LAS VEGAS, NV – Man’s best friend also happens to be a four legged hero after a criminal pulled a knife on police this year.
The incident went down when police pulled over a subject on a traffic stop.
The male ended up exiting his vehicle with a large machete and charged at an officer who was still in his vehicle. The officer reversed and the subject fled.
A K9 officer released his dog to apprehend the suspect who stabbed the dog. Now, the video footage from the incident has been released and obtained by 8 News Now.
On April 13th, Las Vegas Metro Police Officer Vargus Berbe noticed that the vehicle driven by the suspect, now identified as Jeffrey Holland, had an expired license plate.
Berbe attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle who continued to drive until he entered the parking lot of an apartment complex.
When the vehicle stopped, Holland jumped out of the vehicle and had a large machete. Berbe testified in court:
“Once he got out with the large machete he was approaching my car, pointing at me and approaching my car in a fast pace. I ultimately threw the car in reverse, the patrol vehicle, and immediately floored it so I ended up in the middle of Cambridge on the street.”
Holland then ran into an apartment trying to hide from officers.
Berbe called for back up and Metro Officer Nick Bachman, with police K9 Kimura, was one of the officers who responded. Officers attempted to talk Holland out of the apartment and peacefully surrender to them.
However, Holland had other plans as he opened the door armed now with a large knife.
Officers began giving several commands to Holland to drop the knife and go to the ground, all of which he ignored. Berbe testified that Holland:
“…is holding it [knife] in a manner where he is, he’s holding it pretty much to his side raising it and he is challenging officers to approach him.”
Bachman then testified:
“In my mind I felt that if I did not deploy the dog probably somebody was going to get stabbed, one of my officers was going to get stabbed, or ultimately we would have to shoot the suspect.”
Based on these reasons, Bachman released K9 Kimura to physically apprehend Holland, this is the point where the video starts.
At the beginning, there is no audio, and LET warns you – it’s graphic.
[embedded content]
K9 Kimura did exactly what he was trained to do, immediately left the side of his handler, and physically took hold of the suspect.
The suspect fell to the ground with K9 Kimura still holding onto him. It is at this point that Bachman notices something is wrong.
Bachman testified:
“I see him pulling Kimura down towards his chest with his right hand and I saw his left hand come up with the large knife and stab my dog.”
In the video, you can clearly see this happening and hear the dogs vocal reactions. Amazingly, K9 Kimura did not release Holland and continue to hold onto him until Bachman recalls him.
The man who stabbed K9 Kimura 13 times Monday night has been released from jail.
57yr old Jeffrey Holland who was charged w/ felony resisting, attempt to kill police animal &more was released by a judge & is free until his June court date.
This is reprehensible.#Justice4Kimura pic.twitter.com/NgFNUeaRNX
— Christina M. Roof (@Christina_Roof) April 18, 2020
Once the dog is recalled, officers tase Holland and were able to take him into custody without further incident. Once he was in custody, Bachman inspected K9 Kimura’s injuries.
Bachman said that there “was about a six-inch deep hole that you could almost put your fist inside of,” on the back of his neck. He also saw bite marks from Holland near K9 Kimura’s eyes and nose.
K9 Kimura was rushed to an emergency vet where he underwent emergency surgery and thankfully recovered. After a round of physical therapy and a few weeks to heal, K9 Kimura returned to full duty roughly six weeks after being viciously stabbed by Holland.
Injured making an arrest, Kimura the police dog is on the mend https://t.co/iHgRrjBoYD pic.twitter.com/pX7ywiviOO
— Las Vegas News (@LasVegas_NV_USA) April 16, 2020
Holland remained in custody for various charges until he was released by a judge pending his court date in June.
Thankfully, Holland was indicted on August 5th for intimidating a public officer, assault on a protected person with use of a deadly weapon, resisting a public officer with use of a deadly weapon, and mistreatment of a police animal.
Police K9 Mik shot in the face during armed confrontation – miraculously survives
ROY, UT –LET today recently reported on a Roy Police Department K9, Mik, being shot during an armed confrontation with suspects on August 8th.
Roy police reported coming across a vehicle that had recently fled rom them in a field. As officers approached, the people in the vehicle opened fire on the officers, one of those rounds striking K9 Mik in the face.
K9 Mik was rushed to an emergency vet where he underwent surgery. Today, LET is happy to announce that K9 Mik has returned home and is on his path to recovery.
