Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik is one of the prime reasons why it is risky to invest too much hope in political leaders - or take too seriously what their cheerleaders in the secular media say.
It is worth recalling the events that took place in Tucson, Arizona this past January. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and many others were shot by Jared Loughner. Six died, while 14 others were injured.
In the aftermath of the shooting, Sherrif Dupnik claimed that Loughner was motivated by right-wing hate, and charged that Arizona had become a "Mecca for prejudice and bigotry". The secular media echoed Sheriff Dupnik's speculations, and tried to pass them off as proven facts. Sarah Palin, FOX News, the Tea Party - anyone whose political views annoyed the secular media were painted as culprits in the shooting.
But it turned out that Loughner was motivated by the weird voices in his head - and not by any coherent political philosophy of either the left or the right. Yet rather than admit their error, the secular media mostly dropped the story. Sheriff Dupnik vanished from news accounts so quickly you would think he had entered the Federal witness protection program.
Sheriff Dupnik is still on the job. Unfortunately. Now he is engaged in an ever-evolving explanation of how his SWAT team mowed down U.S. Marine Jose Guereña, who was an Iraq War veteran. There are conflicting reports about the botched raid (allegedly about Guereña being a drug dealer), but the SWAT team admitted that they fired first, and not Guereña. They also admit that after Guereña was shot they kept medical attention from him for more than an hour, possibly costing his life.
Guereña's house was entered by the SWAT team because he was suspected of dealing drugs. No word yet on whether any drugs were actually found in Guereña's house, or whether there is any other evidence to back up the original justification for the raid.
It would be tempting to give Sheriff Dupnik and his supporters in the secular media a taste of their own medicine and suggest that racial prejudice played a role in Guereña's death. Tempting, but wrong. Absent any proof I believe people should resist making these charges.
But the strange, twisted turns that Sheriff Dupnik's career has taken over the past five months should remind everyone (no matter their politics) that the ends do not justify the means. Rather than wait for proof, Sheriff Dupnik and the secular media tried to exploit the shootings in January for political gain. They had no proof that the shooter Jared Loughner was the product of a political system that had lost all civility. Yet Dupnik and the secular media tried in a cold-blooded manner to exploit the tragedy for political gain. Even after their narrative was proven wrong they continued to make false charges against those they disagreed with. And now that Dupnik may be in serious hot water over Guereña's death many of his cheerleaders in the secular media have clammed up rather than report the news. For them, the ends still justify the means.
In a strange yet fitting coda to this story Jared Loughner has been found mentally incompetent to stand trial. No word on whether Dupnik and the secular media will ever admit they screwed up.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. (Psalm 146:3 (KJV))
1 comment:
"The ends justify most any means", right out of Rules for Radicals playbook... Dupnik's accusations for political gain really had me boiling.
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