Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

20 Questions With Mrs Gunfighter

Today we have a special treat for all of you.  Today, I am going to interview My lovely wife, special friend, and best pal:  Mrs. Gunfighter.

Welcome, sweetie!  I have wanted to do this for a long time, and I am really glad that you finally agreed to do this.

I guess I'll jump right in and ask you some questions… feel free to answer at length if you like, but since this is a written medium, I'll have to ask you refrain from giving me looks in answer to my questions.  Deal?   

Absolutely—My face will remain carefully expressionless—just like when I’m looking at food I don’t want to eat! [Hahahahahahah]

1. Why don't we start with some biographical information.  Tell the readers about yourself.

Well, just to refresh your memory, I’ve been married to you for almost 14 years and we have a 9-year-old daughter. I am a professional historian and I make educational films for one of the smarter government agencies, although I started out my career as a newspaper journalist. I love reading, type fonts, and my Amazon Kindle. I hate stupid people, beef, talking on the phone, and George W. Bush. Is that enough for a start?

2. Great... I have to ask this for the sake of the folks who only know you as Mrs Gunfighter.  Considering that you kept your family name when we got married, does it bug you at all that I refer to you on my blog as Mrs Gunfighter?  If it does, I'll be glad to call you something else.

No—that way I know you’re talking to me.

We had a child-free, soccer-free weekend, did you enjoy yourself?

Yes, I did, although I would have preferred a dry weekend so that I could do more planting.

3. It was your idea to go and see Iron Man (the second time, for me).  To tell you the truth, I was surprised, pleasantly, mind you.  What did you think of the movie?

I thought it was really good and since it only had cartoon violence, I didn’t even have to keep my eyes closed. Robert Downey Jr. was really good as Tony Stark—a first class performance.  Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t offend me as much as I thought she would, but her really high heels were a constant source of irritation. Tony Stark’s house was beautifully furnished and had a really lovely waterfall/staircase. I liked it a lot!

4. You are very astute, politically, babe… in fact, you are the Chair of our local Democratic Committee.  What do you think about the chances for Democrats in Congress this election cycle?  Do you think that we will achieve a working majority in the House and Senate?

Yes—I’m very optimistic. Even the least politically aware (i.e., the stupid) in the United States have to have noticed that things aren’t going well and perhaps it’s time for a change. There’s a very good NY Times article from last week by Tom Friedman called “Who will tell the People.” I highly recommend it.

 

5. Since we both Support the candidacy of Senator Barack Obama, and since this is your husband's blog, why don't you tell the readers what you think of the Senator and why you believe that he will be the next President of these United States?

Well, I’ve done some speechwriting in my time, and I think a great speech is really a thing of beauty. Obama is the kind of orator we haven’t seen since Bobby Kennedy. What a nation believes about itself is extremely important (“We have nothing to fear except fear itself”) and unless we have a leader who make us realize that we can fix our problems, the country is done for. Diverse groups who haven’t been active before are starting to look around and see themselves as part of a movement. [As an aside, in a funny way, popular tv always reflects the state of the nation’s psyche. I think that shows like Idol and Dancing with the Stars are a reflection of a desire for story where someone rises above and succeeds.  I don’t think it’s a coincidence that there are so many “reality” shows with this format.]

 

6. What do you think of the way Senator Clinton has run her campaign?  Have your opinions about her changed at all from her husband's White House years to now?

I’m really going to try not to let my feelings based on my personal experience with her color this answer…or maybe not! I’m disgusted with her campaign.  Honestly, before the campaign began, while I wasn’t about to crown her, I could see myself voting for her. Today—absolutely not. I was a Clinton supporter long before you were, and I’m so sad to see how far they’ve fallen. They have moved race front and center in their campaign—from the innuendo in South Carolina to openly discussing how “hardworking white voters” support her today. They’ve made that discourse acceptable and for that I can never forgive them--ever. As one commentator said last week, even Richard Nixon in his southern strategy never used the word “white.” The idea that she’s some sort of man of the people—while attending the same schools as Obama and having a career as a high priced lawyer—is such a joke. Someone should tell her that where I grew up, women didn’t do shots with beers…or should I say only skanky women did! Pathetic.

 

7. Enough about politics…. Tell the readers, if you would… how cool is it to be married to Gunfighter?  I mean it has to be a major rush all of the time, right?

