Ceasefire in Israel/Gaza/Palestine

   Determining fault in this conflict is impossible.  The problem is point of view and the point in history where you begin the dialog.  Humans involved are not capable of taking an unbiased attitude and their Mythological God (or Allah) could care less.

   So what can be agreed upon to stop the killing and destruction?  A ceasefire would be a good starting point, but how would it be called a ceasefire if the rockets continue to be fired?  I don’t see how meaningful future negotiations can take place under rocket fire or even a temporary halt to the decades old continued rocket attacks.

   Israel is the superior military authority over the Palestinians and will continue to be so in the foreseeable future.  It would be wise for Hamas not to provoke them.  Cuba has demonstrated this wisdom in not attacking or engaging in terrorism in The United States.  When a Hamas patriot gets on an Israeli bus and blows it up, or shoots up a 2^nd grade classroom, or fires a rocket into Israel, they are killing Palestinian children and hardening the rules of occupation. It is simply cause and effect.

   So what is my peace plan for Israel?

1.    Put an end to all terrorist activity in the area.  This can only be effectively accomplished with Palestinian policing of Palestinians and Israeli policing of Israelis. 

2.     Pull Israeli military and police out of Gaza.

3.    Stop the building of Jewish settlements where Israel has agreed not to.

4.    Normalize Palestinian Citizenship in Israel as much as you can normalize the rights of a Muslim in a Jewish nation (remembering that Muslim nations are common to the Middle East).

5.    Re-establish human empathy to the area.

   We are yet to establish #5 in the United States.  Citizens of color are still an underclass here.  As an agnostic, I am also treated as a second class citizen.  Most political speeches to the nation end with “God Bless America” and the Oath of Allegiance to my country includes, “One Nation under God.”  So I live in a nation of religion.  That is what is and I believe in what is.  For me, I deal with what is by writing a blog.  For Israel, the best way to deal with “what is” is remembering their Golden Rule.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  That is in the Hebrew Bible as well as the Koran.

Cheers, Old Buz     5/20/2021

Iambloggerbuz.blogspot.com 

Qualified Immunity for Police

Is it a good policy that holds police unaccountable for illegal or immoral acts?   That is in fact what Police Qualified Immunity does.   I believe that most citizens would agree that it is a bad policy. It sends the wrong message.  The police officer ought not to be above the law.   They should set the example of following the law.   They are the representatives of the law.

 So is this really a non-issue?   In America our law enforcement officers shoot and kill over a thousand citizens a year.   From what we see on the news, most victims are of color.   Our European allies’ police officers shoot and kill from zero to ten citizens a year.   In many European nations the police don’t even bring a gun into a non-violent situation.   It remains locked in their vehicle or not issued to them.   I would say that the number of killings by police in our nation, when compared to the nations of Europe, very definitely represents a problem in America.   Every policeman knows that their job is not to be judge, jury and punishment for a crime, but with police qualified immunity, they are rarely held responsible for violating this principle.

 Each criminal assault by a policeman must be brought to trial, the same as a criminal assault by any citizen. And perhaps, a police officer should be held to a higher standard and face stiffer sentencing guidelines because of the badge and gun they wear and the justice system they represent.   “Break the law. Go to jail.”  It matters not what uniform you wear at work.

 I believe that the above is reasonable in the application of criminal law.  Civil lawsuits (financial penalty) are a different matter.   I would not hold the on duty officer financially responsible for their actions.   This seems contrary to my position on criminal liability and perhaps it is.  The problem I see here is that we are a nation of frivolous lawsuits for outrageous amounts.   However, you and I are subjected to that reality, why not the police officer?   Our first responders don’t generally have the financial ability to reimburse the public for any large financial damage suffered as a result of their violent actions.   Take away the officer’s financial immunity and the result will be either a large dollar award resulting in their bankruptcy (no payment for the financial damage done), or liability insurance required of all officers.   This liability in today’s environment would be very costly for the insurer.   The result would be very high premiums.   Either the officer would need an increase in pay to cover this required expense, or the department that hires them would pay their premium.   Either way the ultimate cost is to the taxpayer for the wrongdoing of a police officer.

 So, where do we find justice for the financially harmed by the unlawful actions of a police officer?  The police department and its administrators need to feel the pain, as well as the officer, but ultimately the taxpayer still pays the cost of poor hiring and training of officers.  The annual expense of these officer’s actions must be tracked and posted on the administrative reports of their supervisors and to the press.   Hold those who hire and direct the officers responsible, as well as the “bad apple” and you will ultimately cure the problem.   A police commissioner living under our present system of police qualified immunity, will tend to hire a high school football player or a Special Forces veteran, whose previous training is inflicting human damage, rather than a member of the school choir, whose previous training is to make music?   Let our fire departments hire the brave ex- warriors.

 Cheers, Old Buz         5/17/2021 

iambloggerbuz.blogspot.com