Here was the announcement from the Roy Police Department:
On August 8th, Roy City Police officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle for a traffic infraction.
As the officer was speaking to the occupants, they fled in their vehicle from the stop which caused a brief vehicle pursuit.
Roy officers terminated the pursuit and later learned the suspect vehicle had stopped in a lot close to the county line.
Officers from Roy Police approached the vehicle and the occupants opened fire, striking K9 Mik and at least one patrol vehicle. Officers returned fire, killing one of the occupants, Aaron Michael Griffin, and were able to take the second, Brian Joseph Cregg, into custody.
K9 Mik was rushed to the emergency vet where he underwent surgery. He was expected to remain in the hospital for a few days, however, was released to his home early.
On August 10th, K9 Mik returned home and is being spoiled by his handler. On Facebook, K9 Mik’s handler says:
“Here are a couple of pictures we were able to get of Mik coming home and relaxing. He was expected to be in the hospital for a few more days, but was doing so well that they sent him home early. He is resting very comfortably and getting very spoiled.”
The Facebook post also offers words from K9 Mik himself, “Woof woof woof.”
The translation offered by the Roy Police Department is that “I’m still in pain, but I am excited to get back to work and serve the people of Roy. Thank you to everyone for your support!”
LET wishes K9 Roy a fast and speedy recovery!
Please keep K9 Mik from the Roy PD in your thoughts & prayers. Mik was shot in the face early this morning while helping officers take a fleeing suspect into custody.
K9 Mik is recieving care at a local emergency veterinary clinic & is expected to survive his wounds per the PD. pic.twitter.com/ZZa1boXk65
— K9s of Valor (@k9sofvalor) August 8, 2020
In order to get a broader understanding of dogs in policing, let’s take a quick look at how they have been used throughout our country. Police dogs have been used in law enforcement for many years for several different purposes. Some dogs are termed as single purpose (like drugs only) and others are considered dual purpose (combination of drugs and patrol).
Dogs who are trained in dual purposes often serve as tracking, detention, searching, and drug sniffing roles. These dogs and their handlers go through training courses which could last about six months (depends on state requirements and how quickly the team becomes proficient) prior to being able to seek certification.
When the dog team gets certified, they must always remain proficient in their disciplines. Routine or maintenance training with the handler and the dog must be done on a daily basis with a minimum of 16 hours of actual dedicated training time per month.
For an example of the training the police dogs go through, LET will give an example of drug training. Handlers will place drugs into an article in which the dog cannot possibly bit into and use that article as a toy.
Eventually, the dog equates the scent of that drug with playing which is why dogs are searching for drugs. They are not looking for drugs, they are seeking out their toys.
So, when you hear someone on the street (and it happens) claim that the dogs are looking for drugs or that officers get them addicting to find them, now you know that is not true!
Officer Down: Young deputy and fiancée killed, officer’s younger brother seriously injured
SAN ANTONIO, TX – A young deputy’s life and fiancée’s life were taken on Wednesday night near Corpus Christi. Noah Calderon, 20, is the youngest deputy in the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office. He is the youngest in BCSO’s history.
The San Patricio County Sheriff’s Office stated Noah Calderon and his fiancée crashed with a 18-wheeler on Highway 188 and FM 796 between Sinton and Mathis. The tanker truck failed to yield the right-of-way and collided with Calderon’s vehicle.
Noah’s younger brother, Luke, 13, was also with them and was airlifted to University Hospital in San Antonio. He is in critical condition. Luke suffered a spinal injury along with an injury to the arm and broken jaw. Both Luke and Noah had been ejected from the vehicle.
Noah Calderon was hired when he was 18 years old back in September 2018. The BCSO had just lowered their age requirement to 18, allowing anyone who was 18 to apply for the academy, The Blue Shirt Program. Calderon was the top cadet, academically, in the BCSO Academy where he set several records. He was later assigned to the Bexar County Jail Annex 3rd Detail. He was also used for recruiting other cadets.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said: “As an agency, we mourn the loss of a great man and brother in blue. I ask that you keep Noah’s family, friends, and everyone affected in your prayers. Our community lost a young man who was absolutely going to run his agency one of these days.”
Noah’s father, Sgt. Edward Calderon, is a BCSO Deputy as well, assigned to the Patrol Division. Noah was hoping to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
The Sheriff thought highly of Noah already and felt that he was the future of BCSO. Sheriff Salazar said: “He was on a super star trajectory. A very intelligent young man who knew what he wanted to do.” He thought he was very intelligent and was starting to get prepared for a career in law enforcement.
