Hold Our Elected Officials Accountable
Enough is really enough
This story passed my desk this morning:
FBI director says violence directed at police officers unlike anything he's seen before
Christopher Wray, who serves as FBI director, had this to say, in part:
“Violence against law enforcement in this country is one of the biggest phenomena that I think doesn't get enough attention," Wray said, adding that officers are being murdered at a rate of nearly "one every five days."
This is precisely why every single U.S. House member needs to sign on to the Protect & Serve Act, (S.774 / H.R. 3079). Yet as of this writing, just 73 of the 435 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on to co-sponsor this bill.
Why is This?
Wray’s announcement about the increase in violence leveled at police is nothing new, after all. The U.S. Department of Justice has had this on its radar since 2015; and the Fraternal Order of Police has repeatedly reported about the sharp rise in ambushes that occurred in 2021 over 2020 and that has continued into 2022.
You expect police critics to shy away from signing on to this bill, but what about those who claim to be pro- law and order? There are quite a few of these elected officials in my state of Wisconsin, yet just one U.S. representative (Bryan Steil) has signed on.
I’m at a loss here.
This bill, while not a panacea, would help address the swell of violence directed at police officers by imposing federal penalties for ambushes.
If a politician claims to value police officer lives, you’d think they would want their name added to a piece of legislation that has the potential to deter violence towards them.
Hold Elected Officials Accountable
I developed a mid-term questionnaire on policing to ask these very questions and to hold elected officials accountable when they are elected.
On April 9, I began sending the questionnaire to about 60 candidates running for governor, lieutenant governor, state representative & senator, and U.S. representative & senator. As of this writing, the following Wisconsin candidates running in the November mid-terms, have agreed to complete my questionnaire. The two bolded names are those who’ve already completed and returned it.
Andre Jacque, State Senate
Adam Murphy, U.S. Senate
Jesse James, State Senate
Timothy Ramthun, Governor
Jess Hisel, Governor
Adam Benedetto, U.S. Senate
Cindy Werner, Lt. Governor
Peter Theron, U.S. House
Mark Sheffler, State Senate
Steven Olikara, U.S. Senate
David Varnam, Lt. Governor
Darrell Williams, U.S. Senate
Jeff Rumbaugh, U.S. Senate
Hillarie Roth, State Assembly
A few others who never responded did put me on their campaign list; and one said she didn’t feel comfortable filling out surveys.
How You Can Help
The way we change the destructive path we’re on is by demanding that our elected officials (the people who work for you and me) do their jobs. Then once elected, we hold them to their campaign talk.
If you live in Wisconsin and your candidate is not on the list above, please urge him or her to complete my questionnaire. I’ve already followed up with them, so I know they have my information.
If you live outside of Wisconsin, please forward names and email addresses of candidates in your state or district and I will send them a questionnaire. You can contact me at fortheblue@substack.com and direct them to this page.
This is not my direct email (obviously), but I will receive your email if you send it to this address. I had an incident occur a couple years ago, so am hesitant about distributing my personal email address.Regardless of which state you live in, check to see if your U.S. representative has signed on to the Protect & Serve Act. If that person has, please thank them; if not, ask them why.
My “Agenda”
When I advocated for the Madison Police Department, I was accused of being a political hack (not to mention a bootlicker and some other nasty things) even though I kept the dialog focused on policing. It’s a sad time in our nation when defending law enforcement has become a political statement; and that our support of them hinges upon what our party and our “tribes” think.
Here’s my agenda: To live in a country that prioritizes law and order. Because without peace, we can’t function as a civil society.
Like you, I’m sick of inaction, double speak, and empty campaign promises from our elected officials. I'm outraged that our police officers are treated with such venom, that there’s been a surge in innocent crime victims, and that members of our ruling class prioritizes the need of offenders over the law-abiding.
It’s equally unacceptable that this trend has seemingly become a new “normal” and that few politicians have been compelled to create any meaningful changes. You’d think that those who claim to value the health and well-being of their constituents would work to create legislation at the state level, like Florida’s Combatting Violence, Disorder and Looting and Law Enforcement Protection Act; or at the federal level, by signing on to the Protect & Serve Act.
Advocating for law enforcement is a part-time volunteer project for me. I make no money from any of this and have no intention of asking you for a dime.
All I ask is that you take part by demanding that our elected officials (the people who work for you and me) do their jobs instead of just spewing empty promises and campaign slogans.
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