Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/369997
NotsinceSupermanhasafellamadesuch a big impression when he took off his eye- glasses. Turns out, the sexy new specs were a disguise all along. This is the Rick Perry we thought we were getting in 2012 before he crashed and burned onstage. But he's back, baby, and if he can keep it up it just might be change Republicans can believe in. Weshouldhaveknownbet- ter. The doddering fool who made goo-goo faces at maple syrup in New Hampshire and who couldn't count to three in Iowa was not the bully who accused both Tony Sanchez and Bill White of complicity in the murders of law enforce- ment officers. Watching Perry get whipsawed by the children of a lesser God was like see- ing your abusive stepfather get laid out by a dad in Dockers at a PTA meeting. After "oops," we thought maybe the old guy had lost it. If he had not been wearing special orthopedics instead of his usual boots we would not have believed he knew how to tie his shoes. So we indulged his attempt at redemption, told him he looked cool in his new black- rimmed eyewear even though he kiiiinda looked like a guy who was a little too old to be rolling up to the club, bless his heart. He traveled the country, staying out of our way as we focused on the campaign to re- place him. Perry's feeble war of words with California Gov. Jerry Brown seemed more like an audition for HBO's "Veep" than a prelude to an actual run for the presidency. It all felt like a long goodbye. Because after all, who did he think he was kidding? No one gets a second chance after such a horrible first impres- sion. Dan Quayle was always going to be dumb forevermore, and he never stumblebummed like Perry, who got swallowed by his own sound bites. That guy doesn't get a comeback, does he? Perry didn't care if we didn't take him seriously. He took himself seriously. He called for "a little rebellion on the bat- tlefield of ideas" at the Conser- vative Political Action Confer- ence, studied up on foreign af- fairs, and even attended the World Economic Forum in Da- vos. While we were focusing on his new glasses, his old vision cleared up. When the Presi- dent fumbled the border cri- sis by thinking a photo op was beneath his dignity, Perry saw opportunity. He posed for pic- tures, pointing an assault ri- fle at the border in one, hold- ing a big ol' gun in a helicopter in another. He sent troops to the border to protect us from the oncoming hordes of chil- dren, but instead of looking craven and pathetic he looked vital and reborn. Suddenly— hello, sailor!—he was riling the up the crowds in Iowa, say- ing if the President wasn't go- ing to secure the border then Texas would. Then came the indictment, and Perry carpe'd the liv- ing heck out the diem. De- spite an impressive amount of evidence to the contrary, Perry won the news cycle and owned the conventional wis- dom by calling the whole thing a "farce" and a polit- ical assassination attempt, and a failed one at that. Rich- ard Sherman didn't crow that much, and at least he waited until after the game. His mug shot was more like a selfie. The only thing crimi- nal about it was how good he looked. He ditched the glasses and looked like himself again, self-assured with a side order of smug. And because taking the perfect mug shot was not enough, he took his staff out for frozen custard and tweeted about it. On what would be the worst day in most people's lives, Perry was a man confi- dent in his own resurrection. He is better at politics than we are, and he looks better at 64 than most men do in their 40s. Maybe Perry isn't another Quayle but a modern-day Richard Nixon. Texas Demo- crats won't have Perry to kick around anymore (unless we get called for jury duty), but that doesn't mean we won't get another chance to vote against him. If he keeps this up, he can ride this indictment all the way to the Republican nomination in 2016. JasonStanfordisaregu- lar contributor to the Austin American-Statesman, a Dem- ocratic consultant and a Tru- man National Security Proj- ect partner. You can email him at stanford@oppresearch.com and follow him on Twitter @ JasStanford. JasonStanford Resurrection of Rick Perry Cartoonist's take This week finds us at another idyllic spot along the McKenzie River on the west flanks of Or- egon's Cascade Moun- tains, serenaded 24/7 by the gently whoosh- ing white water of pre- mier class I, II and III rapids. It is hardly swim-able at 42 to 46 degrees (McKen- zie's source waters, Clear Lake, are fed by snowmelt and un- derground springs of snowmelt for a mid-summer bone-chill- ing 39 degrees). However, with neoprene booties and splash jackets, guided floating on the river becomes a nearly 3-hour thrill ride. Our guide, Dennis, like many recreation workers, is also employed at Hoodoo ski area and skis at Mt. Bachelor so we'll have another friend to look for. In yet another mostly Inter- net-free zone (yes for Barb's smart phone; no for my note- book), we would remain bliss- fully unaware of the news but for having radio with hourly re- ports, and talk show hosts. Ap- parently, the unrest in Fergu- son, Missouri, has continued, mostly absent provable, verifi- able facts substituted for with rumors, accusations, word-of- mouth and, well, simply lies about what happened when 18-year-old Mr. Brown was shot dead by police Officer Wilson. My thoughts are informed not only by the short top-of- the-hour news segments, but also by descriptions of copy- cat, repetitive mainstream me- dia (MSM) reporting. Likewise, I consider the information ig- nored by the MSM but provided by talk radio. I recall other in- cidents, particularly the Tray- von Martin shooting, when con- sidering the mob psychology of rushing to judgment, blind be- lief in rumors, and negative emotions that provide a fertile stew for violence. More impor- tantly, the truthful account by Mr. Zimmerman of his alterca- tion with Martin proved accu- rate. I believe Officer Wilson's account of what led to shooting Brown will likely be borne out by facts. I am also reminded of Ann Coulter's book, "De- monic," about the pre- dominantly leftist and Democrat use of mobs. Make no mistake— peaceably gathering is a Constitutional right but that can still give rise to mob-ism that slides into or encourages violence, if only by outsiders from distant ar- eas as has happened in Fergu- son (coming from New York and Oakland, even). Such is the face of evil, hence Coulter's appro- priation of the term "Demonic." First, I reliably take the side of law enforcement whenever there is any doubt or conflict- ing statements by witnesses be- cause I believe that police carry out their responsibilities with