These Things Just Bug Me

A couple of newsy items that got my attention during the morning news and blog review, mostly in a negative way...

I am hugely tired of the weather we're having. Grey and cold, 20 degrees below the average, often drippy. Had to turn on the heat and this is at least two weeks earlier than I usually start using this much heat. Argh!

Lewis Diuguid was a good columnist when I first moved to KC two decades ago. Now, he is a one note Charley, always writing about racism and how the Black people are dragged down and how much help they need and how the world is against Black people. As stated before in this blog, racism is not a done deal in America, but it also is not the source of every evil and ill that befall Black people. Here's a link, so you can be annoyed too. Or maybe you won't be annoyed. But chances are high you'll be annoyed. Read the comments, too.

A complaint was filed against the Kansas City Police Department by the mom of a young man who got pulled over while dropping his kid sister at Martin City Elementary. KSHB has the details. I wish these things would not come to light until investigated. Then we can see the dash cam video, and hear all points of view, because the police cannot comment publicly until the investigation is complete. The complainers can blather all they want, poisoning the well. Personally, I need more details. For example, was there loud music in the car that impeded the young driver from hearing the siren? Was he texting or talking on the phone? It also concerns me that our young drivers, with the best sensory equipment are so situationally unaware when they are driving out on the road. (The general crappiness of young drivers is a subject for another rant.) Police officers will react in a predictable way to people getting out of a car at a traffic stop. For their own safety, they are ready to defend themselves. The spokesman states in the report that the officer did not draw a weapon. We will wait for the dash cam video. So here is the lesson: If you are stopped by a police officer in a patrol car, do not get out of your vehicle unless requested by the officer to do so. Keep your hands visible and wait for instruction. Cops operate on a hair trigger; they do this, because there are bad people out there who want to kill them. These bad people are not labelled, so cops operate on a basis of caution with everyone. They want to go home at night.

There, got that off my chest...