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Buddy’s Soap Box

The Injustice League of Washington D.C.

A patriotic Texas howdy from Buddy,

Understand that I am old school when it comes to the police and law and order. You break the law, you pay the penalty. If a police officer yelled, “Stop or I’ll shoot!” as was the case in days past, one’s options were to stop or keep running and hope the officer’s aim was poor. 

Today neither the police nor shop owners are allowed to discourage crime by shooting criminals in the act, the argument being that human lives are more valuable than mere property.  To a point I agree.  However, anyone contemplating crime, with potentially lethal consequences, has the opportunity to weigh the value of their own life against the property they plan to take. Call it risk analysis for those in the crime business.

Take away the ability of the police and property owners to defend property and you enjoy all the elements of anarchy—looting, the torching of buildings, mob violence and vandalism, and an increase in crime of every type. Exactly what we saw play out in varying degrees last year in many cities and in our nation’s capital on January 6th.

Had the police been free to fire their guns and had this been understood by protesters, the protests would have remained peaceful, with no one injured, no businesses looted, and none firebombed. And no January 6th in Washington D.C.

However, in every case, the police were helpless in the face of mob violence. Both political parties seem comfortable with this state of affairs, albeit the Republicans less so than Democrats.

My point here is to argue for policies that worked in the past, but have no place in our politically correct woke times.

Rather, I wish only to point out how criminal excesses receive very different treatment from a federal government politicized and weaponized by the Democrat Party to discourage legitimate opposition and dissent.

No effort was made to identify and bring to justice the “peaceful” protesters who burned and looted everything from private businesses to police stations and even federal buildings, doing many millions of dollars of damage. Vice-President Kamala Harris proudly posted bail for some.

Contrast the foregoing with the treatment of the Capitol protesters, many of whom never even entered the building, or having entered, did nothing more. According to ABC News, published January 6, “Out of over 700 arrests, over 165 have pleaded guilty with over 70 sentenced.  In the year since the attack, the Justice Department launched what officials have described as one of the largest investigations in American history, with hundreds of arrests and dozens of charges filed so far. The U.S. House of Representatives also formed a bipartisan committee to investigate the attack, issuing dozens of subpoenas.”

Justice is not the high purpose being sought here. Rather, the purpose is to send a message to citizens that it is unwise to challenge the federal government. Hence, in a time when woke impulses result in criminals being released from jail with no requirement of bail, many Capital protesters were held without charges, denied bail, kept in solitary consignment, and threatened with long prison sentences if they failed to plead guilty to charges that would be difficult to prove in court.

That Washington DC’s federal prosecutors and courts are among the most politicized in the nation, comes as no surprise. They stand eager to destroy Donald Trump and his supporters simply because they exist.

But the real surprise, the real disappointment is that virtually no Republican leader has spoken out against such an egregious misapplication of law, and the harm it has done to so many. Republicans have shown that, for political expediency, they—virtually to the man—are willing to throw some of their most ardent supporters under the bus.

We genuine conservatives need to take a lesson from the events just described. We need to understand that we face a politicized and vindictive government that seeks to discourage future opposition by putting the fear of their only god, the government, into us.

 In those parts of the country where we still have honest elections, our vote still counts, and so long as we have that, we can still speak our minds and even protest peacefully, which is our habit.

But the trucker freedom convoy, having arrived in Washington, had best be extremely careful. Were the truckers to step out of the trucks and proceed to burn and loot and further advance the goals of socialism, they would be handed the keys to the city, had they not already taken them.

On the other hand, betray yourself as a Trump conservative, as someone who believes in free speech, gun rights, the right to life, and other such quaint concepts, and you will likely be arrested for stepping out of your truck. Or something far worse could happen.

I’ll close with the following example of a young man who died tragically. His name was Matthew Perna. a supporter of Donald Trump. He was in Washington on January 6th. Read his obituary below and you decide if he deserved his fate. As for me, I feel tremendous shame that the nation I so much love would drive a citizen to suicide.

America, with so much to be proud of, admittedly has a blemished history, as is true of every nation. The death of Matthew Lawrence Perna is yet another blemish, one that I will long remember, and hope that one day those responsible will be held to account if not by man, by God.

The Funeral of Matthew Lawrence Perna

Matthew Lawrence Perna died on Feb. 25, 2022, of a broken heart. His community (which he loved), his country, and the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life. Matt was an amazing man! In his 37 years, he experienced more than most people do their entire lives. He graduated from Sharpsville High School in 2002, then went on to graduate from Penn State University.

Matt loved to travel and lived in Thailand and South Korea during his life, teaching English to school children. He traveled extensively throughout Europe, Asia, South America, India, and the United States of America making lasting friendships everywhere he went. He went on a mission trip to Haiti, and also took many trips with his parents and brother Steve. Matt enjoyed conversing with people from all walks of life, especially the elderly. It was not unusual for him to strike up conversations with complete strangers, always eager to learn from others.

