May 28, 2017

Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-objective-truth has not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by listening when people share experiences and observations. The comment box below invites readers to express facts, opinion, or concern, perhaps to share with people who may follow the blog.

Note 1:  I often dash words in a phrases in order to express and preserve an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth despite possible error. In other words, a person expresses his “belief,” knowing he or she could be in error. People may collaboratively approach the-objective-truth.
 Note 2: It is important to note "civic" as in citizens for the people more than for the city.

 The Advocate:  See online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge.

  

Our Views (justice reforms). I appreciate The Advocate’s caption “justice reforms” rather than the usual prison reform, criminal justice reform, criminal justice system, incarceration rate from past reports, etc.

I hope this week legislators will keep in mind Gov. John Bel Edwards failed Louisiana’s No.1, the people again, by following Obama-Holder-erroneous-formula-thought: prison just a modern racial-enslavement.

If necessary to get it right for the people including those who need help to get their lives back to a civic path, scrap all related bills and re-think them with the mindset “public safety & security” justice reforms (take this morning’s unintended lead from The Advocate’s caption). On the other hand, a quick review with the public safety & security mindset might bring approval of any good bills, perhaps with amendment.

Columns.

   

LSU “research” (Mark Ballard merely reporting). With “international” symposiums like “Moment or Movement?” October 3-4, 2016, LSU’s flag in SBR seems to compete with Southern University in NBR.

Then there’s the new course on dialogues on racism. Strange flagship fruit. I would not give LSU another dime.

President Trump musing (Michael Gerson). How can writers be so bold? Perhaps competition with the National Enquirer is attractive to the Washington Post.

Georgia on his mind (George Will). “If” is a game of folly not worth reading about, but Will has liberty-to write.

Police solidarity (Page 1B). To James Savor: Rochester, NY’s Cedric Alexander's statement, “[P]eople don’t see police as being legitimate,” may be true among vigilantes.

Alexander represented vigilante thinkers both above and below the police: Some legislators, lawyers and judges who arbitrarily burden the first responders---police, investigators and DA s---and the vigilante communities below.

The worst burden from above is recycling habitual criminals, which denies the police the civil right to a job that is supported by management. Under civil justice, Alton Sterling might not have been free to threaten public safety the night he resisted the police.

A civic people---those who collaborate for public safety & security---when in circumstances that call for police control respond to orders and often add “Yes, Sir/Mam,” to voice appreciation.

Officer Blane Salamoni doubts (Page 1A). Mary A. Diamond-Stockwell Good Grief, The Arrest Record

Here’s Alton Sterling, the guy they’re making a cause celebre out of.
•9/09/96 aggravated battery
•10/31/97 2nd degree battery
•1/06/98 simple battery
•5/04/00 public intimidation
•9/20/00 carnal knowledge of a juvenile
•9/04/01 domestic violence
•5/24/05 burglary of an inhabited dwelling place
•7/11/05 receiving stolen things
•9/12/05 burglary of inhabited dwelling place
•3/17/06 simple criminal damage to property, simple robbery, simple theft, drug possession, misrepresentation during booking, simple battery, aggravated battery
•4/12/06 aggravated battery, simple criminal damage to property, disturbing the peace, unauthorized entry
•4/04/08 domestic abuse battery
•6/03/09 resisting an officer, drug possession, receiving stolen things, possession of stolen firearm, illegal carrying of a weapon with CDs, sound reproduct without consent
•10/12/09 illegal carrying of weapon, marijuana possession
•8/13/15 failure to register as a sex offender
•4/08/16 failure to register as a sex offender
•6/14/16 ecstacy and marijuana possession

None of that makes it OK if the cops shot him while he was subdued. And that’s the argument here; if he was subdued at the time he was shot, it’s a bad shooting and the two cops involved, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, need to face criminal charges for it.

But if not, and he was actually reaching for the gun he had on him, which would have been an illegal gun and it wouldn’t be the first time he had an illegal gun on him when the cops arrested him (and it wouldn’t be the first time he was resisting arrest, either), then there isn’t much to argue about here.

What this arrest record shows is not the story the family and the “community” is trying to paint, of a “misunderstood” poor father trying to earn a living selling CD’s. He got arrested three weeks ago on drug possession – that’s hardly somebody trying to turn his life around. His arrest record shows that, charitably, he was a wannabe drug dealer but wasn’t very good at it.

