Two wrongs....

Excellent sentiments, thanks.

Wain Bennett adds to reader interest, "And hearing that his last words to bystanders was, "tell my wife I love her", damn near had me tearing up." This should serve as a reminder our law enforcement people are not super-human. This should remind people our police are people just like us, families, loved ones and all. Wain, I agree with your words about a need to stop police brutality, despite your being a lawyer. This type of behavior is wrongful, is unlawful and causes harm to our country. This type of behavior on the part of our police cannot be tolerated. I have written these thoughts of mine, before. However, like you, Wain, I understand why those police officers reacted so violently. I understand their anger and understand their deep hurt. I feel we should lend some compassion and some understanding. I feel we should not judge them too harshly. Justice will be served and I sincerely hope appropriate justice will be served rather than vindictive justice. You should offer to defend those police officers, pro bono. This would be for you to stand behind your words and your compassion. Both of us know, though, this will not happen because those officers are already well represented. Nonetheless, you understand my message. Many here are upset with my expressed delight about those murderous lunatics being given a good beating which, in my view, was merciful restraint. Decades back, in my rural farming community in Oklahoma, those three street gang members would have simply been shot to death. No police investigation, no arrest, no trial, they simply would have been shot dead, right off. This is our traditional Oklahoma sense of justice, "He needed killing." During my childhood, our rural community enjoyed a zero crime rate. A story to share to provide a notion of my mind-set. I will be brief. Two local boys burglarize an uncle’s tire shop, my uncle’s hard earned attempt at escaping poverty. They swipe a lot of tires which costs my uncle dearly. This could be overlooked. However, those boys completely vandalize his shop, destroy his business along with customer cars parked inside. This is not to be overlooked. Month later, one of the boys is beaten nearly to death. He flees our county. Short while later, other boy has his right foot blown off with a shotgun. He also flees our county. Over subsequent decades, nothing is ever heard again about those boys. Our county sheriff declines to investigate the beating, declines to investigate the shooting. He tells our community, "Justice has been served." This is the type of swift justice taught to me by both my Anglo elders and my Choctaw elders. Of course, this type of swift justice is unacceptable in our modern world. Today, we must play by the rules or risk anarchy in our country. Still, in the far reaches of the corners of my mind, I find delight in watching murderous street thugs given a good beating, a deserved beating. I am not in the least bit ashamed to share my thoughts, which others elect to keep secret. Wain, would you be willing to defend, pro bono, those four men who shot down three people on a public street corner? I am sure you would and I am sure you would have reservations secretly stashed away in your mind. What upsets people here at The Daily Voice is my willingness to discuss issues most would rather keep a secret but do silently acknowledge. Almost all of us do delight in swift justice and almost all of us would rather not admit to this. I sincerely enjoyed reading your article, Wain. You do give people something to think about, just as I give people something to think about. Okpulot Taha Choctaw Nation

Some interesting opinions from Philly's own. --- "I'm in the majority of people who have absolutely had it — had it with shootings, had it with gun violence," O'Brien said. "We just had an officer executed." "Guess what? Enough is enough," O'Brien said. "People have put me here to do something about it, and I'm going to do something about it." Jay Quinn, 47, a SEPTA employee who grew up in the Philadelphia area, said the city has turned into "thugland" and citizens need to "line up behind" police. Yes, the officers meted out "a couple of extra hits" on the three shooting suspects, but people need to realize that police are "at their wits' end" in a city that's become a war zone, Quinn said. "You're out here riding around and you're involved in a shooting and the cops pull you over and you got your ass beat," Quinn said. "You know what? Let me tell you something, when I was growing up, I had my ass kicked by the cops and I deserved it." http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/Tensions_at_boiling_point.html --- An equal number of opposing opinions are found within the news article I cite. Okpulot Taha Choctaw Nation

I live in Philadelphia. I am a liberal. Years ago under mayor Rizzo I was arrested for trying to stop some cops from beating a man they had on the ground. That being said, I have no problem with this beating. These men just shot three people! And what is even crazier is the lunatic relatives screaming law suit! Had they raised thier children with an ounce of morals they wouldn't have been there in the first place. Our city is starting to be called killadelphia. On one hand we want the cops to be tougher, people in these nieghborhoods scream that the cops don't patrol them,but then when they put thier lives on the line and have to deal with these animals they have to worry that they may lose everything if they get a little rough. I am sorry these cops have lost their jobs. Maybe the next time the police have to respond to one of these calls they will sit back and let them kill each other. Job security!