exceptional skill and attention to law and procedures—excep- tions must be proven and pun- ished. I don't allow despicable, racist police practices from the distant past and far-off, mostly Southern, locales to color my perceptions of the Ferguson shooting. I condemn activist in- citers of racial animosity that make thinly veiled, self-serving, pleas to protesters. Every officer-involved shoot- ing is investigated and usu- ally found justified—not be- cause of bias but because law enforcers are professional and well trained. MSM reporters of- ten exhibit far less professional- ism and training—and can get people killed for it—when they promote unproven allegations without including balancing conflicting reports. Also, they often fail to keep a healthy dose of skepticism over anecdotal statements by parties with a po- tentially agenda-driven desire to inflame mobs of protesters. In this case, it's quite rare that black men are shot by white officers; black men, women and children are shot and killed by other black men by the dozens, even hundreds over weekends throughout any given year in our cities. Offi- cers and deputies have been shot with their own guns doz- ens of times by "unarmed" sus- pects of various races. Unjus- tified officer-on-civilian shoot- ings happen, unfortunately, but they are the exceptions. It's also very rare that a person is subjected to "Tasing," pepper spray, tear gas, the blunt end of a nightstick or the display, let alone use, of the officer's fire- arm, when politely complying with the officer's requests or in- structions. I concluded that Trayvon Martin was a drug-using thug and punk, as did honest Afri- can-Americans, based on his own voluminous Facebook posts as well as testimony from his female friend in court and in subsequent interviews. I like- wise believe Jason Brown to be a drug-using thug and punk who wrote his own death sen- tence by assaulting Wilson, grabbing the officer's gun and ultimately taunting Officer Wil- son just before charging him in an apparently threatening manner. When the first shots failed to stop the 6-foot 4-inch, 300-pound behemoth, Wilson understandably shot the head of the man rushing him with malintent. That's how I see it. News media, under pressure from the Obama/Holder ra- cialist Justice Department, de- layed the release of indisputable video footage showing Brown robbing a convenience store of the kind of cigars preferred for creating marijuana "blunts," and assaulting the clerk/owner on the way out. Brown had pot in his system. Witnesses and the hospital corroborate the of- ficer's account of Brown punch- ing and injuring Wilson, Wilson drawing on Brown, and Brown charging and getting himself fatally shot by Wilson. That violent, barbaric at- tempt on Officer Wilson's life has been the pretext for bar- baric rioting by a hysterical mi- nority of black citizens. Society ought to be asking other ques- tions: Where was Brown's fa- ther? Is this how his mother raised him? Where's the similar outrage for the predominantly black victims of violent, young black men? Don Polson has called Red Bluff home since 1988. He can be reached by e-mail at donplsn@ yahoo.com. The way I see it From idyllic to barbaric On what would be the worst day in most people's lives, Perry was a man confident in his own resurrection. He is better at politics than we are, and he looks better at 64 than most men do in their 40s. GregStevens,Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor EDITORIAL BOARD How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FACEBOOK.COM/ RBDAILYNEWS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @REDBLUFFNEWS Don Polson America's attention re- cently turned away from the violence in Iraq and Gaza toward the violence in Ferguson, Missouri, fol- lowing the shooting of Mi- chael Brown. While all the facts surrounding the shooing have yet to come to light, the shock of see- ing police using tear gas (a substance banned in warfare), and other mili- tary-style weapons against American citizens includ- ing journalists exercis- ing their First Amendment rights, has started a much- needed debate on police militarization. The increasing use of military equipment by lo- cal police is a symptom of growing authoritarianism, not the cause. The cause is policies that encourage police to see Americans as enemies to subjugate, rather than as citizens to "protect and serve." This attitude is on display not only in Ferguson, but in the police lockdown fol- lowing the Boston Mara- thon bombing and in the Americans killed and in- jured in "no-knock" raids conducted by militarized SWAT teams. One particularly tragic victim of police militariza- tion and the war on drugs is "baby Bounkham." This infant was severely burned and put in a coma by a flash-burn grenade thrown into his crib by a SWAT team member who burst into the infant's room look- ing for methamphetamine. Today, the war on drugs has been eclipsed by the war on terror as an all- purpose excuse for ex- panding the police state. We are all familiar with how the federal govern- ment increased police power after September 11 via the PATRIOT Act, TSA, and other Home- land Security programs. Not as widely known is how the war on terror has been used to justify the in- creased militarization of local police departments to the detriment of our lib- erty. Since 2002, the De- partment of Homeland Se- curity has provided over $35 billion in grants to lo- cal governments for the purchase of tactical gear, military-style armor, and mine-resistant vehicles. The threat of terror- ism is used to justify these grants. However, the small towns that receive tanks and other military weap- ons do not just put them into storage until a real terrorist threat emerges. Instead, the military equipment is used for rou- tine law enforcement. .Reversing the danger- ous trend of the militari- zation of local police can start with ending all fed- eral involvement in local law enforcement. Fortu- nately, all that requires is for Congress to begin fol- lowing the Constitution, which forbids the federal government from control- ling or funding local law enforcement. However, Congress will not restore constitutional government on its own; the American people must demand that Congress stop facilitating the growth of an author- itarian police state that threatens their liberty. Ron Paul is a former Con- gressman and Presiden- tial candidate. He can be reached at RonPaulChan- nel.com. RON PAUL Ferguson starts much-needed debate on police militarization OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com Tuesday, August 26, 2014 » MORE AT FACEBOOK.COM/RBDAILYNEWS AND TWITTER.COM/REDBLUFFNEWS A6