And since he knew that gun was illegal and he was likely to be off to jail for a good while for having it, you can understand struggling with the police. Not to mention that if he was arrested three weeks ago for possession of ecstasy, you now have at least something to speculate about as to why he could be tazed and it wouldn’t even affect him. We know that gang-bangers use ecstasy, or a form of it called thizz which is something akin to crystal meth, as fuel for street violence, and it’s often mixed with marijuana for maximum effect. There was even a sizable drug case involving a rap label that was apparently a front for an ecstasy ring a few years ago.

To Mary A. Diamond-Stockwell: I appreciate the time you spent writing an impartial overview and The Advocate for providing the means for you to share.

In all the reporting and other abuse Baton Rougeans have suffered, I have not read one press-interview with a member of the public who has no interest beyond public safety.

I think a civic people are those citizens who either collaborate or cooperate for public safety and security so that each individual may responsibly pursue the happiness he or she perceives more than community preferences. We wish exemplary living would suffice, but some dissidents to safety & security cause harm and therefore a civic people provide statutory law and law enforcement so that dissidents may be either coerced to cooperate with safety & security or constrained. When a person threatens public safety the police have first responsibility.

A person attracted 911 attention by waving a gun in public. First responders arrived, perhaps expecting cooperation despite the gun. However, resistance began and escalated. After 90 seconds’ struggle public endangerment through failure to constrain was possible. One officer, reacting to two verbal gun-notices, perceived the perpetrator might gain freedom and attack the public. He took action. The perpetrator seemed to be getting up. The officer took second action.

Salamoni envisioned losing control of his ability to provide public safety. Based on my life experiences---referring to plant startups and related work, Salamoni had public safety on his mind more than personal safety. In a dreadful moment of doubt, Salamoni protected the public.

I know what it is like to lose. I regret Sterling’s outcome but thank Salamoni for his service. If he thinks one bad experience is enough for a lifetime, that’s his call, IMO.

European envy (WSJ). Sohrab Ahmari in “How Nationalism Can Solve the Crisis of Islam,’ Wall Street Journal, May 27, page A11 reports an interview in Paris with Pierre Manent, political philosopher who defends capitalism.

He starts by quoting President Donald Trump (not the media’s president), “America is a sovereign nation . . . We are not here to lecture.”

Without complimenting Trump, the writer segues to the condescending idea that “the American experiment,” at least in its realism regarding safety & security may be mimicked in Europe: “We are sovereign---we don’t lecture.”

  

Other forums.

Announcement:  theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/calendar/#/details/4th-Annual-Ratification-Day-Celebration/3562296/2017-06-21T19

quora.com/What-is-the-similarity-dissimilarity-between-liberty-and-equality/answer/Phil-Beaver-1

Classical writers (Frederich Hayek, Edmund Burke, etc.) confuse me about freedom-from and liberty-to; I use the dashed phrases to distinguish the two. If you accept my usage, it seems clear that equality is required for freedom-from but conflicts with liberty-to.

Further, a “civic” people collaborate for safety & security for private happiness more than for the city. The city serves the people. With safety & security as the common good, a civic people develop statutory laws and law enforcement in factual justice rather than dominant opinion. Living by example is insufficient for some, and dissidents encounter either civic coercion or just punishment.

Individuals are diverse in understanding-of and appreciation-for the-objective-truth (the facts). The-objective-truth exists and human kind does the noble work of discovery, comprehension, and application thereof. For a physics example, the earth is like a globe, not flat, and gravity holds objects thereon. In a connections example, a civic people do not lie so that responders may address a true expression; liars cannot communicate. Human diversity crosses ethnicity, personal age, awareness of the facts, and collaboration. Through appreciative collaboration, individuals benefit from other people’s experiences and observations and thereby may live more informed than is possible alone.

In a civic culture or nation, an infant is born into equality before statutory law. He or she is educated and coached into personal responsibility to acquire comprehension during the transition to civic young adult with the understanding and intent to live a full life. Some individuals react negatively to education and coaching, so even in a civic nation, outcomes are not equal.

During adult life, the civic individual earns his or her living and either collaborates-for or cooperates-with civic justice. He or she pursues personal preferences in the process of perfecting his or her unique person. The consequences of the individual life-journey varies with a person’s fidelity to the-objective-truth and connections, with fate, and with personal abilities. Coerced equality would prevent individual liberty-to pursue personal perfection.

A civic nation develops statutory laws that empower freedom-from oppression so that the individual may acquire the liberty-to pursue private happiness. Thus, equal freedom-from oppression is a government requirement, and liberty-to pursue personal happiness is an individual responsibility.

   

Phil Beaver does not “know” the-indisputable-facts. He trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered and some is understood. He is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit corporation. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.