Another Four Star General, another dead black kid

Like peanut butter and jelly, you just can't have a dead black kid without some poster boy for white privilege standing before microphones in all their four star glory.

The latest General with a self-awarded rank higher than that of Founding Father and President George Washington, is Sheriff Joseph "I outrank Grant and Lee" Lopinto.

Now, while most stolen valor posers will don the four stars on each shoulder - or each side of their collar - like the real men of the real military does, this baby boy, unsure as to how real men dress themselves in our armed forces, went for the overkill.

And thus you behold him in all his SIXTEEN STAR glory, as this ignorant poser has donned four stars on his left shoulder, four stars on his right shoulder, and in case you didn't notice them, another four stars on this left collar and another four stars on his right!

Pity his poor wife who has to pin those on to his shirt each morning after starching and ironing his Superman underoos.  I give him credit, though.  The bath towel cape he is without a doubt wearing is well tucked in, and unnoticeable in his pretty white faux military attire.

But what of the death of the black kid?  Oh, his name was Keeven Robinson.  Why, does it matter what his name was?  He was found with "significant traumatic injuries" that were "consistent with asphyxiation".  Had he been white, this would be called "murdered by strangulation".  This happened while he was in the custody of four of the General's white soldiers.  Er, I mean, four of the Sheriff's deputies who happened to be Caucasian.  

But really, must we dwell on that death?  I mean, it's not like anything is going to be done about it.  The mealy mouthed coroner already assured the press that "homicide by medical diagnosis" is not the same as "legal homicide", so really, it's not like there's a crime here.  I mean, what part of "black kid" don't you understand?

The General, when asked by our "free press" if chokeholds were used (because they're not supposed to be, given how they cause death so routinely) answered, "Well, golly now, we don't tell our deputies to use bricks, but if they're under attack and defending their lives, and a brick is laying about, then sure, you use a brick."  I paraphrase, but besides it being expressed a bit dumber, that was the jist.

Cop-ese for "Yes, we routinely use strangleholds on crack addicts, crazies and coloreds, because we can.  Had he had the sense to be born a white girl or rich man, this non-tragedy could have been averted."

Well, let us pray our thanks tonight that Jefferson County, Louisiana is guarded not by some mere officer of the law, but by this sixteen star Generalissimo.  And that he had four husky armed soldiers to "defend" we the people against that unarmed black youth who - in fairness - did have a gun in his car 200 yards away.  

And you know how quick they can run and jump, eh?  Yeah.

In the end, the only important thing is that those "men" got home safely.  And they did.  And it's not like they've not been punished.  Each of them is drawing full pay while sitting at a desk telling jokes about watermelons and fried chickens, so really, justice has been done, eh?

At least such "justice" as is to be found in General Lopinto's America.  

Guilty

I wonder what part of "illegal" Sheriff Joe "Four Star General" Arpaio didn't understand?

But no, really. This guy is doing that thing where even though the authorities said that what he did was illegal, he's disagreeing and so not only still did what they told him not to, but is now fighting it every step of the way.

Which is kind of funny when you think about it. First, don't get me wrong, I think he has the right to do what he did - ignore the law that he felt was unjust and then fight the authorities tooth and nail so as to get away with it.

But see, that's what those who crossed the border into Arizona had been doing. Ignoring the border regulations that they did not agree with and fighting the authorities over that every way they knew how.

So what's the difference?

Because, I mean, from where I sit, I can't see any difference at all. But I suppose to him it's pretty black and white.

Four Star General Clarke

As tragic an indictment of the police and court system as the death of Terrill Thomas of dehydration while locked in solitary in Sheriff Clarke's jail was, I'd like to also point out the continued absurdity of these tin horn Sheriffs not only militarizing their police forces, but then self-awarding themselves four stars.

Not one star - which is Brigadier General and would be absurd enough - but always the leap to the four stars.

"Angry?  At who's death?  No, I'm just frustrated about not
having my fifth star yet!"

Except in some even more insane cases where I've seen some Andy Griffith - in all but integrity - have 5 stars on each shoulder!

You know what used to qualify a man for Colonel in the old days?  Being enough of a producer to outfit and support 500 men.  That's not only providing for your own uniform, gear and transport, but that of 500 other guys.

These "Four Star Generals" can't even support themselves without tax-dollars.  And they dare to presume the garb of pillars of the community giving voluntary military defense of their nation?  And dare further to presume that they are of higher rank than such real men of old?

I would dearly love an opportunity to ask these posers - "Can you name all six types of Generals, or at least the four types you have represented upon your shoulders?"

"Can you tell me what just being a three star represents?  Start with the title, please."

"How about two stars?"

"How about one star?"

"General - er, Sheriff - can you tell me how long you spent in service as just a 'one star' before getting promoted to the second star?"

"General, who promoted you from one star to a second star?"

"Oh, wait, you're telling us that you started at four stars?"

"General, what advice do you have for those one and two star Generals who are waging wars against entire nations and commanding tens of thousands of men and billions of dollars of munitions and supplies and arms? Any advice from you, the guy who sits around while his deputies bust drunks and wife beaters?"

But anyway, back to the death of a man who was having his 8th amendment rights violated even before being found guilty of anything.

Under the General's watch his men - that others pay for, as he sure can't afford to - murdered a mentally ill man.  At least "murder" is how they'd put it if any did that to the Sheriff or his deputies.

As it is, this is yet another "mistakes were made" moment - there are many such moments in our newsfeeds - and after a year the DA is still doing all in his power to do nothing about this while pretending to be getting to the bottom of it.

Meanwhile, no Sheriff, no LEO and no guard has yet been harmed or inconvenienced in the making of this tragedy.  And while in an unusually extreme case a least ranked guard might be punished, one need not fear that General Clarke will lose even so much as a single star.