Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke Jr. who happens to be a staunch supporter of Second Amendment rights is in a reelection bid for the county sheriff’s job. His opponent is a police lieutenant who seems to have an opposite view about the Second Amendment.
Sheriff Clarke was roundly criticized for telling citizens to arm themselves and to shoot for the center of mass after a round of budgets cuts. Budget cuts that could or would slow response times by law enforcement personnel, in other words you may be on your own and so calling 911 may not be the best option in Milwaukee County.
The sheriff also encouraged everyone to take firearm classes to ensure they could safely handle a firearm.
The sheriff stresses that protection is not a spectator sport and that everyone essentially needs to have some skin in the game. In other words, you can, and should look to yourself, as well as look to local authorities when it comes to defending yourself, family and possessions (FoxNews.com, 2014).
The Milwaukee County Sheriff realizes that police cannot be all things to all people and that we all need to take responsibility for ourselves as much as possible. This is not just a discussion about gun rights it is about being responsible citizens in every sense.
There is no point in going over the law. It has been settled by the Supreme Court, and more than once the courts have reaffirmed the rights of most American citizens to bear arms and use lethal force in self-defense. Where the lines are blurred is outside the home and an immediate threat versus not so immediate, and who can know for sure if their life is really in danger or is it simply fear for your life. Stand your ground laws are murky at best.
If someone smashes in your door, you have to assume the threat is real and your life is in danger. The Sheriff realizes they cannot respond fast enough because of limited resources if someone kicks in your front door. They could not respond fast enough even if a deputy was parked across the street. Home intrusions are quick and you must react quickly, there is no time in some cases to call 911 anyway. You may have to deal with the threat yourself.
What is disturbing is that the Sheriff’s reelection is not guaranteed, he is struggling in the polls, and it should be a slam-dunk. Where are the gun rights activists that live and vote in the district? Who is there standing up for the sheriff, and ultimately for the Second Amendment. Why is what he said so strange to so many people? Has everyone simply given up and turned him or herself over to be cared for by the local authorities.
The point of all this is to remind people that you and you alone in many cases are ultimately responsible for your own well-being. The cavalry charging over the hill to rescue you may just be wishful thinking if the nation keeps going in the direction it is now headed.
People wander off on hikes ill prepared and end up getting lost or stranded. One of the reasons for this is that they know in the back of their minds that they can expect help to arrive at some point. If you knew no one was available to help you in any situation, you would prepare differently, so why not prepare assuming no one is there to help you.
Of course, everyone sleeps better at night knowing the police and others are out there ready to help, but how will you survive if they are no longer out there or the 911 calls go unanswered because of budget cuts. Cities are going broke and some may not be able to afford to have a full time police force, so whom do you call. Look to yourself first.
People are preparing for major disasters, super volcanoes, magnitude 10.0 earthquakes, and even a comet strike. However, a catastrophe is unfolding slowly before our very eyes, so slow in fact; no one is paying attention and some will not know about it until it all stops. Until the cops stop answering the phone, until homes burn to the ground because the fire department is broke, until cities stop existing. Until there is, no one left to call for help.
People will not understand until there is nothing but boarded up homes and cracked sidewalks with weeds poking through in the cities in which they live. The money will stop flowing when people are taxed beyond what they make. People will stop paying, and local governments will stop operating.
You will not know it is here until you are the only one left standing. When it is, only you left to defend it all.
FoxNews.com. (2014). Retrieved 2014, from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/12/gun-fight-bloomberg-nra-spend-thousands-on-local-milwaukee-co-sheriff-race/