Nanki Poo this ain't Titipu Anymore

In recent weeks I have been irked by some comments made by people when they were discussing the President of the United States (POTUS).

One talking-head on MSNBC was referring to POTUS and his upcoming remarks on gun control legislation in the wake of the shootings in Connecticut.  She said something to the effect that we all should be interested in what POTUS has to say because he is "the Commander -in- Chief".

 

Well...., yes and no.  He is not my Commander-in-Chief since I am not a part of the military.  He cannot order me to do anything.  Military personnel are another matter and he is in fact their Commander-in-Chief.  He is in fact the civilian commander of the United States military.  We the People run the military, they do not run us.

But not too far from that blooper Nanny -in-Chief Michael Bloomberg was stating what POTUS should be telling us what to do about gun control.  

Well......yes and no.  He can't just tell us what to do.  He may suggest legislative changes and then enforce them as law BUT even with his shaky "Executive Orders" he must be constitutionally correct and should not over step his authority in a non-emergency situation.

These episodes represent the mistaken notion that POTUS is supreme dictator or Commissar ala Joe Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Mao se Tung and Nanny Bloomberg.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is even getting into the act!  The New York Times reported on his intention to possibly "confiscate" firearms from New York State citizens.

Why are chief executives at all levels of government considering themselves Commissars, Nannies, Tsars, Despots, Emperors, Kaisers or Big Cohunes and by doing so being the legislative, judicial and executive roles all wrapped one!?!?!?  This reminds me of Pooh-Bah in Gilbert and Sullivan's satirical comedy opera The Mikado.  That was fictional comedy, this is real governance in the 21st Century.

These Pooh Bahs ought to remember the United States Constitution has a Second Amendment and Fourth Amendment.  They should also remember they are the representative of only one co-equal branch of government.  The electorate elected them, they did not appoint themselves and no power has anointed them. 

We the people gave the power to govern to the government and we can just as easily take it away.

Oh how life was so simple in The Town of Titipu!

The Truth

I have been trying to keep myself under control when the kooks are talking about secession.  For the US, that question has been asked and answered with a resounding NO as the final verdict which was voted on by over 600,000 dead Americans.

As I am fashioning a heavy duty aluminum foil chapeau, I do have to wonder of the extraordinary dump of inflammatory information which occurred over the weekend.  I guess it is true, "Mister Obama, you got some esplaning to do!"

So many sacrificial sheep are currently falling out of the sky that I may mold my hat into a hardhat in order to save my cranium from physical damage.  At this point, I don't care who falls and who stays; or who resigns or who may be impeached:  I want the full unadulterated truth on why we lost four Americans on September 11, 2012.  And why there was a massive cover up after the incident. In addition, what type of parole violation would place an American in jail for a year.  How must this man feel about the United States when he his attacked by the present administration for exercising First Amendment rights.

I guess we have seen it before.  I remember a previous administration attacking a religious compound under the guise of saving children from reported abuse.  The horrific result was that the Justice Department shot and burned all the members of the sect, including the children they cared so much about.  I remember cringing in disgust and anger when a reporter asked President Clinton about the gruesome result and he simply referred him to Attorney General Reno, because after all, she was in charge of the incident.

The scales of justice shine brightest in full sunshine.

A good thorough, objective and bipartisan look at this matter of American dead in Libya is needed and the avenue in which to do it is a Congressional committee.  The executive branch has shown it cannot be trusted on this issue.  With America split 50/50 on support for Obama and Romney, this panel should be easy to form.  Truth is what they should seek and let the chips fall where they may. 

Presidents should be less concerned about their legacies and more concerned about the  proper governance of all the people they represent.  Their legacy will not be determined now, in the present, but fifty to one hundred years hence when the emotion of the moment has dissipated and the public and historians may review their administrations in excruciating detail.

Congratulations on your reelection President Obama.

Now show us how you can measure up to the current demands of the office of President of the United States.