24/7. I don’t even have words to describe how thrilling it is to throw your dirty clothes in the hamper. Although you are a terrific cook and a pretty nice guy (for a trained killer)!

 

8. Thanks, babe... I think.  I'll work on that clothes issue (I hope that you liked your dinner last night)  Changing the subject… you have rather eclectic tastes in music.  Care to tell everyone about the music that you like.

Well, my musical tastes aren’t static!  At home I like to listen to jazz, blues, Frank Sinatra (fabulous!) and global fusion music. At work on my desk, I’ve got Pink, Jane Monheit, George Michael, and the sound track of “Man of La Mancha” because Richard Kiley is the best Broadway baritone ever. Having said that, when I’m in the car I always listen to XM’s 20 on 20, because I like new music.  At the moment, I like Timbaland and Chris Brown. The new Madonna song (I never bother to learn their names, as you know) isn’t bad, but I can’t stand Mariah Carey’s new one. I just think her music is insipid and she doesn’t look very smart to me… My favorite song of all time is Bob Marley’s “Redemption Song.”

 

9. How about when I play my head-banger music… does that bother you?  and tell the truth, Ozzy Osbourne has buckets of talent, doesn't he?

Yes, I hate screaming guitars and often choose to find something to do upstairs. Ozzy’s slow songs are lovely—he’s an interesting person.

 

10. Moving on… you are a prolific reader.   What is your favorite genre of books?

That’s a tough question. I mostly read nonfiction. I feel in love with history when I was in elementary school.  My favorite personage was Cleopatra because, well, she was one of the few women who got a starring role. I’m totally thrilled that—without prompting or any suggestion from me—Soccer Girl has checked out all of the Cleopatra books from her school library. Today, I mostly read whatever interests me at the moment.  I’m currently in a major China phase.

11. Who is your favorite author?

I’ve got different ones:  Dorothy Dunnett for her wonderful House of Niccolo and Lymond Chronicles, the best historical fiction written ever. While I prefer Nicholas, both series are fantastic. (That’s in case you have any Dunnett fans in your readership. We always have to state our allegiance up front.) I also love Wilton Barnhart’s “Gospel”, a modern day story about the ancient church—it’s actually much better than it sounds—and Lisa See’s “Peony in Love.”

In mystery, I enjoy Elizabeth George for her finely crafted Lynley series (the books not the tv series) and Lisa See’s detective series. As an aside, I spent a lot of time in the rather run down English seaside town that was the setting for one of George’s books, and she had the feel of the place absolutely perfectly.

In history, you can’t do better than “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Seriously. Gibbon’s footnotes are very witty and a real treat.  Okay, maybe’s it’s an acquired taste…

12. Now, I'm going to open the floor for a moment.  You are quite the enthusiast on home design.  As a matter of fact, you are in the middle of transforming our home into your new vision.  Why don't you tell us about that?

I’m very visual and so the way that things look is important to me. I think your personal style has to reflect who you are (your junk), fit your lifestyle (easy to clean), and look good (lots of books). Our living room/dining room/kitchen is in the process of transformation into a global fusion style with Chinese accent pieces from my trip to Beijing. I think a totally Chinese room would look forced, but a bench, a canvas, and a Buddha are enough. I have a friend who did her living room Chinese (you know who I mean) and it didn’t work at all. Our new red kitchen is going to be fabulous. I decorate rooms the way they strike me—that’s why our bathroom is a salute to the French Fauvists, the downstairs bathroom pays homage to Britain, and our bedroom is going to be a sort of Danish modern salute to the 18^th century.  I can’t wait to put up the giant wall map of Rome! My mother hates every single room in our house!!!!!

13. "My mother hates every single room in our house!!!!!"  Baaahahahahahahaha!  She does, doesn't she?  Well tough shit for her!  That's what I say.  Sorry... I had a moment.   Tell everyone about your love of paint.

I adore paint and will happily spend hours and hours thinking about it!!!! I currently recommend Benjamin Moore’s new Aura line, which is possibly the best paint ever.  We tried a sample on a wall that’s never been painted (except by the builder) and it covered perfectly on the first coat without being absorbed into the dry wall. Paint is fab! Fan decks are always thoughtful gifts.

