The right side of history.

The right side of history.  It’s a  popular phrase amongst liberals.  But it contains a certain amount – actually a huge amount of hubris.  It suggests history will look back on those who disagree much like we look back on the people of Germany during WWII or those who supported segregation.  So let me tell you about my side of history.  Because I’ve chosen mine too.  You see, I believe history will look back on this era and look at the supporters of abortion and say “how could you?”  How could you ignore what abortion is?  How could you ignore the humanity of the unborn child in favor of the convenience of the woman?  How could you refuse to look at the dead babies when we tried to show them to you?  Let’s take it a step further.  I’ve had many friends who are “pro-choice” who have said it’s ok to abort in the first trimester – or fairly early on – but agree late term abortion is wrong.  But – they say – late term abortion is rare.  A very small percentage of abortions.  They’re right.  It’s a very small percentage – of a very large number of abortions.  In 2013 (the latest year we have numbers for from the CDC) there were 664,335 abortions in the US.  1.3  percent of those were performed at or after 21 weeks. For those unfamiliar with fetal development, 21 weeks is the very edge of viability outside the womb. After 21 weeks the survival rate of prematurely born babies skyrockets.  Most of us can agree the idea of dismembering a baby in the womb at this age is horrific (and that is what they do – stick the forceps in, grasp an arm or leg, and rip it off – then once the limbs and torso are dismembered they crush the skull).  But it’s such a small percentage, right?  So just in 2013, based on the CDC numbers, we’re talking about 8,636 babies.  Are 8,636 innocent lives enough for you to vote for someone who wants to stop it? Or someone who supports late term abortion?  If 8,636 lives aren’t enough, for you, how about 406,969?  How did I arrive at the number?  Using CDC data where available.  Number of late term abortions ranged from 1% to 1.5% but some earlier years simply said less than 1% so I used 0.5% (a very conservative estimate given the other data).  I went back to 1973.  I rounded down to the nearest whole number on each calculation.  So over 400,000 babies killed after 21 weeks gestation (not including 2014-2016).  Is that not enough to merit your vote?  Your conscience?  Have you turned a blind eye to this?  I'm including pictures - the beautiful, and the graphic and violent

 Because it is violence. So here are pictures of my children and other babies.  Real pictures.  That’s Kaiden.  Not a fetus.  Kaiden.  And Kellan.  Real photos of babies in the womb at 12 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks, 24 weeks.  I know you don’t want to see it but I dare you to do a google search and look at what you’re supporting.  Be willing to look it in the face if you’re willing to march for it, advocate for it, vote for it. If you posted/reacted to that heartbreaking photo of the drowned toddler in Greece or the shell shocked child in Aleppo – look at the photos and know what you are voting to sustain.  Don’t be the “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” person.  I dare you to confront your views on whether this is right and moral and acceptable.  And if you take that dare, I also dare you to listen to the videos of Planned Parenthood doctors talking about how they will harvest organs by “crushing above and crushing below” to keep the parts the buyers want intact so that they can sell them.  They’re not “deceptively edited” as some would have you believe.  Watch them laugh as they toss “another boy” dead onto a table.  Watch as they show someone how “cool” it is that the baby’s heart is still trying to beat after an abortion.  Read the stories of former abortionists and clinic workers – how they sort through the arms and legs and heads and ribcages of the tiny human beings who only moments before were alive and growing.  And tell me that’s ok.  Tell me when it’s ok to reach into the womb where the baby’s heart is beating (5 weeks), baby is moving (8 weeks), kicking (11 weeks), feeling your touch (12 weeks), listening to your heartbeat (18 weeks), dreaming (23 weeks), and end that life.  And even if your answer is after viability, tell me how it’s ok to kill over 400,000 babies at that point.  This is my side of history.  This is where I stand up.  This is why I vote the way I do.  Because I for one will not be part of the unborn holocaust.  I will not use my small voice in the voting booth to promote those who block legislation to stop it, who appoint judges who will strike down protections for the most innocent of us, and who sell the lie to the American people that this is ok.  That he’s not really a baby.  That she’s a choice.  I will not have that on my conscience.