Some Are More Equal Than Others

I feel bad.  My feelings have been hurt.  For the second consecutive presidential election in Pennsylvania my wish for president has gone unfulfilled.

I have also discovered that as a white male, I am now, an official minority.  So as recent American trends have developed, I want to impose my wishes over the ruling of the majority.

In Pennsylvania, the results for the presidential election were as follows:

            Barack Obama - 52% of the popular vote at 2,894,079

            Mitt Romney     - 47% of the popular vote at 2,610,385

These figures make it a fact that I and 2,610,384 other Pennsylvanians are minority voters.  The majority has paid no attention to our needs or wants but has cast their votes for a candidate, we in the minority, don't want.  This will prompt the 20 electoral college voters to cast their vote for the majority approved president elect.  IS THAT FAIR!!  NO!!

There are 67 counties in the Keystone State and 55 counties were Red (82%) and only 12 (18%) were Blue.  This is absolute proof that we Romney voters got the shaft.  But don't you worry, I have a solution to ease the guilty conscience of the Obama voters.

The electors should cast their votes as dictated by the number of counties for each candidate.  So if we used yesterday's results, the 20 electors would have to cast their vote for Romney because he took the state by a county count of 55 to 12.

This new system would strip the oppressive counties of Philadelphia, Erie, Allegheny, Dauphin, Luzerne, Lackawanna, Monroe, Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Montgomery and Delaware of their powers to subjugate us 55.  Domari Nolo!

Write the governor.  Write your legislative representatives.  How long will this tyranny last?   

The Fate of Man

What causes man to war?

What causes man to hate?

What sparks his bent to evil?

What sparks his bent to malice?

What lessons must he learn,

to avoid the great mistakes?

What suffering must he endure,

to find it's his own fate?

                              Jerry Desko

War will always be with us since it is part of the human condition.  

At times, we could at least, contemplate its cost.

American Cemetery and Memorial at Normandy

Treason and Civil Rights

In  Benghazi, Libya, the American Consulate was attacked and four American diplomatic workers were killed, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

In Cairo, Egypt, a crowd of 500 demonstrators breached the outer perimeter of the American embassy and set a vehicle on fire.  A statement by Ambassador Anne W. Patterson blamed the violence on people who said bad things about someone's religion.

Ambassador Patterson's statement is a direct attack on First Amendment privileges.

Image courtesy of the National Archives

Both incidents happened on September 11, 2012.

The Egyptian government is controlled by an organization called the Muslim Brotherhood.   During the "Arab Spring" the Obama administration sat back and did nothing to stop this group from taking power and allowed our alley, Hosni Mubarak to be taken away to jail.  Many security experts warned at the time that the Muslim Brotherhood is a cover for radical Muslims throughout the world.

The Obama administration ignored these warnings and has even gone further by giving Egypt foreign aid money.

It occurs to me that the present administration has the same foreign policy acumen as the Carter administration. 

The administration's failure to prevent the Muslim Brotherhood from taking power resembles the appeasement policy of Neville Chamberlain when he dealt with Adolph Hitler. 

In addition, in this election year, the President is campaigning as a champion of women's rights.  The irony is, radical Muslims don't believe women have any rights.

To financially support the new Egyptian government is treasonous in that it lends aid and comfort to our enemies.

The failure of the State Department to tighten security at foreign posts on an anniversary of September 11, 2001, smacks of total clueless incompetence.

That's the way I see it.

The Charters of Freedom

WHAT????

FIRED FOR ONE'S POLITICAL BELIEF'S?? 

How intolerant, prejudicial, bias and racist is that?

Are we living in a democratic republic or a totalitarian state?

ERMEY FIRED

A CAPITOL DUD

I have just finished watching, excuse my language and for lack of a better phrase, a huge Suck Fest on PBS.

It was billed as A Capitol Fourth : America's Independence Day Celebration.

It ran for one and a half hours.  The first hour and fifteen minutes was nothing but a concert which featured mediocre talent from the past and present that sang tunes from the seventies through the nineties.  