 

14. If we can silly for just a moment, I'd like you to talk about some of your choices for television viewing.  I mean, I get the design shows, both for home and clothing, but you also watch, with some intensity, Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, and that show with Tila Tequila…. What's that all about?

Can I be snobby for just a minute?  I have a Ph.D. and I spend all day with a bunch of other Ph.D.s. I don’t watch tv to enhance the intellectual part of my resume.  If I want intellectual, I’ll read a book not watch PBS. Basically, all tv is kind of crappy, but there’s nothing wrong with that. I love “Rock of Love” because I don’t know any people in the real world who think that prowess on the stripper pole should play a big part in the selection of a life partner! I also continue to watch because I want to know why someone can’t get Brett a better weave. Flav—an idiot, but every once in a while there’s a flash of a real human being. And Tila Tequila—well who didn’t think Danni was way too good for Tila and was secretly happy she chose that doofus instead? I just admit to watching what people really watch but are too weak to own up to!

 

15. Wow.  Just… wow.  Um, Ok… let's talk about your DVDs.  You have quite a few, which is really an understatement.  How are things working out now that you have those brand new DVD storage racks that I covered the wall of our office with?

Excellent!  I just have to do some organization. I don’t even know how many I have.  Maybe 500?

 

16. Tell everyone about your enjoyment of tabloid magazines.  Do you have a favorite in the conflict between Lauren "LC" Conrad and Heidi Montag?

Even I won’t watch “The Hills” because it’s just too stupid. If I HAD to pick, I’d probably go with LC. Heidi is just such a shameless publicity whore. Wasn’t it ridiculous when John McCain said that he watched this show???? Tabloids are great for looking at all the clothes and, well, who doesn’t want a front row seat the next time Ms. Spears goes off her rocker?

 

17. Summer is coming, and we are planning to send Soccer Girl to a variety of day camps and sleep away camps.  Do you want to talk about that?  Tell us the benefit of a busy summer for a child in the suburbs.

Soccer Girl is very social and she loves to be outside—two things I hate, so even if I was a stay-at-home mom, I’d still send her to camp. She’s looking forward to “horse camp,” and I’m happy to let her explore her independence a little. I think there are two main benefits for us. When she goes to day camp she comes home super tired, so we don’t have to haul her to the pool every night. Secondly, we might be able to get our long postponed trip to Water Country in while she’s gone. Pinky swear not to tell!

 

18. So, we're going back to Georgia and Florida in August.  I am sure you are looking forward to it as much as I am.  Tell everyone what you like most about our summer vacations.

I actually enjoy the preparation most of all. When I was a kid, I loved the anticipation and I still do. Of course packing is my single greatest skill, so I’m always looking for ways to top my previous personal best!

 

19. Of course, Disney World is very much a central part of what we do when we are in Orlando… do you ever get tired of that place?

Never. When I was very small (maybe 5), I had the measles. I remember laying on the couch and trying to watch tv, which was very difficult because the light hurt my eyes. But I kept them open because I was watching a Mickey Mouse Club rerun about the opening of Disneyland. I was entranced and never stopped thinking about what an amazing place it must be. We went to Disney World the year is opened and that sealed the deal for me. I don’t really care about characters, but the dimensionality of the place continues to fascinate me. When Soccer Girl was very small and she would nap in her stroller, I never minded just walking around for hours.

 

20. I concur.  I suppose I could get tired of that place, but don't expect that to happen before 2097... when I am 134 years old.  We have covered a lot here, today, babe… I'm going to end here by opening up the floor for anything that you would like to say in closing, so take it away!

This was fun—I’ve enjoyed meeting all of you!  Thanks for the ink/pixels.

There you have it, friends.  An introduction to the best person that I have ever known.  This wonderful woman who supports me fiercely, who loves me (and I'm not easy to love, if I'm going to be honest here).  This perfectly complex, super-smart, unassuming woman, sexy woman, has been my best pal since our first date... you can see why I love her so much.

Thanks for sharing, babe.

GF

Book Review: Raised By Wolves - Christie Mellor

At the very start of this book, author Christie Mellor did something that few authors do for me. She made me laugh. She made me laugh aloud.

In her own wonderful and very humorous way, Christie Mellor gives young people some very cogent advice, while not sounding at all preachy, dry, or boring. She takes less than 250 pages to tell all twenty-somethings things that it took me almost 40 years to learn. Just think of the possibilities if I had learned them early on.