We look at the German people back in the 30s and 40s and say – how could you not speak up?  How could you not see what they were doing to the Jews?  How could you not stand up for what was right and for the humanity of your neighbors who were vulnerable?  They were sold a lie – Jews are less than human – followed by another lie – they’re just going to work camps.  And they refused to look.  They didn’t want to see what was really being done to these humans. Will you look?  Or will you pretend it’s none of your business?  It’s someone else’s “choice.”   You don’t want to ban all abortions – fine.  I understand the argument that the early stages of fetal development are different than later stages (I disagree but I understand it).  But by voting pro choice you’re saying the killing of thousands of babies a year – hundreds of thousands since Roe v. Wade, is an acceptable price to pay for access to abortion on demand.  And I will never agree with that.  I will not watch the ash fall from the sky and pretend it’s not happening.

Is this the society we want to be?  One that ends human life because it’s inconvenient and because we can?  Kaiden was my baby – from the moment he was conceived, to the moment (at 5 weeks, 5 days) I first saw his tiny little heart beating, to the time he had hiccups on the ultrasound at 12 weeks, to the 20 week ultrasound where he was sticking out his tongue to taste, to the day he was born and in my arms.  Kellan was my baby from the moment he was conceived, to the little heartbeat (at 6 weeks), to the little wiggly gummy bear we saw at 8 weeks, to the baby that wouldn’t bend his legs at 12 weeks, to my sweet little observer today.  Nothing has changed except time and location.  I’ve at time heard the argument that every baby deserves to be wanted – to be loved.  And that’s true.  They do deserve that.  But more fundamentally than that, they deserve to live.  They are not better off dead than alive with a mother who was ill-prepared to have them.  They are not better off dead than alive with Down’s Syndrome (abortion has led to a 30% decrease in this population).  They deserve to take that first breath, to open their eyes and see the sun for the first time, to crawl, to walk, to cry, to smile.  They don’t deserve to have their legs torn from their bodies, their skulls crushed.  To be thrown into a pile of medical waste or cut up for parts sold to researchers.  Because of those 400,000+ babies I will not vote for a pro-choice candidate.  Because of the 52,000,000+ aborted in the US since 1973, I will not vote for a pro-choice candidate.  It’s the least I can do for those who are the most vulnerable and cannot speak for themselves.

P.S. for those that think late term abortions are mostly women who find out there are fetal abnormalities research doesn’t bear this out.  Here’s a study from the Guttmacher Institute (previously a semi-autonomous division of planned parenthood that spun off in 1977 and is certainly not pro-choice:

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1363/4521013/full

http://www.factcheck.org/2015/09/clinton-off-on-late-term-abortions/

Jesus and Wine

I was thinking last night (while lying awake wishing I could sleep) about how Jesus turned water into wine for his first miracle.  I mean, it’s a cool miracle but why would he choose that as his very first one? Just didn’t want the party to stop?  Of course not.  I realized I had never thought too much about why this particular miracle was first.  I think it’s because it totally reflects Jesus’ purpose on Earth.  

Our bodies are vessels.  What is important is not the body but what is in it.  When we are saved, we are fundamentally transformed.  We don’t change on the outside, yet everything inside is different.  Water has no aroma, no color, no effect other than to hydrate.  Wine has color, scent, and taste.

Jesus didn’t turn water into wine because it was a party trick, or because the wedding guests wanted wine.  It was His very first illustration of the profound change that takes place when He is in our lives.  

So be wine.  Yummy, delicious, refreshing wine that makes others want to be like you.

MommyCon

Recently a friend posted pictures on facebook of her time at ComicCon.  It looked like fun.  Got me to thinking.  We should have a MommyCon.

MommyCon would be different from ComicCon in some ways.  I’m picturing big padded rooms with a bunch of soft toys and wine vendors surrounding them with high stools.  Moms can sit up on their stools and keep an eye on their little ones.

Other rooms could have Paw Patrol on one screen and a fun grown up movie on the other, with some soundproof glass in between.  And wine vendors – did I mention wine vendors?  Big bouncy house.  And wine.

Moms can even dress up just like at ComicCon.  Some ideas:

• Newborn mom – stretched out yoga pants, greasy hair, tank top (because – nursing!), stains consisting of spit up and baby poop.
• Toddler mom – slightly less stretched out yoga pants and not too greasy hair.  Shirt with sticky unknown food stains.  Toys in pockets.  
• Smug mom – you know her.  She feeds her kid organic non-gmo cardboard of some sort and tells you about how her 2 year old is reading Tolstoy and finding him pedantic.  Outfit consists of something from lululemon.  
• Mom of school aged kids – my kids are 3 months and 2 years old.  This mom is triumphant and gets to wear actual JEWELRY because her kids are past the pulling on everything stage.  