None of it was entertaining and there were no headliners which appeared in the performances.  I guess the entire tone for the whole program was represented by the melba milk toast, little known host, Tom Bergeron.  PLEASE!!!!!

Let me get this straight, to celebrate the 236th birthday of the United States we'll entertain a national audience with singing talent, no one knows and a host, most Americans have never heard of!  WHY?

The last fifteen minutes was filled with orchestral music that included Souza marches and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture intermixed with a visual background scene of a giant fireworks display.  Fine, the martial music is appropriate for the celebration BUT why would a piece of music that celebrates the Russian victory in defense of the French taking Moscow, have to do with our thirteen colonies in North America, separating from the control of England in 1776?

Why do we celebrate national holidays?  To remember seminal events in our nation's history and give thanks to those who sacrificed for us as well as to understand the experience in the context of the past and how it shapes our future.  So where was any allusion to historical events? 

There was none.

The Declaration of Independence was never mentioned or discussed.  There was no allusion to our Founding Fathers or reference to the American Revolution.  The significance of the event of July 4, 1776 was never related to any event that took place that was part of our nation's history or identity.

Has the July Fourth holiday just become a reason for a day off, or a reason for a barbeque, or a reason for a sale of merchandise or the cheapest reason for a mindless celebration?

It is a national disgrace that we as a society have lost our reverence for and our honoring of those who have come before us and who sacrificed so much. 

How sad, how very sad.

How about the following.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, ..."

"And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor."

Thank God, some of us remember. 

Thank you, to those of you, who came before us and have had the vision to create the greatest country on the planet. 

May God bless the United States of America.

BUREAUCRATIC BRAVO SIERRA

Well I almost said something nice about The Gettysburg Foundation this week.  Alas, almost!!

A friend alerted me on facebook that The Gettysburg Foundation and the Gettysburg National Military Park were offering a plethora of talks about the Civil War.  When I checked it out, there were to be three days of talks, all for free on June 29, 30 and July 1, along with book signings.  WOW! GREAT!

When I looked the schedule over I found most of the ones I was interested in were set for the afternoon of June 29. 

Earlier today, I traveled to the visitor's center and even found parking in the regular lot.  What a great day, in spite of the heat, history lectures and good companionship, what else would you need?  (At my house the temperature was 102 degrees in the shade!!)

As I approached the visitor's center I heard the muffled sound of a voice on a loudspeaker.  As I got nearer the building, I realized the talks are being given outside under a tent!!!!!!!!!!!  One hundred and two degrees in the shade!?!?!?

I was incredulous. 

The programs are being presented in a marquee adjacent to a multimillion dollar temperature controlled boondoggle!  I paused for a moment and listened to a few words that speaker was saying during his talk on the Maryland Campaign.

I found the heat stifling in spite of the fact at least a half dozen fans were set on full blast.   I immediately thought of the Ford Motor Company Lecture rooms.

As I entered the building, I noticed a noted author basking in the temperature controlled climate.  He had a total of one person in his queue. 

I went to the back of the building and checked on the lecture rooms.  The large room had the divider up, both doors were locked and NOT ONE PERSON WAS IN EITHER ROOM!!

Upon returning to the front of the building I noticed the author still had only one person in the line.

As I left the building I was furious.  Is it just me? 

As a taxpayer I was outraged at the National Park Service.  And as for The Gettysburg Foundation, this is exactly why I now hold my monetary  support.

"This event is free."  Indeed it was.  The question is, should it have been located in the empty air conditioned classroom instead of outside in the oppressive heat.

Needless to say I did not stay for the lectures.  As I traveled home I calmed down.  I began to realize that the Gettysburg National Military Park is about the men and women who sacrificed and suffered there.  It is not about the incompetent bureaucratic bunglers that have been placed in charge of caring for and overseeing that hallowed ground.

I hope everyone has a meaningful and satisfying July Fourth holiday. 

May God bless the United States of America.