Mellor gives advice on basic living practices, such as the importance of keeping your apartment clean, how to clean your bathroom, and why it is important to make your bed, and the myriad uses of baking soda. Baking soda! Did you know that you can remove coffee and tea stains with that stuff? I didn't. I didn't know that you could also use it to kill fleas. who knew? Well, Mellor knew enough to share it with all of us.

She goes on to give advanced life-lessons about the working world; from not being a "fawning bootlicker" to not sharing the intimate details of your love life with people you barely know. Mellor gives directions to the young in ways that will make you laugh aloud, AND make you think (or at least, nod your head sagely).

Reading this book at age 44 was like a trip down memory lane. When the author talks about drinking to excess, and how you care to be remembered, I immediately thought back to my hard-partying days in The Marines. It made me think about the several old friends of mine from those days whom, in my memory, will always be pictured as roaringly, life-of-the-party drunk... or violently vomiting in public places.

To be sure, this book has a lot of lessons in it that can be categorized as "What Not To Do When You Are An Adult", but it doesn't spend all of it's time as a humorous "Don't" list. There are other things that young folks in anything close to polite society ought to know. Dinner Party etiquette; visiting invitations; hosting a party; basic recipes for the novice cook; and how to make a proper Martini (yes, it IS important to know how to make a Martini). Get this, she'll also teach you how to draw a Martini... see? (I drew this 10 minutes before posting this review. Useful, see?)

One of the most important chapters is the one about finance. Look, in today's economy, things are tough for families... we already know that, but we shouldn't assume that things are free and easy for young adults, especially as they often start amassing horrendous debt early in life. Mellor's advice on money is sound. So, pay attention.

The bottom line on this book is that there is a lot of good information in it, and it would be useful to a young person who has just left or is about to leave his parent's home or graduate from school. It would also be every bit as useful to that person in their thirties or forties, you know the ones, who just don't have a clue.

It's a keeper... but not for me. I'm sending MY copy to my college freshman daughter (that is, after I copy that soup recipe!)

GF

This review was sponsored by the Parent Blogger Network and the fine folks at HarperCollins Publishers.  This review is also cross-posted at The Review From Here, Gunfighter's product review blog

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms that happen to read this.  Simply put, I hope you all realize how important you all are to our society.

Happy Mother's Day to a particular mother... the one I have been blessed to be married to for almost 14 years.  As mouthy as I usually am, I find my self in the very unusual position of being bereft of sufficient words to tell you how much I appreciate the role you play in our child's life.  All I can think to say is that I think that you are the best... and I am, certain that Soccer Girl feels the same way.

I wouldn't trade you for anything.

GF

Hey! Wake Up!

Hey!

You!

Yes... YOU!

Wake up.  I know you are tired.  I know that you are weary.  I know you have been talked to death over the battle for the Democratic nomination.  I know that you are sick of hearing about Jeremiah Wright, I know that you are probably tired of hearing about how well Hillary Clinton polls among white blue collar workers.

Tired or not, I need to remind you of something.

OUR ARMED FORCES ARE AT WAR.

THEY HAVE BEEN SENT TO WAR BY IRRESPONSIBLE POLITICIANS, FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN AN IRRATIONAL, KNEE-JERK RESPONSE TO 9/11.

Over 4,000 of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have died in this immoral, illegal war of aggression.

In this Presidential election, you will have two choices, those of you who haven't voted in Primaries yet have three.  Those choices are between two Senators that mired this country in a war that has lasted longer than World War Two (without an end in sight), and another Senator that has opposed the war from the start.

Whom do you trust?  A man like John McCain, whose policies will mirror the failed policies of the current idiot-in-chief?, Hillary Clinton who stated that she voted to authorize war in Iraq because "we had to do something" about terrorism?, or the man with enough vision to say that this war was wrong, right from the start?

Never mind The Keating Five... never mind, Jeremiah Wright, never mind flagrant and unrepentant race-baiting.  Let's stick to the biggest issue that everyone seems to ignore:  Which of these people do you trust to keep the United States out of stupid and costly military misadventures?  Whom among you want to trust the lives of YOUR own children, to idiot warmongers?  Which of these people has the vision and the moral authority to make a difference in Washington?

