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How much hoohah will shooting by school cop bring?

 An officer from our local school police force shot and killed a man near a school this morning in what the Beaumont Independent School District calls “self-defense.”

... and to shoot center mass, apparently.
... and let's see what kind of stir this will cause.
Police Sgt. Don Gordon was on what was characterized as a “routine check” near the Paul Brown and Pathway schools when he ran into a disturbance, said a Beaumont ISD press release. The shooting happened off the campus near the intersection of Pope and St. Helena streets
 A “black male” allegedly attacked Gordon as the officer prepared to investigate the fracas. The police officer “had no recourse but to pull his weapon and defend himself,” BISD police chief Clydell Duncan said in the press release. The 26-year-old who was fatally wounded in the shooting was identified as Matthew Beckett of Beaumont, according to the Beaumont Enterprise.
 The officer supposedly used pepper spray on Beckett before shooting him, according to KBTV-TV. The news station quoted school district spokeswoman Jessie Haynes as saying Beckett appeared to be high on drugs. No other reports have surfaced this afternoon concerning whether Beckett pulled a weapon on Gordon, prompting the officer to use deadly force.
 This is the first fatal shooting for the department, which began patrolling schools and areas near the schools two years ago. The agency has more than 20 officers.
 Beaumont ISD has seemed to be continually in the media spotlight, or crosshairs, depending on how one see it during the past several years. The school district has an enrollment of more than 19,000. The district pays its superintendent, Dr. Carrol Thomas, more than $320,000 per year, which makes him one of the best paid school administrators in Texas if not the most well-paid.
 Thomas and his advocacy of a multi-million dollar bond issue have been lightning-rods for criticism during the past year or two. Usually, discussions in online comment sites about Thomas and the district end up with the subject of race. Thomas is black as is four of seven school board members. Some would say that shouldn’t come as a big shock since the population of Beaumont is 47.2 percent black compared to a 44.1 percent white make-up, according to Census figures.
 One may only expect this shooting, regardless of what the facts from the investigation bring, will stir the BISD controversy pot even more. One also might hope for race not to inflame this latest incident since both the police officer involved as well as the victim are both black. But one shouldn’t hold their breath. This is Beaumont where everything seems racial these days.
 
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A hair-raising Texas governor's race?

 Hair could be the focal point of the race for Texas governor in the 2010 General Election. That is, such might ring true if Gov. Rick “Good Hair” Perry gets by U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the Republican Primary and if whomever ends up running for the Democratic nod gets beaten by Houston Hair-care mogul Farouk Shami.

 Shami, who made millions producing the Chi hair-care line, is scheduled to announce his candidacy today in Houston for the Democratic Primary. He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in a rags-to-riches life after coming to the states from Jordan.

 His ethnicity and support of some pro-Palestinian efforts have raised doubts about whether he has a chance especially in the wake of the Fort Hood shootings, allegedly by a Muslim Army psychiatrist from the Middle East. Of course, given Texas containing a little bit of the world inside its borders, Shami can always insist the Palestinian support that he doled out was given to people in Palestine, Texas. The East Texas city is about halfway between Dallas and Houston. It also is the hometown of the star Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson.

 If anything comes up about any fiscal or other types of connections Shami might have in China, Italy or Paris, he’s got that covered too, what with cities bearing those names within the Texas state boundaries.

 Perry versus Shami for governor? Expect some hairy jokes.

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The opposition proves they are right silly

 If the “loyal” opposition to the current ruling party in U.S. government is serious about anything, anything at all, then perhaps they should start acting like it. Make that, they should start acting like adults.

 After raising Hell about the administration’s rightful prerogative to have alleged terrorists tried in New York where the 9/11 horror happened, the right now blathers about the president’s bow to the Japanese emperor.

 I didn’t like George W. Bush. But I don’t think his enemies attacked every breath he took, every move he made, every fart he produced. I think the “loyal” (allegedly loyal) opposition needs to get a life, or perhaps just shut the f**k up.

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Happy Veterans Day: I'm no hero

veteran

 

I am a veteran.

I didn’t fight in any war when I joined the Navy in 1974 but because our nation’s involvement officially ended after the events surrounding the fall of South Vietnam in 1975 I am called a “Vietnam Era Veteran.”

That doesn’t mean a lot, especially to those who actually fought and endured the unimaginable in Vietnam. But we couldn’t stop having a Navy after Vietnam and somebody had to steer those ships and swab those decks and, in my case, push and type those papers. Someone had to do it during a time when being in the military wasn’t the coolest thing a young person could do.