Veteran Credits for Civil Service Jobs

The topic of veteran credit preferences for civil service jobs was raised recently by a fellow blogger.  My comment on his blog was not what follows, but it was in the back of my mind when I responded to his posting.

On June 9, 2010, while on patrol in Afghanistan, an armored vehicle in which Marine Corporal Luke McDermott was traveling was hit by a roadside bomb.  

Corporal McDermott survived, but his right leg was amputated below his knee. His left leg was also seriously injured, with many broken bones, especially in his foot.  This incident occurred while McDermott was voluntarily serving his second tour of duty in Afghanistan.

While Luke was being treated at Bethesda Naval Hospital in Maryland, doctors determined that the injuries in his left leg were so severe that it also required amputation.  Corporal McDermott was transferred to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  

The operation was successful and rehabilitation was begun immediately.

Luke maintained a good attitude in rehab and had recovered so much that he started to become physically active in a variety of activities.  One of his first accomplishments was to bag a real trophy.  On October 29, 2010, Marine Corporal Luke McDermott bagged an eleven point buck while hunting in Texas.  Not bad for a guy with no legs below the knee!

Luke also participated in other sports with other injured soldiers which included ice hockey and bicycling.  The bicycling took him to Europe in  which a portion of the route included the beaches of Normandy.  A fitting tribute to all our military men and women that ever served.

One poignant moment was caught on camera.  On May 30, 2011, Marine Corporal Luke McDermott marched in the Memorial Day parade in his hometown of Greenville, New York.  It was almost one year after he was wounded. 

Luke McDermott has since retired from the Marine Corps and has entered college.

Do you think our veterans deserve preferences for civil service jobs?  No further discussion necessary.

It's just something to think about.

The story of a hometown hero.

Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!

Christos Voskrese! Voistinu Voskrese!
Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

Next Sunday the 15th, is traditional Eastern Orthodox Easter since it follows the Julian Calendar and always occurs after Passover. 

Happy Easter and have a good Passover.


In the tradition of the Carpatho-Rusyn Church I will celebrate Easter next Sunday.

Regardless, God bless you all!

This Russian Orthodox cross is located in the 

Kaiser Wilhelm Church in Berlin, Germany.

This explains the cross's significance.

Commissar Obama Speaks Again

Well, there he goes again.

Today President Obama belittled  a co-equal branch of government.  He couched his argument from the view point of conservatives that have criticized the practice of laws being made from the bench rather than the legislature.  This was obviously an extremely feeble attempt to elicit support from the right.  Don't hold your breath Mr. President.

He opined that he doesn't believe an unelected body, such as the Supreme Court should overturn a law that was overwhelmingly passed by Congress in regards to health care.

It seems the Commissar fears the intervention of another co-equal branch of government is unnecessary.  On the contrary, whether anyone likes it or not, bad law needs to be examined at all levels.  This is exactly why there is a Supreme Court, not a Supreme President!

The purpose of an independent judiciary is to interpret the meaning of laws taking into account their constitutionality.  It doesn't matter if the law is popular or was overwhelmingly passed.  That is immaterial.  The Supreme Court rules on constitutionality of the statues and regulations.  Laws that are deemed unconstitutional can  be re-written and therefore reexamined.

Commissar Obama is playing a dangerous game of over stepping his authority as defined in the Constitution. 

Indeed, not all rulings of the court have appeared just nor have appeared to follow common sense or even legal guidelines.  The Dred Scott decision and Roe v. Wade come to mind.  But alas, the Supremes have the final say on the legality of laws or regulations.

But then again, presidents of the United States understand this,  but commissars get testy when their authority, desires and dictates are challenged. (A mild odor of FDR at this juncture!)

It is quite possible that the Supreme Court may rule in favor of the health care laws that are currently being contested.  This would make his veiled threat a mute point, BUT make it he did! 


What made the situation worse is that he did it in an inappropriate setting with two other world leaders present.  How shameful!


The president surely knows better than to say the court has no authority to examine this law and if they deem, strike it down on constitutional grounds.  This from a college professor that taught  constitutional law.

