Friday, May 31, 2019

13 dead in Virginia Beach; Gun Free Zone the likely suspect

Yes I often convey that it's best for all the facts to come out in a mass shooting before making definitive statements. However, gun grabbers have an impeccable track record of being flat out wrong when casting aspersions yet never are called on it, thus they never deem it necessary to apologize.

So if I'm wrong in my assumption that the Virginia Public Works office is a "gun free zone" (I'm likely not though), so be it.

A longtime city employee shot and killed 12 people and injured four others after opening fire Friday afternoon in the public works building, making it the country's deadliest mass shooting this year.

Police said officers killed the man, whom they did not name, after he fired at them in the city's scenic Municipal Center in Princess Anne, a campus of about 30 brick Colonial-style buildings.

The four injured were all in surgery Friday, Police Chief James Cervera said during a news conference a couple of hours after the massacre.

One officer was shot during the exchange but was saved by his bulletproof vest, the chief said.

Naturally the 2020 Dem candidates for President were quick to politicize this shooting.

So is it too much to ask to offer up prayers of peace and comfort for the loved ones of those killed as well as pray for healing of those injured in this shooting? If so......I don't care a flip. I'm doin' it anyways.

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Thursday, May 30, 2019

First Pitch chronicles

By now you have likely seen the viral video of a Chicago White Sox employee throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Tuesday's game against the Kansas City Royals.

If not, here's a look.





The cameraman and his camera both emerged unscathed.

Closed circuit to White Sox employee Mary Ruich as well as Carly Rae Jepsen, 50 Cent and Gary "Baba Booey" Dell'Abate. If there's ever an occasion where you're called upon to redeem yourself for previous first pitch disasters, gimme a shout. I may not throw strikes but I can at least get the ball to home plate.





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Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Well, actually.......

It's become more clear over the past several years that the Associated Press is less a news source and more a "progressive" transcript service.

From the AP Twitter feed on Tuesday:




Flashback to January when Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) signed into law the "Reproductive" "Health" Act which could potentially allow abortions up to moments before birth.




So if you consider "muted" the equivalent of lighting in pink the spire atop one of the world's tallest and most renown buildings, then absolutely.

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Monday, May 27, 2019

Box Score of the Week

It's only appropriate I feature a game from a past Memorial Day. The New York Giants hosted the Boston Braves on May 28, 1951.

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The legendary Willie Mays hit the first of his 660 career home runs on Memorial Day in 1951.

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Sunday, May 26, 2019

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.....

It's Memorial Day weekend where we commemorate those who paid the ultimate price to defend freedom and liberty for this greatest nation on God's green earth. We'll be live for today's edition of The Closer from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central Time.

The 2019 Minnesota Legislative session finally wrapped up yesterday morning, so we'll recap the chaos surrounding its conclusion.

Then at 1:30 I will be joined by Louis Dennard and Rev. Tim Christopher of The African American Heritage Gun Club. Among the myriad topics we'll discuss include 2nd Amendment issues (natch), violence within the black community and elected officials' seeming lack of concern, their frustrations with the National Rifle Association, etc.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Friday, May 24, 2019

It's my birthday!

So how old am I?



via GIPHY


Tis true! In fact, my mother tells me I was born at 5:41 AM on May 24, 1969. So given the time stamp of this post, I am now officially closer to my 100th birthday than I am the day of my birth. 😳

Yep. Life indeed does move pretty fast.

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Thursday, May 23, 2019

Bringing a rubber band to a knife fight (rhetorically speaking)

Protip: If you're attempting to rhetorically "dunk on" someone who is by far morally and intellectually superior to yourself, it can't possibly end well for you.




But in her defense, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is utterly vacuous.

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Tuesday, May 21, 2019

This is what attacking press freedom looks like

When President Donald Trump chides the media as "Fake News" or "Enemy of the People," it is undeniably petulant. I daresay it can even be labeled as inappropriate. But to convey it as an "attack on press freedom" is a bit hyperbolic since media outlets are neither prevented from nor punished for actually doing their jobs, even when being highly critical of the Trump administration.

But this? This would be a legit charge of attacking freedom of the press.

The banging jolted Bryan Carmody awake. Outside his San Francisco home Friday morning, the longtime journalist saw a throng of police officers with a sledgehammer, trying to break down his front gate.

Carmody told the eight to 10 officers he would only let them in with a search warrant. Police confirmed a judge signed off on their barging into his home. Then the officers drew their guns and scoured his residence. When police left, they carted away his notebooks, computers, cameras, phones and even his fiancee’s iPod from her college days.