Noah’s fiancée was Samantha Grace Handy, 21 years old.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating the fatal traffic collision.
Memorial arrangements have not been scheduled yet.
KSAT 12 News reported that Noah Calderon wanted to inspire others to follow their dreams.
Sheriff Salazar released the news about Noah in a press conference from his office. He mentioned how Noah was one of the deputies in the Blue Shirt Program, hired at 18.
He also mentioned that Noah was liked and he was “everybody’s little brother.” Sheriff Salazar told the story of how they celebrated his 19th birthday and they decorated it with dinosaurs because he was like a little kid, their little brother, their son.
Sheriff Salazar responded to a question about the accident and said that it is an example that proves that drivers need to be safe while driving out there and make sure they are paying attention to others while driving.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar made the following statement:
“It is with a heavy heart that I report, Deputy Noah Calderon, who was assigned to the Detention Bureau, was killed last night in a car crash.
Preliminary information is that Noah, his fiancée, and his younger brother were traveling to Corpus Christi when an 18-wheeler struck their vehicle. It is reported that the 18-wheeler may have run a stop sign. Noah’s fiancée was killed on impact.
Noah died shortly thereafter, and his little brother was transported to University Hospital in San Antonio by AirLIFE. The young man is currently in surgery with critical injuries.
Noah’s father, Patrol Sergeant Edward Calderon and his wife, are with their young son, and the family is in need of our prayers at this time. BCSO Family Assistance deputies are making arrangements to transport Noah’s remains back to San Antonio tomorrow, Friday, August 14, 2020.
As an agency we mourn the loss of a great man and our brother in blue. I ask that you keep Noah’s family, friends and everyone affected in your prayers.”
We recently reported on another tragic wreck that took the life of a young officer and his daughter in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Dennis Gill was on vacation with his family in Oregon on July 25th. Gill and his 14-year-old Tiffany were involved a single vehicle crash which left them both dead.
SAD NEWS CALIFORNIAFrom the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department:“We are deeply saddened to announce the death of…
Posted by Placer County Deputies on Sunday, July 26, 2020
The circumstances of the crash have not been made public, only that it was a single vehicle accident which is under investigation by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.
On August 11th, the Sheriff’s Office celebrated the life of Gill and of his daughter.
Gill was first hired in 2000 and worked in several different assignments throughout his career. Gill was assigned to the North County Correctional Facility, Pasadena Court, County Services Bureau, West Hollywood, and the Crescenta Valley Station.
The Sheriff’s Office posted on their Facebook page that Gill was well liked “by his peers and respected for the extra duties he took on without reservation”.
“He received many public commendations for his diligent performance and was regarded as compassionate, professional, helpful, and respectful.
Deputy Gill was an outstanding individual with an eagerness to work and go above and beyond for anyone. Our hearts go out to his wife Louis and son Ethan, friends and family of Deputy Gill. We lost a great partner, a friend, and a public servant. Rest in paradise.”
Unfortunately, Gill has not been the only law enforcement officer killed in July. LET reported when a Franklin County Sheriff’s Deputy, William Garner, was struck and killed while helping people who had been involved in a crash.
On July 19th, Garner responded to a crash on Interstate 85 around 7pm. As he was working the crash and helping the people in the crashed car. While doing so, a 2018 Honda Accord traveling south lost control, left the roadway, and entered the median.
Honoring Franklin County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office Deputy Sheriff William Garner, died July 19, 2020, after he was struck by a vehicle while at the scene of a single-vehicle crash. Honor him so he is not forgotten. pic.twitter.com/paMEYNMw0t
— Steve Wightman (@stevewightman1) July 20, 2020
The vehicle struck Garner as he was standing outside of his patrol vehicle. He was taken by ambulance to St Mary’s Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia where he succumbed to his injuries.
The driver of the vehicle, Abdulhafiz Abdullahi, was arrested for first degree homicide by vehicle. The Georgia State Patrol, who is investigating the crash, advise that additional charges are pending on Abdullahi, but decline to say what those may be.
In another incident in Boston Township, Michigan, State Trooper Caleb Starr was hit head-on by a vehicle driven by a 28-year-old woman. Crash investigators advised that Starr was driving at a steady speed below the speed limit.
