School Shootings: Epic Failure by Police

George Bernard Shaw said that the only thing we learn from history is that we have learned nothing from history. What this means, essentially, is that we do not pay attention to history and therefore we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes and ignore opportunities. If we look at the recent Mass Casualty Event in Parkland, Florida then we can see how this is true.

Approximately 2:21 PM on 14 February 2018, Nicholas Cruz entered the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, presumably set off the fire alarm and proceeded to open fire on fleeing students. One of the first things that you hear when these unspeakable crimes happen, is that it keeps happening and needs to stop. The very next thing that you will hear is the cries for tougher gun laws and more gun control. So let us go back to that first item; this needs to stop. I think that everyone can agree on that issue. There are many things that need to be reviewed and or fixed to get this under control but let’s look at something that one would think is an easy and immediate fix.

In the case of Nicholas Cruz, law enforcement made a huge blunder with this person. Here we have documented facts that the Broward County Sheriff’s Office had been notified many times about Mr. Cruz’s attitude, demeanor, ownership of guns, mental instability and the fact that he, himself, said that he planned to shoot up a school and to become a “professional school shooter”. If this is not enough to make you angry, the Federal Bureau of Investigation received two tips regarding Mr. Cruz’s behavior. Once in September of 2017 to the FBI in Mississippi and again in January 2018 when a tip received was not properly forwarded to the Miami office.

Now, one could say that law enforcement missed the mark on this one. How can you carry on a campaign of “If you see something, say something” when saying something means nothing? Now, I hold a very high regard and respect for the law enforcement community. Having said that, how many times can we look back on Mass casualty Events and see where law enforcement has come up short in regard to the actor? 

You simply cannot blame guns. Guns, themselves are not the issue. Evil people with intent on performing evil acts will find ways to do so. We’ve seem mass Casualty Events by way of guns, knives, cars, trucks, fertilizer and oh, yes, airplanes. Cries for your government to “do something about guns” is the immediate cry. What are we doing to fix the shortcomings of law enforcement? Yes, there are other areas of improvement and other factors that demand review; however, actions speak louder than words. Fix the issues that are staring us in the face and the issues that can be fixed with very little effort. Such issues like following policy and procedure. That is a good start.

Benghazi: Unsolved Mystery

Here in the United States of America, people are murdered every day. That is a sad reality. Law enforcement agencies are constantly working on leads and developments, talking to witnesses, canvassing the crime scenes, collecting and analyzing evidence all in an effort to bring the suspected murderers to justice.

Benghazi Case File:

On the evening of 11 September 2012, the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya was attacked by Islamic militants. As a result of this attack, A United States Ambassador Christopher Stevens and United States Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith were both murdered. Several hours later on the same evening, another compound approximately one mile from the murders, another attack ensued and United States CIA Contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were both also murdered. These are the core facts regarding events in Benghazi, Libya on the night of 11 September 2012.

The Benghazi "Scandal", as it is so called, has become a political pissing match between the Republican-controlled Congress and the Democrats. In three years and more than $4.5 million, there really has been no resolution to this issue not only politically, but also no resolution period. Now if we strip all the politics, the left and the right away from this whole Benghazi thing then we start to see this a little bit differently. Once we look at it without political lines, you might then feel like you have some questions of your own that you want answered.

Refer back to the core facts above; this is murder. This is capital murder with a lot of implications. Forget everything that you've read in the newspaper, magazines and (God help us) Social Media. Look at this without politics and look at it with your instincts. Four people were murdered that night. Four AMERICANS on sovereign AMERICAN soil. Now ask yourself these questions:

• What law enforcement agencies are investigating these crimes?
• Was the Preliminary Survey performed?
• Was a narrative of the scene conducted by Crime Scene specialists?
• What evidence has been collected?
• Who are the witnesses that were questioned?
• What area(s) have been canvassed?
• Who are the suspects being investigated?

When you eliminate the political aspect of this crime, you are left with murders that have to be solved. The families of these men deserve justice and closure. Have any of the politicians thought about that? Why do we not hear how the criminal investigation is going? Is there even a criminal investigation going on? We should have all applicable agencies on this matter every day until the perpetrators are brought to justice. That is the core of this matter. It is what matters to me as an American when I look at this and think about the wasted money and resources to make this everything else than what it is.

To re-introduce some politics back into it then yes, there are questions that need to be addressed. Why were 600+ requests for help not satisfied? How on earth and more importantly why would you ignore so many requests for help? Why would we hesitate for a second to send aid to our representatives in their time of need? It is the job of Congress to get to the bottom of this and it is no time for partisan politics. Forget about your party and get to the facts and the heart of this matter. It is law enforcement's job to find the murderers and it is Congress's job to find the people responsible for making the mistakes in our government. It sounds quite simple doesn't it?

Like anything else, if you strip the politics away from the issue then we can really see what is or isn't important. We begin to learn how the political machine and the media create these false realities. In some cases, it is a real head scratcher trying to figure out what the reasons are. In this case, four Americans are dead. I think it is time we focus in on that.