Be Careful Who You Shoot in Caruthersville

Early Sunday morning, the Caruthersville Police had to shoot a man who was apparently brandishing a weapon after stealing a car and being caught... (story here)

This alone is big news for our little town, but the reason that this story is so explosive is that the Police officers are white, and the 'suspect' was black. You can see all the speculation and racism on both sides HERE on the Topix thread. The title alone starts it off: "the murder by the police."

I've said it before- no matter your race, creed, religion, or sexual preference, IF YOU DRAW A WEAPON ON THE POLICE, THEY WILL SHOOT YOU. 'Protect and Serve' doesn't just mean protect the suspect. It also means that police should protect themselves as well in the line of duty. Seems like a simple, understandable fact of life, but apparently not to some of the citizens of Caruthersville. One of the people interviewed by the local TV station said something to the effect of this: 'if the police were close enough to use a Taser, they were close enough to arrest the man without shooting him.' Uh, yeah. Let's see YOU arrest someone while looking at the business end of a .45 auto. See how fast you look for a weapon yourself. Before all you anti-gun nuts start chiming in, please realize that someone who would steal a car would also obtain a gun illegally if they chose to be armed...

While I've been around long enough to know that corruption does exist among police, particularly in some of the larger cities, I can't imagine that the Caruthersville police would make a 'bad shoot' and try to cover it up. If the police version of the story is true, it sounds to me like they did their job well. It's too bad the 'suspect' had to lose his life, and it's too bad the officers in question will have to live with the fact that they have killed someone... In my opinion, the police have 'protected and served' the City of Caruthersville and society in general by doing what had to be done in the situation and removing a dangerous criminal from the streets, no matter his color.

The Fabric of Society is Thinner Than You Think

A statement clearly backed up by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and to a lesser extent (although the ramifications are really more far-reaching), the recent bailout of Bear Stearns by the Federal Reserve.

Now I know that Bernanke makes a solid point when he says that the fate of Bear Stearns is not a desirable one by any means. I agree. Nobody but the short-sellers have come out well in this situation. However, the apparent fact that our financial system turns out to be a confidence game and that the failure of one large broker/banker cannot be tolerated makes me think that I'm watching the Wizard of Oz, and the little man behind the curtain has just been exposed...

Don't misunderstand- I'm neither a doom-and-gloomer, nor a gold bug. I am convinced more than ever that the importance of diversification among several asset classes cannot be over-emphasized.