The crash caused significant damage to both vehicles; however Starr was trapped inside and he had to be cut out by medics. Starr was airlifted to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids for treatment of his injuries.
The driver of the at fault vehicle was taken to the hospital by ground ambulance in critical, but stable condition. She is expected to survive, the same cannot be said for Starr.
Unfortunately, the Michigan State Police announced that Starr had succumbed to his injuries on July 31st after battling for three weeks in the hospital. Lieutenant Brian Oleklsyk, a spokesman for the Michigan State Police said that Starr was a “dedicated” officer.
Oleksyk said:
“He embodied what a trooper should be. He was not only a trooper, but a son, husband, and public servant.”
Starr left behind his parents, siblings, wife, and two young daughters.
Michigan State Police Director Colonel Joe Gasper released a statement:
“The Michigan State Police mourns the loss of not just a trooper, but a husband, father and dedicated public servant who had so much left to give in a life that was cut far too short.”
Police are saying that they believe the woman may have been drinking alcohol prior to the crash. Charges in that case are pending.
Law Enforcement Today wishes to extend their thanks for these officers sacrifices and condolences to the families of these heroes lost.
There’s a fight to save America – and Law Enforcement Today is in. Here’s what you can do to join us.
This editorial is brought to you by Law Enforcement Today’s National Spokesman Kyle S. Reyes.
—
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Saturday morning. July 4th. I’m sitting at the kitchen counter … and I get a text from one of my writers.
“There’s a story in – give it another set of eyes and then publish it. But I should warn you… it’s tough.”
Saturday morning. July 4th. I’m sitting at the kitchen counter … with my little girls running all around me… and I’m crying.
A big, tough, power-lifting, bacon-eating, God-fearing, gun-shooting man who doesn’t cry… and I’ve got tears streaming down my face.
Because a young dad was shot and killed in the line of duty. At home is his wife and his toddler. A little baby who will grow up without a daddy.
And his last words can be heard in the recording with dispatch (below): “Tell my family I love them.”
I’ve become incredibly close with more survivors than I care to think about. Wonderful people – wives, husbands, kids, parents… who have lost their officer in the line of duty.
I’ve interviewed them. I’ve held them. I’ve prayed with them.
To me… this is the world I now live in.
I’m blessed to run a successful marketing agency that works with some of the most patriotic companies in America. And you want know the truth? I’m so glad it largely runs itself… because THIS is where my heart is.
We get all of the emails – the good, the bad and the ugly.
The “thank you for saving my life by sharing that story” email.
The “you’re a bunch of Nazis and we’re going to burn down your house and kill everyone you know” emails.
And then we get to hop on social media and see uneducated “friends” and “family members” running their mouths about “the systematic racism of policing”. (Spoiler alert: you’ve been fed a lie. Here’s the proof.)
And we fight on – every single day. Because while companies across America are pandering to the lies being spewed by Black Lives Matter – in many cases because they are too spineless to step up and speak up – we are here to give a voice to those who don’t have one.
How You Can Join The Fight
We are hiring new writers every single day. Most are active, retired or wounded law enforcement along with their families and supporters.
We are turning tremendous amounts of new content out daily – from written stories to video interviews.
Transparently – we never took in outside money, investors or anything like that. Our founder is an active police officer. This was all self-funded and remains a labor of love for us.
The advertising dollars that come in allow us to hire more officers. To help supplement that and scale, we launched LET Unity. It’s basically our “Netflix” for law enforcement… and allows us to get out video interviews with some amazing heroes without social media censoring them.
The revenue we generate goes back into helping bring in more of those writers to tell more of these stories. More on that below… but I hope you’ll consider signing up and joining us.
Speaking of social media censorship… it’s happening more and more. That’s why we do two things kind of obnoxiously:
- Encourage you to sign up for our newsletter so we can send you the ACTUAL uncensored news.
- Follow us on Facebook and then add us to your “favorites” by clicking “following” and then clicking “favorites” (image below). It helps make sure that you actually see our stories on Facebook.
Facebook favorites
- Sign a flag. Some of you are probably here because you heard about us in the media. For those of you who were looking for more information on the traveling Thin Blue Line flags… here it is:
They demanded we take down our Thin Blue Line flag. So we got a bigger one – and that’s not all.
“Take down that racist flag or we’ll take it down for you.”
That was the first threat we got about the Thin Blue Line flag in our Law Enforcement Today studio in Connecticut.