The only issue, raised by one of my friends, is with the aforementioned wine vendors (everywhere, I mean everywhere), making sure drunk on wine mom doesn’t load her precious cargo into the car and drive off.

So maybe MommyCon should be adults only?    

The Problem with Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter - I get it.  I'm not one of those conservatives who takes issue with the name.  I understand there's an unstated -too- at the end of it.  And I understand the issue they are trying to call attention to - disparate policing practices.  I just think they're going about it the wrong way and also missing the bigger issue.

First, we know from FBI statistics that over 90% of blacks killed are killed by other blacks.  In 2013 (according to the FBI), 2,491 black people were murdered. 114 police officers were killed in the line of duty the same year.  A USA Today analysis of shootings of black suspects by police found over a 7 year period ending in 2012 the average was 96 per year.

So all told the percentage of black deaths attributable to police is approximately 3.8 percent.  Let's assume there has been an increase of 150% since 2012 (a very generous assumption).  That's 5.7 percent of blacks killed by police.  Now let's make another (very generous) assumption that half of those were unjustified.

So you've got a movement focused on 2.85% of the blacks killed in a year.  And this movement is just making things worse.

As an aside (this could fill it's own blog post), I've heard the analogy of the BLM movement vs. the All Lives Matter people as "this house is on fire so let's focus on the house on fire and worry about the problems with other houses later."  Except if less than 3% of the tragic deaths of black people is a fire, what is the other 97%?  Children are dying in gang wars.  They are far more innocent than most of the people shot by police.  But again, that's another discussion for another day (and I recognize that each death is a tragedy in itself).

On to my main point.

Cops are human and painfully aware of the dangers of their jobs.  This has always been a fact of life for them but now their fear is heightened.  I have heard directly from multiple officers that they feel there is a war on cops right now.  This only exacerbates the problem.  Scared cops are more likely to use force because they want to go home to their families at the end of the day.

A better approach would be to build bridges, not burn them.  Community outreach with local police departments.  Sit down and have coffee with an officer and talk to him/her about how policing can be improved. Talk about what kind of training can make things better.

Above all, remember cops are human and they just want to live too.  And the more violent the neighborhood - and the less they feel the people of the community have their backs - the more likely they are going to want to act to protect themselves - just like you would.

It's not a cop problem. It's not a racism problem (and the statistics are pretty clear on that).  It's not a black problem.  It's a human problem and we don't need to make enemies of one another.

2 Year Olds and Toothbrushing

Brushing his teeth really isn't that important, right?  I mean, they're going to fall out anyways.  Ugh, it's one of those battles I know I -should- pick but when I'm doing the picking getting him to just go to sleep before 9:30 seems more important..

Why I am Anti-Hillary

I'm not a democrat.  I'm more accurately characterized as a conservative with a libertarian streak.  But even if Hillary held the political views of Ted Cruz, I wouldn't support her.

And here's the thing - it's partly because she's a woman.  That's right.  I don't want her to be president because she's a woman.

Don't get me wrong - I would LOVE to have a woman president.  I was pro-woman in combat arms jobs before it was cool.  I believe in women in leadership.  But not like this.

Let me explain - Hillary would not be where she is if not for Bill.  He's the charming one.  He's the Rhodes Scholar with the political savvy.  The sole reason Hillary has had any political success is that it's built on his success.  She's annoying and unlikeable.  She lacks his personality and charisma.

And I want our first woman president to get there on her own merit.  Not because of who she married.

Add to that the fact that she's just downright corrupt.  Shady.  Dishonest.  She's been busted so many times doing dishonorable things and those are just what we know about for sure.

I could make a list I suppose - Benghazi, silencing Bill's sex assault/harassment victims, travelgate, Whitewater, troopergate, the foundation donations from human rights violators, the excessive speaking fees, and of course, the emails.