Well, I can almost hear all of you shouting:  Barack Obama... and you'd be right.

The future is upon us.  We have clear decisions to make, and clear paths to choose from.  We can choose more of the same old bullshit if we elect either Clinton or McCain, or we can take a much needed new direction, and vote for Barack Obama.

Yes. We. Can!

YES WE WILL!

Go Read This Blog

Really.  Go read this now.

Eavesdrop DC

Really.

My Anniversary

You know something?  The anniversary of my blog came and went on March 23rd.

I started my blog in a different place, with this post, and in the intervening time, I have learned a few things that perhaps I should, in my sleep deprived state, share with you... because I'm SURE you've never heard any of this before.

1.  Write whatever you feel like.  Even if you have built a readership that is interested in your coin collection, write about flying kites, if you like.  People will... of won't read your blog on it's own merits it has.

2.  Popularity contests can be draining.  Don't play those games.

3.  Memes are fun.  I like getting to know things about people (in some places they call it being nosey)

4.  As much fun as blogging is, you have to find other things to do with your time.

5.  Don't take negative comments too seriously.  The world is just full of unkind people, don't let them spoil your fun.

6.   Bloggers can be your friends.

7.  If you wish, you can build a rather large group of diverse, eclectic friends, that you may never interacted with otherwise.

8.  Even liberal bloggers enjoy seeing things get shot to smithereens by a large, smiling, teddy bear-like fellow.

9.  Chicks still dig kilts.

You know,  I could go on at length about all of this stuff, but you already know it.

Thanks for bothering to read... all six of you.

The Five Things

I haven't done one of these things in a while, and I would rather play this little game than the one that my idiot sister would like me to play, so here I go:

Here are my answers for The Fives Meme.

FIVE YEARS AGO, I WAS...
1. Not as fat as I am now.  Damned knee...
2. Doing the same work that I am now... but for less money.
3. Ignorant of what a blog was, and thus was more productive in other areas in my life.
4. Cooking more interesting food.
5. Every bit as outraged about the invasion of Iraq as I am today.

FIVE SNACKS I ENJOY
1. Good cheese
2. Brownies
3. French Fries
4. Blueberry Scones
5. Ice Cream (is there any wonder that I'm so fat?)

IF I WAS A BILLIONAIRE, I WOULD...
1. Quit my job and go to college... then go to the seminary.
2. Send poor children to college... Lots of them.
3. Endow a professorial chair for Revolutionary War history studies
4. Own homes in Orlando, Vancouver, Montreal, and Williamsburg, Va.
5. Fund programming for churches.... and influence elections

SOME JOBS I HAVE HAD
1. Produce store laborer (I loaded and unloaded trucks when I was 15)
2. U.S. Marine infantryman
3. Nordic Track salesman
4. Disney Store retail sales
5. Gunfighter

Different Places I have lived
1. Hamilton Air Force Base, California
2. Vauxhall, New Jersey
3. Washington, DC
4. Forestville, Maryland
5. Woodbridge, Virginia

...and there you are.  My friend Anali never suggested that I was tagged, so I tagged myself, because I'm selfish like that.

Live - From Starbucks on Capitol Hill

I have to attend our odious weekly senior staff meeting this morning, so I figured that since this meeting is likely to be fraught with contention, I would fortify myself with some high-end caffeine.

The Starbuck's I am in, now, is that same place where I talked to Dan Rather a few weeks ago.  I suspect that today will be different, though.  There won't be any celebrity sightings... instead, we will be taking a ride on the Crazy Train.  I chatted with a animated young woman that works in the basement library of congress, who was determined to sit at one of the outside cafe tables, because she sees so little natural light during her day.  That isn't the crazy part, but I thought I would give you just a little it of the normal before we go completely off of the rails. 

So I sat down with my Venti Hazlenut Latte (a manly drink  if ever there was one), at a table with a view of the intersection of Third and Pennsylvania, so I could watch the people on their way to their different pursuits, and while I watched them, I took note of the other people around me.  On my right are the two store managers, having a meeting about goals and schedules for the coming week.  On my left is a Chinese woman of a about 35 years, who is animatedly talking to her bottle of Vitamin Water in a mixture of Chinese and English, about American foreign policy in Asia.   Wait, Now she is shouting at the botltle!!!!   That's it.  I'm losing it, here.  The other patroons, are, of course, more mature than I am.  They are sitting quietly an pretending the crazy lady isn't here, keeping their faces a mask of neutrality.  Not me... I am laughing so hard I can barely type this.... She just screamed that GW Bush is a pimp.  Bwaaahahahahahaha!