It was among a string of nasty emails and threats.
“Ya’ll a bunch of bootlickers.”
and
“We don’t need that flag – we need more dead cops.”
and
“Keep waving that flag. It lets us know who to put out of business.”
and
“FTP 4EVA take that garbage down RITE NOW.”
So… we decided we’re going to take it down. But it’s not what you might think.
It’ll be coming down when the new one goes up – and it’s much, much bigger… and even more patriotic.
We’ve partnered up with our friends at Thin Blue Line USA.
They sent us the absolute largest thin blue line flag that they make. And we’re going to be sending it all over the country to police departments for officers across America to sign.
We announced it on Instagram yesterday… but we weren’t expecting what came next.
Within hours, more than a hundred police departments from across the country reached out asking to take part. And we quickly realized that the biggest flag in America isn’t going to be big enough.
So we’re getting more… and they’ll travel all across America, being signed by police officers as a show of unity and support.
Once a department finishes getting it signed, they’ll pass it along to the next department on the list.
Once the flags are all full, we’ll be sending one to Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) to fly at the National Headquarters. We’ll be sending one to President Trump at The White House. And the rest will hang proud at our studios in Connecticut over The Whiskey Wall.
For those of you not familiar with “The Whiskey Wall”, it’s a wall of stories.
Active and retired emergency responders and veterans bring a bottle of whiskey. We sit and share a cocktail and on camera, they tell you a story about a good day on the job and a lousy day on the job. Then their name goes on the bottle and the bottle goes on the wall.
The video below is a little taste of what the series looks like.
We want to be perfectly clear about where we stand at Law Enforcement Today. We will not pander. We will not cave. We are unashamed to be pro-law enforcement. And anyone who has a problem with that can kiss our American asses.
If your department wants to be a part of it, email us at [email protected] Note: the flags will only be shipped directly to departments. Once your officers are done signing it, we’ll want a picture to share with America… then you’ll need to ship it to the next agency. Be a part of this national movement and help us declare that enough is enough.
—
I feel like not a single day goes by where I’m not shaking my head… wondering what the heck happened to my country. Trying to figure out how the loudest, rudest, nastiest people in our country suddenly got corporate America and millions of citizens to absolutely pander to them.
Let’s face it – we’ve been dealing with this “politically correct” garbage for years. We’ve all been walking on eggshells, trying desperately not to offend people.
And guess what? It wasn’t good enough. So why are we even going to bother trying?
In the last couple of weeks, I’ve learned that the following things apparently make me a racist:
- Drinking milk
- Playing chess
- Listening to country music
- Drinking American beer
- Eating red meat
- Being Christian
- Being a white male
- Voting for President Trump
- Having an American flag in our yard
- Having a thin blue line bumper sticker on my car
Here’s the thing. I ABSOLUTELY believe we should judge people. But I don’t believe we should judge them based on what they look like – we should judge them on how they act.
If they are jerks, they should be called out. If they are criminals, they should be arrested. If they are corrupt politicians, they should be removed from office.
But we’re dealing with a country that’s so upside down that we are told you shouldn’t judge someone by the color of their skin (agreed, for the record), but you should judge them based on their job (police officers).
I watched a guy literally almost killed because he said “white lives matter” (true) by white people holding up “black lives matter” signs (which is also true). And yet we’re supposed to just ignore the hypocrisy of that, because if we don’t, we’re apparently racist.
Yeah, process that – and you’ll realize I’m right. It’s dumb.
Now we’ve got Live PD and COPS taken off the air, because God-forbid they show the dumpster fire that police officers deal with every single day.
I’m sick of it. And I know you are as well.
So we’re stepping up to fill the void – because, quite frankly, someone has to. And it seems as if far too many people these days lack the intestinal fortitude to do anything that SOMEONE in this world might take offense to.
You’ve probably heard about LET Unity.
We launched it last year to bring civilians and civil servants together. To tell the stories behind the uniforms. And, quite frankly, to show you the stories and videos that were regularly being shut down on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
We’re doubling down.
If companies are going to be too afraid to show their support for law enforcement, we’ll do it for them. And we’ll continue to bring together a community of supporters.
Most of our writers are either active or retired law enforcement. We have contributors who were shot, stabbed and run over in the line of duty… along with their loved ones and supporters.
The revenue Law Enforcement Today generates helps to support them and helps to continue to give a voice to officers who are being attacked and silenced across America.
