I am getting tired with writing about violence, especially mass murders and gun violence against our law enforcement officers. Unfortunately, it has been in our face the last month and I am not going to be quiet.
Per the Detroit News, Detroit Police Chief James White expressed grief and frustration Thursday at a press conference discussing the 231st Detroit police officer to be killed in the line of duty. Officer Loren Courts, 40, died after an exchange of gunfire on the city’s west side, the police chief said, prompting him and other city leaders to decry rising gun violence. “Don’t call me mad,” White said. “I’m focused. This is unacceptable, and this should be the line. Whatever your tipping point is, this should be it.” White said the police department and Detroit’s residents were “robbed.”
The chief said it’s “frustrating” to arrest suspects with histories of violence, only to see them back on the street with “low bonds.” “We need help,” White said. “We need the courts, we need lawmakers to step up. It’s getting kind of old hearing about what people are going to do.” White said the Draco used to murder Officer Courts was purchased recently, although he said it was unclear Thursday whether it was a legal purchase, and whether the suspect paid for it. “My independent position is that these assault weapons should not be available to the public,” White said. “It’s not for hunting deer in November.”
Detroit Police Commissioner Ricardo Moore, a former Detroit cop whose District 7 includes the 2nd Precinct, said: “Elected officials have normalized crime in Detroit. They ignore it; it’s like this happens in Detroit, it’s no big deal. The music, violent video games, it all needs addressing. It’s all hands on deck.”
Through June 30, 74 police officers have been killed in the line of duty in the U.S. We can never forget that they put their lives on the line every day.
J. Edgar Hoover must be laughing at this one. The I.R.S. said on Thursday that its commissioner, Charles P. Rettig, had asked the inspector general who oversees tax matters to investigate how James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, and his deputy, Andrew G. McCabe — both perceived enemies of former President Donald J. Trump — came to be faced with rare, exhaustive audits that the agency says are supposed to be random. “The I.R.S. has referred the matter to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration for review,” the agency said in a written statement, adding that Mr. Rettig had “personally reached out” to the inspector general’s office after learning about the audits. The disclosure from the I.R.S. came a day after The New York Times reported that Mr. Comey and Mr. McCabe had been the subjects of audits that target just several thousand Americans a year and are highly invasive. Hoover would never have had this happened to him. No president in his right mind would have done something like this to Hoover.
I had a fun exchange on Facebook today with Leighton Moulton, the star of the River Rouge High Panthers 1972 Class B State Champion basketball team, the last of 12 state championships for Coach Lofton Greene. Our debate was about which was the best of the 12 teams. Coach Greene told me once, the 1962 team was the best, while I favored the 1969 team, both of which won the championship game by more than 30 points. As a kid growing up in River Rouge at the time, winning the state championship was not just a goal, it was an expectation. Finishing as the state runner-up was a disappointment. Who was the best is not really important. What is important was that we were exposed to such greatness for such a long period of time. As my best friend George Mihaiu said. “Great debate, guys! All of which just reminds us how fortunate we were to have grown up amidst such extraordinary athletic talent, leadership and civic pride…an experience and legacy that very, very few other schools achieved. and which continues to instill pride and fellowship in all of us who were there! So proud to be a Panther for life!”
When Dylan Cease, of the White Sox pitches against the Tigers, it is like watching a master at work. Cease is 10-0 against the Tigers in his lifetime. His master of the slider combined with his 98mph fastball is a thing of beauty. Fortunately for the Tigers, rookie Beau Brieske has been even better tonight through five innings. Brieske has a no hitter going through five innings and the Tigers are leading 1-0. Who knows how it will end, but it is a fun to watch a game like this where both pitchers have total command of their pitches.
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Elections Matter. Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence and mass killings?
Orchid of the Day: The weather in Petoskey today. A great day for golf and Thirsty Thursday with other owners in our condo association.
Onion of the Day: Idiot who murdered Officer Loren Courts
Quote of the Day: “Today is a somber day for the Detroit Police Department,” he said. “We were robbed … robbed of one of our heroes. The city was robbed of a great police officer, a great son and a great husband, and we should all be outraged.”
Question of the Day: Was the selection of former FBI Director James Comey for a detailed audit a coincidence or was it deliberate political payback?
Video/Image of the Day: Detroit Police Chief James White