Although my parents had a Navy sticker on their pickup — I was the third son to join the Navy — you didn’t see ribbons on cars with the names of their soldier boys who were serving listed on it. You didn’t see every sunshine patriot and vote-needy politician calling those of us  who served “heroes.”

 It wasn’t the best of times to be in the service. And it wasn’t the worst, by a long shot. It was, after all, the 1970s.

 You can bet your ass that I bitched and moaned throughout my tour of duty. It’s what service members do. There were petty, little regulations that seemed absolutely stupid. You could often find yourself following your orders from a tyrant, but unlike in the civilian world you couldn’t talk back or couldn’t quit because you could end up end trouble. The worst case scenario would be the brig, or jail. Those Marine guards in the brigs didn’t exactly play nice, at least that’s what I heard. Remarkably, I never — officially — got in trouble and wound up with an Honorable Discharge and a Navy Good Conduct Medal. The last I figure was quite an achievement considering all the hell-raising I did both on and off duty.

 So I am no hero. I was just a kid out of high school who needed a job, wanted badly to attend college but couldn’t afford it, the Navy needed someone who did their job and did it very well. After finishing my job, the government paid me a nice little stipend under the GI Bill that made it most helpful to become a college graduate. And the rest is history.

 That’s my veteran story. It isn’t a heroic tale but it’s my own and I’m sticking to it.

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Still early in the Ft. Hood shooting saga

 Work took me out in the boonies today. I have to say I like it because it is kind of unusual in this part-time job. It’s good to get out on a nice fall day and get paid to ride the country roads of the Big Thicket — America’s biological crossroads.

 A few thoughts regarding the Fort Hood shooting aftermath crossed my mind today after reading and hearing snippets of the Islam (and anyone else who aren’t white and conservative) haters on the radio. I won’t mention the names of any shows but they start with Beck and Limbaugh.

 First, I heard people calling the shooting an act of terrorism. They have all of these snippets of information from semi-official sources and even one of the eyewitnesses who claimed he heard the jihadist battle cry “Allahu Akbar“ phrase for “God is the Greatest.” Of course, one of the soldiers who said he heard the phrase shouted before the shooting began is now unsure that’s what the shooter said at all.

 I really don’t know what these right-wingers want. Expel from the military or the country anyone who is a Muslim? Why stop there? Surely lapsed Catholics are undesirables for the Limbaughs and Becks of the world. How about Episcopals who allow gay priests or bishops? Holy moley!

 Here is another thought. It is probably not being thought about by most of the population but I bet a lot of, especially senior, military officers are thinking about this. What will be the career  fate of Lt. Gen. Robert Cone, the commander of III Armored Corps and Fort Hood?

 When things go screwy in any officer’s command, especially one the size of Fort Hood, his or her career usually is left in shambles whether or not the mess up is their fault. I have heard of less senior officers and even senior enlisted men whose careers ended or were stuck on high center just because of something their kids had done. It’s all part of military justice. You know, that is to justice as military music is to music. Of course, I don’t agree with the music part.

 Likewise, I wonder about some facts of military justice provided Maj. Hasan goes to trial once he has healed enough to be arrested and charged for the alleged acts he committed.

 He already has a civilian attorney who specializes in military law. A former military judge named John Galligan. He already seems to be questioning venue. Normally, such a trial as Hasan might have would be a military court martial that is held at his command, which would be under the auspices of the accused’s commanders. The trial could also be held in federal court as often happens with civilians who commit crimes on a military reservation.

 Finally, the 800-pound gorilla in the room that’s helpless from a headlock applied by a 1-ton elephant, that being insanity.

 I honestly don’t know what all is involved in proving insanity in military courts. You don’t hear of it that often. That might tell you something. Of course, you don’t hear of military court martials that often unless it is of someone like the alleged “ring-leader” of Abu Ghraib, Pvt. Charles Graner, whose court martial was held in 2005 at Fort Hood. However, even though you don’t hear of court martials be assured they happen as regularly as military time.

 I read something about the standards for an insanity defense having changed in military courts since I left the service in the late 1970s. I’ll have to bone up and see if I can find something in the Manual for Courts-Martial. You just know that — even with evidence that might link Hasan with terrorists — that insanity is going to come up, provided he goes to trial. I say “provided” because no one knows what will happen once, or even if, Hasan survives his gunshots, and is arrested and charged in the military system. The other option is some damning evidence comes out about direct ties to the “Tangos” or terrorist, then the whole legal question becomes considerably more complicated.

 The case is still under investigation. The suspect is still critically wounded. The memorial service for the victims was today. It’s early in the Fort Hood shooting saga. Let’s try not to get ahead of ourselves. I will try to do the same, although I admit it isn’t easy.