Over the coming months, we’ll be launching a new series of video content showing the actual challenges that law enforcement officers around the country face. We are unapologetically pro-law enforcement and we are looking for others who feel the same as us… but can’t be as vocal.
If you’re wondering the kind of stories we feature… here’s a look at some of what you’ve missed – and some of what’s to come.
The first officer in the door at the Pulse nightclub shooting.
Emergency responders from the Parkland shooting.
The bomb squad that responded to the Aurora movie theater massacre.
Survivors of the Dallas five killings.
The first Marine Guard hostage in the Iran crisis.
The CIA agent who started a counter human trafficking company.
SWAT teams.
Sniper schools.
World War II veterans.
And so, so much more.
The membership is less than the cost of two coffees a month, and those who sign up for an annual membership will get some surprise bonuses in the mail. We decided to charge a nominal fee so we could take the proceeds and reinvest them into capturing more of these stories.
Yes – it was free to watch Live PD and COPS. And look at how that turned out once the networks caved to police haters.
The revenue we make helps provide for officers and their families and helps bring a TRUE voice about what’s happening in America.
We have a problem in society. Censorship has created an existential threat to democracy. But even worse is the risk we run that some of these incredible stories of patriotism, hope, faith and our Sheepdogs would be lost.
We hope you’ll join us in this journey, knowing that your membership is going to give a voice to those who have been silenced for so long.
We are battling over the very soul of our country. We are fighting for our families. And we’re on the brink of losing America.
Think about this for a minute.
While you were fighting over who among you was more “woke” and which company to boycott … we lost our country.
While you were arguing with coworkers over who would leave the country first if Trump/Biden were elected, the “American Dream” perished.
Don’t believe me? Then perhaps ALL is lost. And I can prove it all to you through the eyes of a child.
The screens around our house in the past couple of weeks stand in stark contrast to what’s in front of them.
The television … the laptops … the iPads … the cell phones … filled with images of the riots. The violence. The hatred.
Just a few months ago, when everyone was working from home – or unemployed – signs were put up around the community thanking police. People cheered and put out Tweets and Facebook images of first responders doing “birthday parades” for little kids.
Now, angry Americans are taking over police departments, shooting cops, pelting them with bricks and bottles of urine and demanding that we abolish them. The images are on certain channels – others ensure you just see the “peaceful protestors”.
Broadcast on the same tv stations are the sounds of tone-deaf leaders. Of anger. Of hatred. Of hurt. Of fear. Of race-baiting, dividing rhetoric and alienation.
In front of those screens run our little daughters.
They are the greatest blessings a young family can have. Filled with innocence, love, joy and our hopes for the future.
What brought a lull in that media noise?
Hearing our pastor give a sermon.
He usually preaches about love. Faith. Hope. But there was a different dynamic in this message.
There was a different energy.
This time, he talked about the end of times.
He’s far from being an alarmist. Just the opposite. But this particular service, he spoke deeply and heavily about being prepared. “For we know not the hour … ”
He wasn’t trying to frighten people. But he also understood that he couldn’t be tone-deaf to the deep concerns of his flock.
It’s hard not to be afraid. It’s hard not to have an underlying anxiety. It’s hard not to wonder and pray over whether your children will have the same opportunities you did.
Growing up, I paid close attention in history class. And I’ve always felt a very deep sense of patriotism. I’ve always felt great respect for my country and believed that if, God forbid, we ever faced World War III, America would once again triumph.
Perhaps my fear, and the anxiety of so many others, is that we were wrong.
We were wrong because of one simple line that I believe may have been written wrong. It should have read, “One Nation, Divisible After All.”
Have we ever faced a time when our country was so polarized? Have we ever faced enemies so dangerous? Have we ever been on such a precipice that a frightening and painful energy radiated through each of us, tying us together in some disturbing, unifying, powerful and yet simultaneously divisive way?
I’m angered to see that we live in a country where we have gone soft. We’ve become hypocrites, and we’ve become pansies.
We forget that our grandfathers stormed beaches to protect freedom. Instead, we demand that the freedom now come in the form of a shelter from hearing words we don’t like.
Our friends and family alienate us because of who we vote for.
We try and put companies out of business because how DARE they not support the Marxist organization Black Lives Matter.
We doxx people and put their families in danger because they dare to support law enforcement.
