July 2. 2014
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Bracing for an Attack by Veterans
Military transfer
program lacks
rational
explanation
by
J im H ightower
From 1776 fo r
ward, Americans have
opposed having sol
diers do police work
on our soil. But in re
cent years, Pentagon chiefs have
teamed up with police chiefs to
circumvent that prohibition.
How? By militarizing police de
partments.
Through the little-known “mili
tary transfer program,” the Pen
tagon now ships massive amounts
of surplus war equipment to
local cops. This reflects a
fundamental rewiring of the
mindset now guiding neigh
borhood policing.
Police chiefs today com
monly send out squads bran
dishing heavy arms and garbed in
riot gear for peaceful situations.
Recruiting videos now feature
clips of SWAT-team officers
dressed in black, hurling flash
grenades into a home, then storm
ing the house, firing automatic
weapons. Who wants anyone en
ticed by that video working their
neighborhood?
As a city councilman in rural
Wisconsin commented when told
his police were getting a nine-
foot-tall armored vehicle: “Some
body has to be the first to say,
‘Why are we doing this?’”
The town’s police chief re
sponded that, “There’s always a
possibility of violence,” The New
York Times reports. Really? Who
threatens us with such mayhem
that every burg needs a war-zone
armory and a commando mental
ity?
A stonishingly, a sh eriff’s
spokesman in suburban Indianapo
lis offered this answer: veterans.
The sh e riff’s departm ent
needed a mine-resistant armored
vehicle, he explained, to defend
itself against U.S. veterans re-
tuming from the Afghanistan war.
War veterans, he said, “have
the ability and knowledge to build
(homemade bombs) and to defeat
law enforcement techniques.”
That’s lame, loopy, insulting,
shameful, and just plain stupid.
Maybe he just forgot to pack
his brain when he left for work
that day. But I’m afraid it’s a
window into the altered mindset
of police chiefs and trainers.
OtherW ords colum nist Jim
Hightower is a radio commenta
tor, writer, and public speaker.
Inspiring Lessons from Seattle Pacific University
United by a
common sense
of faith
his own life.
South A frican A rchbishop
T he
p riv a te
C h ristia n Desmond Tutu in the new The
university’s expressed mission Book of Forgiving coauthored
is to equip students to engage with his daughter says: “It is
the culture, change the world, perfectly normal to want to hurt
and pursue scholarly excellence back when you have been hurt.
by M arian W right E delman
rooted in the gospel. How won But hurting back rarely satis
On
June
derful to see it in practice dur fies. We think it will, but it
14th I had the
ing such a difficult tim e. It doesn’t. If I slap you after you
honor of giv
brought the community closer slap me, it does not lessen the
ing the under
together, united by a common sting I feel on my own face, nor
graduate com-
sense of faith. While students does it diminish my sadness
m encem ent
expressed anger, there was also over the fact that you have
address at Se
an immediate sense of forgive struck me. Retaliation gives, at
attle Pacific University. Com ness and mercy tow ards the best, only momentary respite
mencement speakers usually do shooter, with many expressing from our pain. The only way to
their best to share a lesson or two pity instead of hatred for him. experience healing and peace is
with the graduates, but this year
Jon Meis, the courageous stu to forgive. Until we can forgive,
Seattle Pacific students, adminis dent who stopped the attack, we remain locked in our pain
tration, and faculty inspired me has been adam ant about not and locked out of the possibility
and people across the nation by wishing to be considered a hero. of experiencing healing and free
how they responded after a cam He helped set the tone in a pow dom, locked out of the possibil
pus tragedy that should have been erful statement released after ity of being at peace.”
unthinkable but instead has be the shooting where he said:
The genuine sense of for
come all too routine: a shooting at “[WJhat I find most difficult giveness and grace at Seattle
their beloved school.
about this situation is the devas Pacific University is rem ark
Just days before graduation a tating reality that a hero cannot able. The sch o o l’s students,
young man with a history of come without tragedy. In the faculty, and administration truly
mental illness entered a science midst of this attention, we can struggle to live their faith. I was
and engineering building on the not ignore that a life was taken deeply moved that my m other’s
university’s campus armed with from us, ruthlessly and without favorite hymn, “Great is Thy
a shotgun and more than 50 justification or cause. Others F a ith f u ln e s s ,” o p en e d the
rounds of ammunition and be were badly injured, and many graduation ceremony, walling
gan firing.
more will carry this event with off despair though not sadness
He killed 19-year-old fresh them the rest of their lives. during this difficult time. Even
man Paul Lee, a young man Nonetheless, I would encour in the middle of tragedy and
with an enormous smile whose age that hate be met with love. loss there was also a profound
friends said he was known for When I came face to face with sense of gratitude that the at
his laugh and sense of joy, and the attacker, God gave me the tack was able to be stopped
w ounded two other students eyes to see that he was not a before more life was lost.
before 22-year-old student se faceless monster, but a very
At the same time we must all
curity monitor Jon M eis pep sad and troubled young man. ask: could this have been pre
per-sprayed and tackled him as While I cannot at this time find vented from happening at all?
he paused to reload, ending the it within me to forgive his crime, The shooter, who reportedly
deadly rampage. The shooter’s I truly desire that he will find had an o b se ssio n w ith the
plan had been to harm as many the grace of God and the for shootings at Columbine High
people as possible before taking giveness of our community.”
School and a long history of
mental illness, was detained and years at a gun range, used that
committed to mental health fa loophole and purchased his gun
cilities twice before the attack legally through a private seller.
at Seattle Pacific. In 2010 he
I am so grateful to the Seattle
called 911 to report he “had a Pacific University community for
rage inside him” and wanted to their witness of strength, for
hurt him self and others, and in giveness, and deep faith. Yet I am
2012 police found him lying heartbroken that they and so many
intoxicated in a roadway, where other children, youths, and adults
he told officers he wanted a walk in fear on a daily basis and
SWAT team “to get him and keep having to worry about expe
make him famous.” Both times riencing this at all. Why is our
he was taken to a hospital for nation saturated with guns— four
evaluation.
million in military and law en
His history o f involuntary forcement hands and 310 million
commitments to mental health in civilian hands? Why are Ameri
facilities should have barred him can children and teens 17 times
from possessing a gun. Wash more likely to die from gun vio
ington State does require re lence than their peers in 25 other
porting of mental health records high-income countries combined?
to the National Instant Criminal Why is our mental health system
B ackground C heck System , still so inadequate to respond to
according to the Law Center to the cries of those needing help?
Prevent Gun Violence, but does When will we all say enough?
not have a universal background
We can and must do better.
check law in place. At least one
Marian Wright Edelman is
source says the shooter, who president o f the Children's De
also reportedly worked for eight fense Fund.
THE LAW OFFICES OF
Patrick John Sweeney, P.C.
Patrick John Sweeney
Attorney at Law
1549 SE Ladd, Portland, Oregon
Portland: (503) 244-2080
Hillsoboro: (503) 244-2081
Facsimile: (503) 244-2084
Email: Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com