 
Matt enjoyed running long distance races and held medals from several states. He enjoyed reading every day and owned an extensive library of books. He loved music of all types and played piano and saxophone. He was an adventurer who loved trying different cuisines from all over the world and experiencing as many different cultures as he could.

Matt loved animals, especially dogs. But when a sickly kitten made her way onto Matt’s porch, he nurtured and cared for her and named her Hinoki. He loved her dearly and she was his roommate.

He attended the rally on Jan. 6, 2021, to peacefully stand up for his beliefs. After learning that the FBI was looking for him, he immediately turned himself in. He entered the Capitol through a previously opened door (he did not break in as was reported). He didn’t break, touch, or steal anything. He did not harm anyone, as he stayed within the velvet ropes taking pictures. For this act he has been persecuted by many members of his community, friends, relatives, and people who had never met him. Many people were quietly supportive, and Matt was truly grateful for them. The constant delays in hearings, and postponements dragged out for over a year. Because of this, Matt’s heart broke and his spirit died. Matt did not have a hateful bone in his body. He embraced people of all races, income brackets, and beliefs, never once berating anyone for having different views.

Matt is survived by his loving father, Lawrence (Sharpsville), his brother Steven (Nederland, CO), his Grandmother Rosie Garzoni (Hermitage), and several aunts, uncles and cousins who will never stop missing him. He was preceded in death by his amazing mother Roni, his grandparents Henry and Millie Perna, as well as his grandfather Frank J. Garzoni. Matt had a very special relationship with Frank J., who he greatly admired and missed very much.

 
Matt attended Central Community Church in Transfer, PA. He was a Christian who read his Bible daily.

Matt’s family stood by him during this devastating ordeal and are extremely proud of his passion for life and his pursuit of many dreams. His actions last year are not looked down upon, instead his family is grateful and humbled by his courage. They say God never gives anyone more than they can handle. That statement is not Biblical, nor is it true. Rest Easy Matt, you are finally FREE!

Visitation: 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday (3-1-22) and 10 a.m. until the time of service Wednesday (3-2-22) in JOHN FLYNN FUNERAL HOME AND CREMATORY, INC., 2630 E. State St., Hermitage.

Funeral service: 11 a.m. Wednesday (3-2-22) in the funeral home chapel, with pastors Nathan Pearson, Dan Dennis and Donald Campbell.
Friends may sign guest book at www.flynnfuneralhome.com.

Published on February 27, 2022

To plant a tree in memory of Matthew Lawrence Perna, please visit Tribute Store.

GUEST COLUMN

Tone deaf

by Paul Gleiser  Published March 1, 2022   You Tell Me Texas

I was traveling Tuesday evening, so I watched the State of the Union address while waiting to change planes in St. Louis. It was about what I expected from this bumbling, doddering administration.

Of course, given the events of the preceding week, President Biden led the speech by talking about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He said all of the obligatory things about the courage and bravery of the Ukrainian people while condemning the actions of Russian president Vladimir Putin. He then commanded all in the House of Representatives chamber to stand up in a symbolic show of solidarity with Ukraine.

Fine.

But he said and did all of this against the backdrop of widespread recognition that it was Biden administration policy that did much to set the predicate for Putin to invade Ukraine in the first place. Only an idiot, or someone who is willfully blind, could look at the Biden’s catastrophic withdrawal from Afghanistan and say that it didn’t embolden a thug like Vladimir Putin. Putin took the measure of Biden in that episode and found Biden wanting.

One need only have a rudimentary understanding of the Russian economy to understand that energy is Russia’s only source of hard currency. It was the late Sen. John McCain who quipped, “Russia is a gas station masquerading as a country.” Representative Denny Heck of Washington state called Russia, “…a gas station with nukes.”

When Joe Biden, in his first executive acts as president, knee-capped the U.S. oil & gas industry, it served to reduce American oil output by about two million barrels a day. That ended America’s hard-won standing as the swing producer in the world energy market. Oil & gas prices have since more than doubled, serving to fatter the coffers of Vladimir Putin. The U.S. has gone from relative energy independence to buying oil on the world market, $70 million of which every day goes to Russia.

In addition to helping finance Putin’s adventure in Ukraine, those high oil prices are providing much of the impetus for inflation – the worst we’ve seen in a generation. Depending on whose figures you use, it is estimated that the average family is spending between $4,000 and $6,000 more this year than last just to buy the necessities of life.

Joe Biden took responsibility for none of it Tuesday and gave no sign that in light of current exigencies, he might pivot on energy policy. Instead, after his obligatory remarks on Ukraine, he mouthed platitudes and rehashed his big-spending legislative proposals that everybody knows have no chance of passing.

Taken all around, Biden’s State of the Union address was tone deaf and uninspiring, the gushing reaction from mainstream media outlets notwithstanding.

If Biden wants to save his presidency, he could start by saying, ‘We’re going to produce our own oil, we’re going to increase supply and lower prices so that the world stops financing Putin’s brutal war on the innocent people of Ukraine.’ The progressive Left would howl, of course.

But the country would applaud.