We don’t question it when ‘leaders’ tell us to stay away from church. Stay away from family. Stay away from friends. Wear a mask. Don’t worry about not having a job. And we don’t bat an eye as the country rapidly marches – or rather sprints – towards the socialism that’s the destruction of a nation.
We give out trophies to kids who come in 8th place. Eighth freaking place. And then we let them take over part of an entire city – Seattle – and play house, allowing rapes and murders to happen in the city while police are kept out.
We dig up the graves of people who have been dead for a hundred-plus years because they had something to do with the Confederate flag, and that offends someone NOW. Then we destroy statues and give “get out of jail free” passes to the people who did it. LITERALLY get out of jail free passes. We have celebrities and politicians starting funds to bail criminals out of prison.
We allow politicians to hijack the country and spend our tax dollars chasing their personal agenda of impeaching a President simply because they don’t like him. Then we have the party that’s supposedly the same as the President who sit around silently while the country burns. It seems as if both parties forgot what they were supposed to be doing and whom they are supposed to be representing.
We pick sides and parties and teams and defend them to the ends of the Earth, ignoring the facts, pointing the fingers and hoping someone else will cover the cost of our skyrocketing and borderline pointless health insurance.
We talk about the number of homeless vets who we have to feed and clothe and house when it’s convenient for us to leverage them like pawns in a game – yet tomorrow, so many will forget to feed and clothe and house them.
We ignore the simple facts about our dangerously open borders and the lack of a vetting process for refugees, then we stand in horror as ISIS attacks and we ask our politicians how they could have let this happen. And then, of course, we put a fast lane in for more to cross the border.
We put in place more gun laws to prevent the bad guys from doing bad things. Because for some reason, we believe that bad guys give a damn about laws and that giving them an open shooting range on a military base or school campus will somehow protect our citizens. But then we completely ignore the massive problem of mental health in this country. We’re more worried about the tool than we are the person.
Hell – not only do we ignore the problem of mental health – we double down on it but crashing our economy, putting millions out of work and then confine them to their homes.
We cry out that police are our enemies … and then we beg them to protect us from the likes of ISIS.
We are talking about DEFUNDING police while telling them that they do a lousy job training. Because the solution to that is making sure they have less money, right?
We have a massive audience talking about ABOLISHING police.
Let that sink in.
We celebrate court rulings with rainbow flags that speak volumes about how far we’ve come and how inclusive we are as Americans … then we tell our neighbors to remove their American flags and stop saying “Merry Christmas” and “Happy Hanukkah” because it offends us.
We send billions of dollars overseas to help the homeless in impoverished and war-torn nations while we cut the funding for our own food banks and homeless programs.
We get into fistfights about “under-inflated balls” while gorging ourselves on beer and wings at football games … while millions of Americans wonder how they’re going to pay their mortgage and put food on the table for their families.
We fight tooth and nail over whether someone dying of stage four pancreatic cancer should be allowed to use medical marijuana while drugs like heroin are running rampant in our schools.
Schools that apparently kids will have to wear masks in, if they ever reopen.
We teach kids that there should be no boys section or girls section at the store, but our kids notice that we won’t sit down with our neighbor for a beer because they have a different skin color and we’re too busy fighting over what is and isn’t racism.
We hold massive rallies demanding $15/hour for flipping burgers … but we sit quietly on the sidelines when our men and women protecting our country who make $11/hour aren’t getting paid because Congress is debating their funding.
We’re told if you go to a protest over the government shutting down your business, you’ll be arrested because it’s a health threat. We’re told if you go to a Trump rally, you don’t care about making people sick. We’re told if you go to a violent riot and torch buildings, you’re a social justice warrior.
We’re terribly focused on what matters to us as individuals. Marriage. Cell phones. Birth control. On and on and on. We’re so worried about what matters to “me” that we forgot that in order for us to have a “me” … we have to first have an “us.” A safe “us.” A unified “us.” An “us” that can at least find some kind of middle ground.
Tomorrow is a new day. So tonight, before bed, we pray … just a little harder, perhaps, than we’ve prayed before.
We put our daughters to sleep and shut off the television. The internet. The phones. The iPads. All screens but the black and white monitor where we can see nothing but innocence.
And for a moment, just one fleeting, precious moment, we’re once again one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
We hope you’ll join us in this journey, knowing that your membership is going to give a voice to those who have been silenced for so long.
We will not be silenced. You shouldn’t be either.
God bless you all, and God bless America.
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