“I knew what they wanted,” Carmody told The Times. “They wanted the name.”

A few weeks before, he said two San Francisco police officers — a sergeant and a lieutenant — knocked on his door and “cordially” asked him to identify the source who shared a confidential police report into the Feb. 22 death of San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi.

“Of course, I politely declined,” Carmody said of the visit from police last month. He had the same response Friday.

After police came into his home, officers handcuffed him for six hours as they collected his equipment. A receipt certifying his release from custody confirms he was handcuffed from 8:22 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. The search warrant for his home said officers were investigating “stolen or embezzled” property.

It was unclear whether he was handcuffed because of the guns he says he legally owns. Carmody said the guns were locked in a safe, and he said that over the hours-long search, it was evident officers didn’t view him as a threat. At one point, some police took off their bulletproof vests on account of the heat, he said.

While he was shackled, officers got a second warrant to search his newsroom, where police seized a thumb drive, CDs and, inside a safe, the sought-after police report about Adachi’s death.

Carmody, 49, said he has not shared the name of his source with anyone, and no markings on the document could be traced to the person who provided it.


San Francisco Mayor London Breed's reaction:





Journalist Yashar Ali rightly characterizes the outrage all journos should be conveying.




So next time the smarmy Jim Acosta or the insufferable April Ryan are not called upon during a White House press briefing and thus engage in their obligatory thumb-sucking, it's perfectly appropriate to say "Folks, you're no Bryan Carmody."

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Monday, May 20, 2019

Didn't see that comin'

For the entire first hour of this past Sunday's radio show, I discussed the 2019 Minnesota legislative session with Americans for Prosperity State Director Jason Flohrs. Given the DFL (which controls the governor's office and House of Representatives) was digging in on a 20 cents per gallon tax increase as well as myriad other hikes resulting in $12 billion of increases, I saw no possible way an agreement could be reached on a state budget by 11:59 PM Monday evening. Jason agreed with me, so we made tentative plans for him to come back on the broadcast when an inevitable special session of the Legislature was called by Gov. Tim Walz.

Then on Sunday evening I was scheduled to guest host on the Up and At 'Em podcast with Ben Kruse. As I awaited Ben's arrival I was scrolling through Twitter when I saw a few blurbs indicating Gov. Walz and legislative leaders had reached agreement on a budget. Upon Ben's arrival, we settled in to the studio and watched multiple live press conferences where the leaders spelled out terms of the agreement.

“Today we prove that divided government can work for the betterment of the people we serve,” said Gov. Tim Walz, who announced the budget plan with Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman. “Instead of dysfunction, shutdowns and yelling we have a compromise agreement. … We’re still friends.”

Under the plan, spending will rise about $1 billion over the projected base budget of $47.4 billion for 2020-2021. The current budget is $45.5 billion and expires June 30.

The budget was expected to grow by nearly $2 billion if lawmakers changed nothing because of inflation, increased population and new and expanding state programs.

The deal also includes a quarter percent cut in the second tier of the state’s income tax. The rate will fall from 7.05 percent to 6.8 percent by 2022.

That and stopping the gas tax were big wins for Gazelka.

“Minnesota is finally going to see income taxes go down for the first time in 20 years,” Gazelka said. “Stopping the gas tax increase was one of our top priorities, and I’m pleased Governor Walz and House Democrats ultimately listened to the people of Minnesota and rejected this approach.”

In addition, the latest public safety omnibus bill included no gun control.

So if I had been told that a budget deal would be reached before Monday night, I would have been skeptical. But if it had also been conveyed to me that not only would a deal be reached but said budget would also include no new gas tax, a middle class tax cut and no gun control provisions, I would have asked what the GOP had to give up in order to receive those concessions.

Well.....

(The pact) continues a tax on health care providers that Republicans wanted to allow to sunset, but the rate falls from 2 percent to 1.8 percent.

(House Minority Leader Kurt) Daudt said his members are unhappy the provider tax is not going away and will want to air their frustrations during the final debates. “I think this is a failure of this deal,” Daudt said. “We are incredibly disappointed that is the end result.”


There's a reason why Democrats were willing to concede so much in an effort to continue the provider tax (aka a "sick tax"). Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) encapsulated the GOP's frustration.

"By not getting rid of the sick tax they are paving the way for a funding mechanism for single payer healthcare in Minnesota.

The Dems play the long game, folks. Don’t be deceived. They were willing to let go of the gas tax and a lot of policy to keep the provider tax. They will continue to push their One Care single payer plan. Mark my words. Sadly (the) GOP senate fell for it."

