a prayer to all of those who have lost, on both sides
A divided nation cannot stand.
Citizens are not the enemy.
We are all humans first.
Don’t give into the hate, yet don't deny the truth.
To my brothers with badges and my brothers with dark skin. There are no sides here.
Unity please.
Don’t let the wicked sway our hearts and minds. Don’t let them divide our nation, or all is lost.
Prayers for all who were lost.
Prayers for what may come.
The good can win.
We can.
I hope so. The contagion of madness and hate seems to be spreading at an alarming rate this year … all over the world.
Peace
That is a wonderful sentiment and certainly one most of us can agree with.
However, as human beings there is a percentage of us that have other priorities.
I can think of a couple of "reasons" (obviously not great ones) someone might do this:
1) For the infamy of it - they will definitely get their name and picture plastered on TV screens and newspapers!
2) Power - I knew a guy in HS who was a black belt in Karate. He was a great guy, but every time he drank, he would want to fight someone because he knew he was good at it. I could see someone who has prepared for the government coming to grab his weapons being frustrated that he has not had the opportunity to implement his capabilities and ends up looking for the slightest excuse to "engage"! If you prepare for something, you tend to want to use that knowledge/gear/etc.
These are not normal people, but if they are 0.001% of the population, there are a hell of a lot of them out there.
This is personal for me as my GF is going to be in riot gear and on call for the BLM (Black lives matter) protest in Marietta.
The police have abused their power in some instances. Being an officer has always drawn some of the people who are essentially into being in control over others and they probably are opportunistic when they have someone who is likely not "well connected".
However, I really want the police to be able to respond to crimes without first having to make sure the area is clear of threats.
The government really has two functions as I see it - to provide security and stability. If we lose this, it will cost big time...I am talking economic costs. Just look at third world countries where you cannot not order something nice and expect it to ever make it to your door as a simple example.