By Greg Evensen
The stories are told of the gunfight in Tombstone, the cattle thieves near Abilene, and train robbers in Missouri, who just kept killing and robbing because they had the backing of other bad guys to get the job done. Many times, it fell on the small town Marshal or the county sheriff to step into the street and end the crime spree. We know from history that this happened, and evil was confronted by determined lawmen who knew that keeping the peace (hence peacekeepers, or Constables of the Peace-COPS) was a community’s first and last line of defense. There were also moments when citizens would step in to fill the gap and directly help to pay the price in taking down the rustlers and highwaymen. On occasion the sheriff called out a Posse when the job called for it. Good sheriffs, wise sheriffs, determined lawmen do that today as well. We need citizens to once again do their duty right now!
The one terrifying constant of evil is that it just gets more evil if it is not “called out,” confronted, and taken down. As many of you know, I served with the Olathe, Kansas police department, was a Marshal in Rice County, Kansas, and a Kansas State Trooper. I spent nights alone on the desolate stretches of US 56, north of Dodge City, Great Bend and Lyons. I broke up fights, chased home invaders and arrested other felons without a Taser, or remote radio and on occasion took an armed assailant at the point of my shotgun. Almost all the time, it was done alone without a SWAT uniform or back-up. I kept the peace because I took an oath to defend the citizens, I WAS a Kansas lawman, and I knew clearly who the criminals were. When not in hot pursuit, I talked with the bank president, school principal and local businessmen without intimidation and mostly with an easy going smile. Men like me succeeded because we knew our jobs, upheld the law, knew the difference between justice and retribution and set the standard for our communities. I played softball with the church team, was invited to the school prom as a guest, and stood with my friends at the graveside services for veterans and others who had walked the ridge with me.
What the hell happened, America? When did you decide that it was acceptable to turn our peaceful efforts into a whirlwind of disaster because you had the “right” to do what you want, when you want, to whom you want, and then blame someone else for it, all under the guise of civil rights?
Socialism is not the Answer 