Monday, December 22, 2014
From: Gary L. Bauer
New York Officers Assassinated
The mob that marched through a New York City neighborhood chanting, “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!” had to wait a whole week before getting its hellish wish. Sadly, these disgusting murders were predictable.
After months of demagoguery against the police, two New York City police officers, Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu, were killed as they sat in their patrol car Saturday afternoon. As New York Police Commissioner William Bratton said, “they were quite simply assassinated, targeted for their uniform.”
The American people have heard non-stop rhetoric from the highest officials of our country suggesting that there is an epidemic of police violence all across America. This rhetoric has come from the president, the attorney general, the mayor of New York City and a bevy of other rabble rousers and race baiters like Al Sharpton. The media has done its part with the non-stop news cycle exploiting confrontations between police and criminals.
Here’s what we know about the murderer. Ismaaiyl Brinsley was a career criminal, who had been arrested at least 19 times. You’ll be hard-pressed to find it in most media reports, but his middle name was Abdullah and he reportedly knew Arabic. We don’t know for certain yet, but it is entirely possible that he was a prison convert to Islam.
Brinsley was a member of the Black Guerilla Family, a notorious gang that literally took over the Baltimore city jail. It was reported two weeks ago that this gang was plotting to assassinate New York City police officers. Before he boarded a bus from Baltimore Saturday morning, Brinsley shot his ex-girlfriend.
During the bus trip from Baltimore to New York, Brinsely made it clear what he was planning to do: He was going to kill cops in revenge for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner.
In all due respect to the families of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, there is no moral or legal equivalence between their deaths and the assassinations of these two policemen. Brown and Garner were committing crimes when confronted by law enforcement. They disobeyed lawful police orders and struggled with the officers.
There is no evidence of racism in either of these confrontations. Surely, even the most fanatical leftist would concede that when police officers wrestled Eric Garner to the ground, they did not intend to kill him. In fact, he did not die then, but later on the way to a hospital.
No reasonable person could conclude that Officer Darren Wilson was planning to kill Michael Brown when Wilson told Brown and his friend to stop walking in the middle of the street and get onto the sidewalk. Brown was killed, according to the evidence, after he attempted to take Officer Wilson’s gun.
Officers Ramos and Liu were murdered in cold blood because their assailant woke up Saturday morning intending to “put wings on pigs.”
The Response
Eric Holder and Al Sharpton quickly issued perfunctory statements condemning the brutal murders of Officers Ramos and Liu. But you can’t roil the waters day after day, telling minority families that police officers are a threat to their children, and then try to stand with the cops when something like this happens.
Of course, Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley is responsible for what he did. But the atmosphere created by the left provided the context for this assassin’s actions.
Jaden Ramos, the 13 year-old son of Rafael Ramos, posted a heartbreaking tribute to his father Saturday:
“Today is the worst day of my life. Today I had to say bye to my father. He was [there] for me everyday of my life, he was the best father I could ask for. It’s horrible that someone gets shot dead just for being a police officer. Everyone says they hate cops but they are the people that they call for help. I will always love you and I will never forget you. RIP Dad.”
Will there be demonstrations and marches around America in support of Officers Ramos and Liu? Will public officials condemn the epidemic of gang and drug violence that is plaguing our cities?
Police chiefs around the country are warning officers to be extremely vigilant. In addition to this horrible incident, a police officer in Tarpon Springs, Florida, was shot and killed. And a memorial to fallen police officers in Oakland, California, was torn down.
You’ll recall that in recent weeks intelligence agencies have warned law enforcement personnel that they may be targets of radical Islamists. Last month, New York City police officers were attacked by an ax-wielding jihadist.
Recent polling finds that a majority of Americans believes race relations have gotten worse since Obama’s election.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, following the left’s divide and conquer strategy, has turned his city into a tinder box. When de Blasio entered a room Saturday for a press conference after the attack, police officers turned their backs on him.
Two weeks ago, the police union launched an online petition telling Mayor de Blasio that he wasn’t welcome at police funerals. I doubt anyone realized that more funerals would be happening so soon.
But in a very fundamental way, I don’t think these murders are essentially about race. One police officer was Hispanic, the other was Asian. The color of their skin didn’t matter to the assassin. It was the color of the uniform they were wearing. This is about good guys and bad guys, and both come in all colors.
It is time for people of good will of every race to stand together against the race baiters, cop haters and modern day barbarians trying to sink our civilization into another dark age.
Each of us can show our appreciation for the brave men and women in uniform. The next time you see someone in the military, a police officer or firefighter, thank them for their service. Remember them and their families in your prayers.
Even though American Values is in the middle of own year-end fundraising campaign, I encourage you to support organizations that assist the families of our fallen heroes.
For example, the Silver Shield Foundation, established by the late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, has already promised to fund the education of Rafael Ramos’ children. Another worthy organization is the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation.
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