There was another instance which was just as egregious.  Remember back in the State of the Union speech in January of 2010, when he expressed his displeasure at the court's decision in the Citizens United case.  He embarassed the justices and all Americans by chastising them in front of a world wide audience.  Decorum prevented the justices from responding except for Alito's shaking of his head indicating no.  The president was wrong then; the president is wrong now. 

President Obama has shown the world his arrogance and distain for people that disagree with him.  Does he deserve to be reelected?  I think not.

It's just something to think about.


For another opinion, click here.

Anniversary, So What?

What's more meaningful , the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War or the Bicentennial of the War of 1812?

Remember the grand hoopla of the 200th birthday of our country in 1976?  (Oh that's right, some of you weren't even born yet!)  Except for the fireworks and the new commemorative postage stamps, it was much ado about nothing.

And we all remember the big yawn of the Bicentennial of Lincoln's birth?  It was so important that at the re-dedication of the Lincoln Memorial the President of the United States was nowhere to be found.  Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior, wearing his white cowboy hat represented President Obama.

Do these remembrances on the anniversary mean anything more if it was 132 years or 76 years?  I have come to believe the ____centennial commemorations are no more meaningful than the off year types.

I started visiting Gettysburg in the early 1990s.  When I was lucky I would be able to make it several times a year.  The trip to Gettysburg was what made the time in between visits bearable.  So when I retired in 2007, I purchased a home there and moved there to enjoy my retirement years near the sacred and hallowed ground.

Over the last several years my passion has increased for that rolling landscape and it has started to expand to other sites associated with American history. 

I tend to avoid the crowds of visitors which include the costumed middle-aged Americans trying to look like our thinner and leaner ancestors.  The primary reason is I dislike crowds but I also think it is silly to dress up in bygone clothing unless there is an educational purpose involved..  And to be honest,  when the crowds are gone who is there to view the graves or monuments and who is there to truly remember or commemorate?  Usually, it's just Max and I.

I think it is equally  important to remember that 2012 is the Bicentennial year of the start of the War of 1812 and a year during the sesquicentennial of the American civil war.  Americans sacrificed and suffered in both wars and that includes American Indians.

I believe anniversary dates are more important to tourism, the guiding profession and book authors rather than truly remembering the sacrifices of those who have gone before us.

It's just something to think about.

Max and I.

Wyoming Monument.

All rights  reserved. Gerald J. Desko 2012 

It's Time

The lamp is lit,

Five bells have rung.

Tis time to pour,

The lady has sung.

By Jerry Desko

All rights  reserved. Gerald J. Desko 2012

Battlefield Interpretation

Several years ago, when I retired, my wife and I moved to Adams County, Pennsylvania.  The area is mostly rural and agricultural in nature.  The battlefield was the biggest lure because our shared love of the sacred ground.

We are both interested in military history and she actually had an ancestor in the 5th New Hampshire Infantry.  He had survived the nearby Battle of Antietam, in 1862 and fought and survived in the Wheatfield at Gettysburg, in 1863.

I am on the battlefield several times a week exploring certain pieces of the terrain, taking a guided tour or just walking with Max, my German Shepherd.

To really appreciate the battle on any field you must walk the terrain.  It gives you a better perspective on the movements of troops during the fight.  One big mistake most battlefield visitors make is to believe the topography at both Gettysburg and Antietam is flat.  They may get that impression if they only drive the paved roads that the park service maintains for visitors.  If they get out of the car and walk off the pavement, they will immediately see that the land is anything but flat.

Much of the land undulates creating a series of small ridges and valleys.  Streams that meander through create valleys thereby adding to the topographic variation.  There are even high points such as Culp' Hill, Little Round Top and Nicodemus Heights.  Even small changes like an  eroded farm path can create a Bloody Lane.

When taking battlefield tours, it's easy to spot the novice tourist when they ware dress shoes and heels.  They soon find out their mistake when they find it  difficult  to  negotiate the sodden fields or pathways covered with stones.  Then if they failed to bring any repellent they may discover they are covered with ticks upon returning to their cars.

