Elected officials seem to need to do something, even if it’s wrong, in response to the Sandy Hook massacre. The leading thing now seems to be a limit on capacity (number of rounds held) for rifle and pistol magazines. Both the NY State legislature...
In the early morning of July 23, 1967, one of the worst riots in US history broke out in the heart of Detroit’s predominantly African American inner city. When it was quelled 4 days later by 7,000 National Guard and Army troops, 43 people were...
The Grand Rapids Press reported today that a short time ago a citizen woke up to someone ringing his doorbell very late at night. Then he heard his back door being broken in. The citizen got his shotgun, called 911, and waited. Then there was...
It was 5 years ago this month, on 27 June 05, that the US Supreme Court ruled 7-2 in Castle Rock vs Gonzales that despite court orders or anything else, we do not have the constitutional right to be protected from crime by the police. In this case...
One of the very smart things that is going on in Iraq just now is that Kurds and Iraqi are training together. This helps break down the generations of distrust. Indeed, on 27 May and a police training school conducted by NATO forces, the several...
When members of the 2nd Bn, 503rd Infantry (Airborne) working to help the locals take control of the security environment in Kunnar Province in Afghanistan noted that the local police, national police, and national army didn’t really like...
If there is one truly ineffective (read corrupt and out of control) agency in Afghanistan it is the local police forces. Yet the leaders of some of the police forces in the most dangerous areas of the country say they oppose the surge of US forces...
It’s “so far, so good” in Iraq since US combat forces withdrew from the country’s cities and towns, Army Gen. Raymond Odierno said. Iraqi troops and police are manning checkpoints and stations by themselves. Baghdad and Kirkuk have seen bomb...
The Grand Rapids (MI) City government seems to be working overtime to try to catch up with the un-American idiocy of the Berkely, CA, city council. First they debated and approved a resolution damning the current war in Iraq–this is really not...
I teach American Government at Grand Rapids Community College. Lately, as I drive to the campus, there are often a group of, well, foolish sheep, who stand near one of the main intersections in town holding up signs that protest the war in Iraq and...