The emails bug me the most at the moment - probably in part due to their recency.  But also her statements are just so ludicrous and her behavior so entitled/sketchy/dangerous.  When I was in the Marine Corps I held a secret clearance.  Just secret.  Not top secret and nothing like a Secretary of State would hold.  And I knew darn good and well that classified information had to be treated with the utmost of care.  As a lowly NCO, I knew this.  And had I acted like her, I'm quite certain I would have found myself facing a court martial.  The idea that she thought it was just hunky dory to use a private server for her work as SoS is just downright stupid.  And I don't think she's (that) dumb.  She's either pretty much the biggest idiot on the planet (i.e. shouldn't be president) or a complete and utter liar who cares very little for national security (and shouldn't be president).

And come on, we all know she really just didn't like those pesky FOIA requests.

I want a woman president.  But more importantly, I want a good president.  I'm pretty bummed with all the talent out there we've ended up with a Clinton/Trump election.

The Problem with Prosecuting Illegal Immigrants

My job as a Deputy DA is to enforce the law.  To prosecute those who break the law in a fair and just manner.  To give closure and justice to victims.  To analyze the strengths and weaknesses of my cases, make fair plea offers, and treat defendants in an even-handed manner.  I don't write the laws.  Sometimes I don't agree with the laws.  But my job is not to change the law but to follow it.

Not all DAs feel this way.  There are some who selectively choose not to enforce the law, or who give special treatment to certain groups.  Nowhere do I see this disparity more than in the treatment of illegal aliens.  I am not going to call them "undocumented workers" or immigrants.  They are here illegally and they are aliens, i.e. foreign persons without permission to be in our country.

I only prosecute felonies at this point in my career, and the difference was more marked when prosecuting misdemeanors but it is still a frequent issue.  At the misdemeanor level, the most common requests for special treatment come in the context of driving cases and domestic violence cases.  In the former, defense attorneys want a break for their clients because they can't (or couldn't prior to recent law changes) get their drivers' licenses, so what choice to they have but to drive without one?  The simple answer is, had they followed the immigration laws in the first place, they wouldn't have this problem with the traffic laws.  But no one seems to notice that little point.

In domestic violence cases, and in my current felony cases, the plea is different.  There the sad, sad story is so-and-so will get deported if you give him the same offer you give the American citizen who committed the same crime so you should give him a better offer.  They want non-physical DV offers (phone harassment) and lower level drug offenses than are typically offered to citizens and legal residents.  And the truth is, they often get these offers from my colleagues.

I don't like this policy.  I follow it because it is the policy of my office and I am not the decision maker when it comes to these things.  But I feel it is fundamentally unfair to give a better offer to someone here illegally (for the simple reason that they're here illegally and face consequences for that previous decision) than I would give to an American citizen who has not come here illegally.

And frankly, it's pretty damn hard to get deported under the current administration.  Almost all non-violent crimes no longer result in deportation.  Even some people with pretty terrible records are allowed to stay.  It's the really violent stuff that gets people deported.  Most of the other guys aren't actually facing immediate deportation - they want to be eligible for legal residency and citizenship at some point (a hope kept alive by Obama's disregard for immigration law) so they want a plea that will not just keep them in the country but allow them to eventually become citizens.

And here's the thing:  I like immigrants.  Man, those men and women who go through the process, are vetted, wait their turn, and come here are amazing.  They appreciate America like most of the native born citizens can't.  They work hard and they contribute incredibly to our society.  I want more of those people.  We allow a lot of legal immigration, but could allow more if we weren't burdened by millions who didn't wait their turn.

And here's the other thing: there simply aren't that many crimes that are going to block someone from legal residency or deport them.  Literally we're only talking about physical domestic violence and felonies.  And guess what?  We don't want any more felons here.  We grow enough of our own - we don't need them from other countries.  Our legislators have essentially said - ok you can break some of the "minor" rules - just don't commit the big crimes and we'll leave you alone.  And those people who can't even avoid breaking the big rules - the felonies - then want a deal that will pretend they didn't do one of those very few things where we've drawn the line and said ok you gotta go.

If you know you're here illegally, shouldn't you be that much more careful to obey the law.  Seriously, if you're here illegally but you pretty much just live your life and don't get into trouble, you're going to get to stay.  It's like when you're driving and you know your license or registration is expired.  You drive that much more carefully because you don't want to give the cops an excuse to pull you over, right?  I'm sure there are many who fall into that category and maybe my feeling on this is skewed by the job I'm in and the location.  A large percentage of our cases come from the illegal alien community - a disproportionate percentage.

Is it so hard to just follow the rules?