Waiting on the Grand Jury Decision

In light of the allegedly pending decision by the St. Louis Grand Jury, which will determine the fate of Officer Darren Wilson, consider this police chief’s take on violence in the black community and police response:

The Spiral of Silence and the Enforcers of Right Think

In our last post, we learned that researchers have found that people tend to self-censor their speech, both in person and on social media, if they believe that their opinions are unpopular or in the minority. Researchers call this phenomenon the spiral of silence. The tendency to self-censor is one that others, particularly progressives, use to political advantage, when they seek to punish or destroy those with whom they disagree. Depending upon how politically incorrect their points of view are perceived to be by others, speakers quickly learn to self-censor their speech lest they find themselves singled out, investigated, and punished by the enforcers of right think. Let’s look at some recent examples of this type of punishment that goes far beyond ridicule or ostracism.

Will Police Stand Up or Stand Down?

If we’ve learned anything from the civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, it’s this: When you need them, the police may not stand up to protect you or your property. If you own a home, you probably pay your property taxes. If you own a business, you probably pay your business taxes. If it’s required in your city, county, or state, you probably pay income taxes and other taxes as well. As a good citizen, you probably also pay your federal income taxes.

In return, the deal that you may believe exists between you and your various governments is that the taxes you pay will fund anything necessary to ensure a civil society, including the various police forces, which exist to ensure tranquility (to keep the peace), to enforce the law, and to protect life and property. In other words, to protect and serve. To ensure Law and Order.

Or, at least that’s what we all used to believe.