One day I was strolling down the roadway on Stony Hill on the Gettysburg field.  As I descended the sloping ground, I was horrified to a car heading directly toward the Irish Brigade monument.  To my relief, the vehicle came within in three feet of it and finally stopped.  The monument remained unscathed.  The driver was a portly women who found it was easier to take a picture with the camera from her car, rather than stepping out of the vehicle to do so.  I shudder to think what would have happened if she wanted some shots of the rear of the cross!

I also often see, at both battlefields, people touring the land with motorcycles.  Many never stop to view signs or read what is inscribed on the monuments.  It seems to me that visitors could make their visit more meaningful it they left their vehicles for at least a short period of time.  I don't think all visitors have to hike over the terrain with knapsacks on , but stopping the car or bike to read the passages on the waysides,  do offer a better appreciation of the battle.  The writings of the battle participants adds greatly to its understanding.   I hardly think whizzing through the parks, without stopping offers a noteworthy experience for the visitor.  Alas, people may do what they wish.  I just find such behavior is somewhat odd and meaningless.

I have one suggestion for people who travel around the battlefields on motorcycles that have loud exhausts or for those who operate vehicles with diesel engines, and that is to not hover around groups of people who are trying to listen to a tour guide.  In such circumstances, the participants of the tours cannot hear the guide who is speaking.  It would be more courteous to move along or stop and turn the engine off.

The battlefields that have been protected and maintained serve as vast classrooms for history.  They tell true tales of heroism, bravery, cowardice, humanity and inhumanity and all of it allows us to understand the past and where we all came from.  If studied properly and the lessons learned are followed, they may just help us to avoid the suffering our ancestors had endured.

If you are planning a trip or vacation that may include a visit to a battlefield park, try to make it as memorable and meaningful as possible.  It would be helpful to read up on the battle before you go.  This may help you  plot a more meaningful course.

When you are there, consider hiring a battlefield guide or take a tour offered by the rangers.  The guides and rangers are extremely knowledgeable about the battle and the Civil War in general.  They have plenty of experience in answering questions that visitors have posed over the years.

While on the battlefield, please step out of the car at several  points,  so as to read the words of those who fought the battle.  The park services maintain very educational and informative wayside markers.  The monuments that may be present, usually contain the words of the veterans of the battles.  Lastly, when operating loud noisy motor vehicles, please be courteous and think of the other visitors.

It's just something to think about.

15th Massachusetts Infantry monument at Antietam

32nd Pennsylvania Infantry monument at Antietam

142nd Pennsylvania Infantry monument at Gettysburg 

Irish Brigade monument at Gettysburg

MAX

Respect the Service

Background

It is natural for people not to pay attention to things that don't affect them. It is also true that if you pay attention to all the forms of news media available on a constant basis, you will be concerned about the topics and views that are being touted.

For several years after the Global War on Terror began, the headlines were filled with deaths of U. S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.  After the Surge was successful the news of Iraq dwindled.   The news from Afghanistan increased up to 2011 and has now declined greatly following the trend of declining combat.  Since the pull out in Iraq, news broadcasts of late have been devoid of any casualty reports.

 

There are still deaths of U. S. personnel in Afghanistan but the numbers aren't very high so you don't hear about them.  You may hear of it if someone from your town or neighborhood was killed.  You would surely be aware of it if it was a friend or relative.

Today, most Americans go on about their lives almost oblivious to the fact that military personnel are dying overseas.  And by the same token, most Americans go on about their lives oblivious to the fact that on average, several serving men and women die in this country every week.  Those are the men and women who serve as police officers.

All deaths are tragic and one type of death is not better than another.  Friends and family are left behind to deal with the anguish of the loss as they struggle to survive the future without that certain someone.

The highest category of death of a police officer is usually a traffic death, relating to an accident they have been involved in with their patrol vehicle or if they were struck by a car in or near a roadway.  The other major categories of fatalities are homicide, manslaughter, medical emergency or other types of accidental death.  The main point is, dead is dead.

