almond butter is also acceptable or, for the Whole Foods crowd, cashew butter. Almond butter can get a little dry once it has sat on the counter for a while, though. Be lavish, be aggressive. Just be careful about feeding it to the dogs because, no, it isn't funny when it gets stuck to the roof of their mouths and they run around wiping their muzzle against the furniture.

    

   There you have it. Enjoy.
   

    

   If you have just thought "I could use some peanut butter toast this morning" I've reached a new milestone in my writing career.

    

   Now, how about a good book to read while munching on your breakfast? The hot links are to your right on the screen. 
   

    

    
   

When Shit Gets Real

 You can take this to the bank - no police officer begins their shift hoping it is the day they get to take a life. Me, forty-two years after my first duty day, with thirty-five years of service.

An incident of immense tragedy took place in the US Capitol Building on January 6th. A woman from California, present in DC to support Donald Trump's demand for justice, was fatally shot by a US Capitol Police officer. Her death is an immense loss to her friends, her family, and our country.

A video of the incident exists, lasting about thirty seconds. It is available on Rumble, if you care to find it. It is graphic, heartbreaking, compelling. I have watched it ten times.

The video begins at a doorway well inside the Capitol Building, which leads to a hallway and some offices. The thick wire-reinforced glass has been broken, but still covers the window opening. Furniture - chairs, perhaps, are stacked against the doors on the opposite side. Several plain-clothed officers are visible, including one who is mere feet away. He has his pistol drawn, and is pointing it at something, or someone, to his left. 

The officer appears to be giving commands, but they are not audible over the din of other voices shouting from the videographer's side of the door. It is typical of a mob scene, full of noise and emotions and anger. The Capitol police officer takes a step forward, then another. He fires a shot.

The camera immediately pans to the recorder's right, and a form that appears to have been in the window of the adjacent door falls backward onto the floor. It is apparent that the person - later identified as Ashli Babbitt - is grievously injured and she knows it.

At about the time Ms. Babbitt has fallen, a number of armed and uniformed officers appear, ascending a staircase emptying onto the same landing upon which Ms. Babbitt now lays. They signal to the officers on the other side of the door that they have control.

Much has been made on social media today, to the effect that an unarmed woman was murdered by a US Capitol police officer. Nearly everyone stating this has drawn their conclusion based on a thirty second video.

No one who is a professional, who has been in an officer-involved shooting; has witnessed an officer-involved shooting; or has assisted in the aftermath of an officer involved shooting would, upon merely viewing the video, reach any other conclusion beside that it was a horrible tragedy.

The investigation of a police shooting is a painstaking, detail-oriented, heartbreaking experience. The initial collection of evidence - statements, video, weapons, photography - can take 24 or more hours. Collating what is collected can take days, or weeks. Investigators make polished, lengthy presentations to prosecutors, to command staff and eventually a determination is made whether the use of force comported with the law, and the policies of the officer's agency.

An officer is permitted to use deadly physical force in a restricted number of cases. One of them is if the officer reasonably believes that they or an innocent third person is in imminent danger of suffering serious bodily injury, or death.

When you watch the video, ask yourself what facts you lack in making that determination. Because the absence, or presence, of a single material fact can change the entire outcome, do you know enough to reach a conclusion?

I have been present at several police shootings, when shit got real. I've assisted in the aftermath of several others, including one where two of my friends were also shot. I'm waiting for the investigation in DC to unfold before I reach an opinion.

You should, too.

A Wake Up Call

 That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.  The Declaration of Independence, 1776.

America has always been a place for the disenfranchised to find answers. It was settled and organized by the disenfranchised. People who believed they lacked a voice wrote and ratified documents declaring American independence. They fought, they died, and they eventually triumphed in the face of nearly impossible odds demanding a voice.

America fought a war to right an abominable wrong, to free men and women disenfranchised on account of the color of their skin, and their involuntary servitude. She fought a different kind of war for the economically disenfranchised, to provide them a New Deal. The best of one of her best generations are buried, in elaborate graves or shallow trenches, all over the world that those enslaved by the world's bullies be free.

In small towns and big cities, in courtrooms, in jail cells and on obscure roads where marchers numbered in the tens of thousands, the battle for the disenfranchised swept America. It is a battle we still wage.

We at Bikecopblog know these truths to be self-evident:

It is always wrong to attack police officers performing their lawful duties.

It is always wrong to damage or destroy public property, no matter its character or location.

It is always wrong to trespass into areas of a public building, disrupt the lawful operation of government entities and threaten elected officials.

It is always wrong to deprive the disenfranchised of their day in court, of their right to present their case and be heard by a fair and objective tribunal, and to have their concerns adjudicated on the merits of their grievances.

The events in Washington, DC have left us with so many questions, and so few answers. Perhaps, as Americans, it is time for us to commit to a rebirth of freedom, to seek the answers together.