[Note: I was working on an entirely
different piece today when I received the following email. Its contents stopped
me dead in my tracks and I sought and received permission to post it here, from
its author, former Plain Dealer reporter and a man I am honored to call my good
friend, Dick Peery.
I will be surprised if
this piece does not give you pause as well. — RTA]
Congress and
Cleveland
— 7 Oct. 2013
Congress should take a lesson from
Cleveland City Council, where they opt for silence instead of endorsing the
slaying of unarmed citizens.
The House of Representatives, on the
other hand, applauded with a unanimous vote of thanks after a mishmash of
federal police agencies riddled a dental hygienist with bullets in front of her
17-month-old daughter Thursday. No one asked why the weaponless woman was
gunned down and there was no expression of concern for the long term
psychological needs of her traumatized child. Just thanks for executing someone
who may have been a confused tourist who fled when weapons were pointed at her
toddler, or at worst, a mentally disturbed citizen in need of medical help.
After a similar bungled chase in which
more than 100 Cleveland police participated last November, officers fired at
least 137 shots to kill two unarmed people. One policeman even stood on the
hood of their car and shot through the windshield as he reloaded and
discharged 47 bullets at them.
In fairness to City Council, there were
some confused questions at first, followed by a sudden and long lasting hush.
None of the 13 police who were identified as shooters has been disciplined. At
least 12 returned to regular duty. The Cuyahoga County prosecutor is supposedly
investigating, but there is no evidence that anything has been presented to a
grand jury. A call to the prosecutor's office just gets a "no
comment," as if it is none of the public's business.
The apparent indifference of City Council
looked incredibly insensitive until Congress showed how callous such bodies can
be.
Here's how it looks in another part of the world: http://iranian.com/posts/view/post/21969
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