Have I ever mentioned that I love this city???  Even the crazy people are political!

From my little perch, here  I can see Library of Congress Lady, still chatting with her pal at the cafe table... she smokes.  That's a shame.  There is also a Capitol Police officer sitting in his patrol car, writing a parking ticket.

(that is animated young woman, on the lower left, facing the camera)

Now Crazy lady looks at me.  She smiles (she is very pretty)  Then she threw her head back and laughed maniacally!  A little scary, but I'm three times her size, so if she gets stupid, I'm pretty sure I can take her.  On top of that, I have a gun.... on second thought, this being the District, she probably has a gun (or two) as well.   The guy in the Dan Rather Chair just looked up from his very cool, paper thin Mac, looked at CL, and then at me and rolled his eyes.

Oh, here comes a young woman, probably 25, and she is already complaining of the humidity.  She must be new in Washington, because today is beautiful, if slightly sprinkly.  This brings me to the point that I have to talk about fashion for a moment... what is it with the designer Wellies, these days?  I never would have considered Wellies to be fashionable.  This young woman's Wellies are pink and black, and they match her skirt and blouse.

The lady sitting directly across from me is trying to read the Washington Post Arts section, but she is being distracted by you-know-who.

"We are Stardust, We are Golden, we are billion year old carbon,and we've got to get ourselves back to the garden...."

Sorry, musical interlude (it' what is playing on the Starbuck's sound system).  I'll bet some of you are too young to even remember that song.  Dude.

Again on fashion, have any of you Washingtonians ever noticed that people that work on The Hill tend to dress better than those who work in the executive branch agencies??? (middle aged lady left while I was typing that)....

Well, as much as I would like to continue sitting here and talking to you fine people, I have to go to this meeting.

Have a good day.

GF

The Police, The Supreme Court, & The Death of Sean Bell

It’s late.

It’s very late.

It’s so late, it’s early morning… about 4 A.M.   In a nightclub, an undercover police officer hear snippets of conversation: Men, apparently drunken men, talking about “getting guns” when they leave the club.

The officer alerts his partners, and contacts a supervisory officer, the supervisor arrives, and when the men leave the club, the cops follow.

When the men got into their car, and appeared ready to drive off, an officer, with his gun drawn, identifies himself and tells the driver to stop. The driver attempts to flee, but is boxed in by an unmarked police vehicle, which is struck by the suspect vehicle. The driver of the suspect vehicle bumps or hits one of the on-scene police officers with his vehicle while the suspects attempt to flee. At least one of the officers sees either the passenger or driver make a furtive gesture towards a pocket. The officers on the scene open fire with their service weapons, striking and killing the driver, and grievously wounding the two other passengers.

After an investigation, four of the officers are indicted for murder and lesser charges by a Grand Jury. The officers, knowing the emotional weight of the case, waived the right for a jury trial, opting instead for a verdict from the bench.

During the trial, the prosecution’s best witness, the front seat passenger at the time of the incident, contradicts his own written statements and Grand Jury testimony.

After the conclusion of arguments, the judge, stating that the prosecution had failed to present evidence that would lead to the conviction of the officers beyond a reasonable doubt, acquitted all of the officers accused of any crimes.

Simple, right? Something bad happens and justice is served.  Or is it?  I suppose your answer depends on your perspective.

We have arrived at our starting point.

The friends and family oThe friends of the deceased, Mr. Sean Bell, immediately began to protest about racism and several other things, claiming that it’s “open season” on black Americans, etc… some of my fellow bloggers have made similar statements, so I thought I should take a moment, considering what I do for a living, to talk about why those officers were acquitted.

It's very simple really, and the reasons have nothing to do with institutional racism, or police brutality, etc...

Those officers were acquitted because, according to supreme court case law, their actions were perfectly justifiable. 

That's right, their actions were perfectly justifiable.