In the military, combat deaths predominate in the years in which the conflicts are occurring.  Since military operations are inherently dangerous, accidental deaths occur in peace or war as do deaths from medical ailments.

Comparison

Reader please take note.  The purpose of this exercise is focused on the death rates of soldiers and police officers. The purpose is not to compare the duties, responsibilities or function of each profession.  The purpose of my discussion of my understanding about the military is to convey to the reader the base line of understanding that I possess. 

Below is a table and two charts which I compiled comparing the deaths of police officers that occurred in the United States and the death of military personnel in the Afghan Theater of the Global War on Terror.  It represents a ten year period from 2001 to 2010.  The figures for police officers was taken from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's annual reports on police officer deaths in the United States.  The numbers for the military come from the official casualty lists published by the Department of Defense.  The base year of 2001 was selected since that was when the Global War on Terror began. 

The most obvious trend is that as the war in Afghanistan increased there was a correspondent increase in deaths in the military.  What is interesting to note is that the military deaths did not surpass police deaths here until 2008.

It is also important to note that in 2009 and 2010, when the war was at its height, the military casualties were many fold that of the police numbers.  This represents the difference between a active war zone and a civilized society.

It should be also noted that the police deaths for 2001 include the 72 officers who perished on September 11, 2001.  This skews the total for police fatalities because it was such a  large and unusual event.

The average mortality is interesting and it was rounded off in both instances per mathematical convention.  The military number is skewed because of the last two reporting years. What is interesting is that the ten year average for police in the United States was 133 and only once, in 2009, did the actual count fall below 100.

Reflection

How much death on the battlefield is acceptable?  How much death on the home front is acceptable? 

These are rhetorical questions, but they are questions we as individuals and as a society may grapple with.  They only ones who don't share this dilemma, are the family and friends of the ones who are lost.

As I previously stated, one occupational mortality is no more nobler than the other.  Death is the common dominator.  My point is that the police officer death toll is constant over time.  On the average it happens several times of week, war or no war.  The news reports of the police officer deaths resemble a little trickle that no one notices or hears. 

The horrors and suffering of the battlefields are only truly known by those who are there.  Most of us are protected from the carnage and misery of the holocaust by being at home enjoying the freedom that the soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines and coastguardsmen provide.

I am not a military veteran but I do appreciate those who have served.  They are a special class of people that this country is highly indebted to.  I am proud of the fact that my father and his brothers all served in World War II.  It was  the story of an immigrant from eastern Europe paying his dues of citizenship by sending his five sons to fight a war in behalf of his new country.  In addition, I have also had other family members and friends serve in the military.

I served as a police officer for a period of twenty-seven years.  My duties and responsibilities often placed me in dangerous and difficult situations.   Those  perilous and risky circumstances were all survived due to training, alertness, common sense, luck and the blessing of God.  Other officers that served have not been so lucky.

Conclusion

The tremendous public support for the police and the military after September 11, 2001, was gratifying to those in uniform at the time, and it was truly appreciated.  Some of this support and enthusiasm  has naturally,  and understandably waned.  Please be cognizant  of the fact that good service is being done in this country right now by thousands of professional police officers.   A few of those officers will never return from their tour of duty.  On a yearly basis, a few quickly adds up to one hundred.

This type of information rarely  makes the top story on the television news or the headline in the paper, and even if it does, it usually doesn't last long.

Police officers perform their duties in the communities in which they serve,  twenty four, seven.

As of this writing (February 17, 2012), we have already lost nineteen officers in the line of duty this year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers  Memorial Fund.  The NLEOMF also stated that 173 police officers were killed in 2011, apparently a particularly  brutal year.

It's just something to think about.

					PERSONNEL DEATHS
Year	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	Total	Average
POLICE	218	131	133	139	122	114	141	109	96	128	1331	133
MILITARY	11	49	45	52	98	98	117	155	311	500	1436	144