Now, now... before you go calling me a "sellout", "tool of whitey", "self-hater", "pig" and other unpleasant things, please attempt to think about this rationally and devoid of emotion. 
Sure, it is incredibly difficult to look on this case and not get emotional about it, after all, Mr Bell was leaving his bachelor party... he was to be married the following day.  Sean Bell was someone's was a father, a son, and friend.  By many accounts, he was a great guy.  I won't even begin to dispute any of that... but this case isn't about any of that, is it?  Of course not.

What this case was about was whether or not the officers that shot Mr Bell and his friends, that terrible night, were justified in doing so.

"NO!" you scream, "Those men weren't armed!".

You're right. They weren't, but this case isn't about that either.

"But they fired 50 rounds at those men."

True... but guess what?  This case wasn't about that, either.

No, this is about justification, and the laws governing the use of force, including deadly force by police.

This case is about the Supreme Court decisions in the cases of Graham V. Connor and Tennessee v. Garner.

To summarize, the Supreme Court held, with no Justices dissenting, that any judgment on the use of force by police must pass the "reasonableness standard", which must be whether or not the officers actions were reasonable to a "reasonable officer on the scene" at the time of the incident, and not viewed with the 20/20 vision of hindsight.  In other words, were the officers actions reasonable, knowing what he or she knew at the time of the incident.

So, here we have officers who already believe that the people in the car are armed (it doesn't matter that they weren't... it matters that the cops reasonably believed that they were, based on what one of the officers heard).  A confrontation ensues, wherein an officer is struck by the vehicle driven by the suspect in an attempt to flee.  One suspect, according to testimony, reached into his shirt/coat/jacket/pants... knowing what the officer reasonably believed at the time, was it reasonable to think that the suspect was reaching for a weapon?  Apparently, the court believed that it was.

When an officer thinks that he is about to be assaulted, he may use force... it is important to note that the officer is under no requirement to be assaulted before defending himself.

So, believing that the suspect was going for a gun, the fight was on, and the shooting started.

"But... 50 rounds?"

Well, it sounds like a lot, doesn't it?  Hell, it is a lot... but was the number of shots unreasonable?  I'm asking you.  Yes, YOU.  Was 50 rounds too many?  How many should they have fired?  40? 30? 2?  How many rounds in enough in a gunfight?  I'll give you a hint:  As many as it takes to neutralize whatever threat that you perceive.

There we have it.  A reasonable belief that the suspect had access to weapons and or intent to use them.  A suspect attempting to use a vehicle as a weapon, A furtive gesture by a subject that one could reasonably conclude was a reach for a gun. 

Friends, all of those things put together say that the cops were authorized to use force.  Deadly force.  The fact that those men were unarmed never entered into the decision.

Never.

Sean Bell is dead, and it is a terrible tragedy, but he wasn't murdered.

Tsunami? More like "A Drop in The Bucket"

On Saturday, I experienced something that youth sports coaches have always had to deal with.  A situation that, try as you might, you can't control.  When our game started on Saturday, I was faced with an entirely different group of girls than my usual players.

Before you wonder why I had a team full of new players, let me explain.  These weren't new players... they werre my regular players that played (with three notable exceptions) like absoloute CRAP!!!!!

The game started out quite normally.  The opposition was no better than my team, in fact, my girls were really pressuring the other team right from the start.  My girls were playing like they normally plaed.  About ten or fifteen minutes into the game, SoccerGirl scored a goal, which made her and the rest of the girls happy... and then disaster struck.

The girls decided that they were tired.

They decided that they were tired, and fell apart.  All of a sudden, the hustle went away.  Some of the girls decided they would jog up and down the field instead of RUNNING.  Most of them WOULDN'T SHOOT THE BALL AT THE FREAKIN' goal until they were three feet away!!!!  Some of them were so contact averse that they would rather let the other players take the ball rather than physically challenging for it.  My God did they piss me off. 

There were some highlights, however.  SoccerGirl kept it together and played defense like a madwoman.   C, my little pit bull, chased down opponents and broke up plays.  D, my goalkeeper stopped shot after shot.  If not for the three of them, we would have been doomed.

The fortunate thing is that while my girls weren't doing very well, they were able to fend off the other team, holding them scoreless until the last three minutes of the game.

The game ended in a tie 1-1, and to tell you the truth, we were lucky to get away with that.