All 201 seats in the Minnesota Legislature will be up for election in 2020. Seems to me a lot of campaign narratives were established with this latest budget agreement.

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Box Score of the Week

Colorado Rockies at Miami Marlins - June 20, 2016.

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This game set an MLB record for most home runs (eight) in a game in which all the runs were scored on solo homers. 

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Sunday, May 19, 2019

Meet me down by the jetty landing.....

The calendar says May 19 but if feels more like mid March. Regardless, the 2-hour edition of The Closer will be bringing the heat, starting at 1:00 PM Central Time.

Right at 1:00 PM I will be joined by Jason Flohrs, State Director of the Minnesota chapter of American For Prosperity. With the current MN legislative session slated to end late Monday evening, we'll discuss what work remains and if conservatives will be able to thwart the DFL's attempts to hike taxes.

Then in the 2:00 hour I will weigh in on the latest pro-life legislation passed in southern states and how stunningly bias the media is in covering these in comparison to the pro-death legislation passed in New York and proposed in Virginia.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Thursday, May 16, 2019

Big wheels keep on turning.....

Sh*t just got real in the latest battle of the Culture War.

Alabama’s new law restricting abortion in nearly every circumstance has moved one of the most polarizing issues in American politics to the center of the 2020 presidential campaign.

The state’s legislation — the toughest of several anti-abortion measures that have passed recently, with the only exception being a serious risk to the woman’s health — prompted an outcry from Democratic presidential candidates, who warned that conservatives were laying the groundwork to undermine the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. The White House, meanwhile, didn’t comment on the Alabama bill, signed into law Wednesday by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, as President Donald Trump tries to balance his conservative base against the potential of antagonizing women who are already skeptical of his presidency.

For the record, I am staunchly pro life and thus oppose abortion at any juncture during a pregnancy. But that said, I have a difficult time demanding that a woman endure a pregnancy which is the result of a rape. And I certainly am not one to shame a young lady for making what I'm certain is a heart-wrenching decision to terminate a pregnancy for any reason. That's why I've felt the best way to severely limit (and ultimately eradicate) the number of abortions being performed is by changing hearts and minds. For example, seeing an ultrasound of the baby certainly goes a long way in appealing to a pregnant woman's sensibilities about whether she's carrying a viable human being inside her.

A couple of other thoughts:

- Given the abortion-on-demand bill which passed in New York (and was proposed in Virginia) mobilized the pro-life crowd, I suspect this Alabama law will have a similar impact among the pro abortion "choice" folks. Sure, those who tout "progressive" causes tend to be louder and much more well-funded, but they also have on their side a willing media complex to shout their chanting points. I guess we should be prepared for more Handmaids costumes to fly off shelves.


- Speaking of chanting points:




Conveniently left out of the "Handmaid's Tale" narrative is the fact the sponsor of this bill was Rep. Terri Collins....a woman. And the person who signed this legislation into law was Gov. Kay Ivey. Yep. Also a woman. Oh, maybe attend a pro life rally one of these days. You'll undoubtedly find the majority of advocates are indeed....**wait for it. wait for it**.....WOMEN!

Nice try though.

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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

Gun control dead?

Some rare good news out of St. Paul these days.

Two gun-control measures deemed a top priority by Minnesota DFL lawmakers this session were dealt an all-but-fatal blow Tuesday after they failed to advance on a party-line vote.

Coming after three hours of debate, the result appeared to stymie efforts by gun-control advocates to expand criminal-background checks to private gun sales
(*and* transfers, which gun control advocates conveniently leave out of their diatribes - ed.) and create a “red flag” law that would allow authorities to temporarily confiscate firearms from people considered a threat to themselves or others (without the accused receiving due process - ed.).

The gun proposals, similar to federal proposals that have divided Congress, came to a head when Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, called for a vote on whether to add them to a broader spending bill being assembled by members from both the House and Senate.

The gambit paid off for Limmer, who earlier expressed deep reservations about both policy proposals: Members of the joint conference committee on the public safety budget split 5-5 along party lines and failed to add either measure to the spending bill.

“I’ve always regarded controversial policies in budget bills as something we really shouldn’t do
(so did the DFL --- until this session apparently - ed.) because it gums up the work,” Limmer said after Tuesday’s meeting. “Let’s tear the Band-Aid off and get at it.”


The "gun control" issue was one which many DFLers claimed had upwards of "90% support" among Minnesotans yet the substantial Dem majority in the House never took a vote on the standalone bills. Seems to me that something which has that kind of overwhelming support could easily get through the House but then could be hung around the necks of the GOP controlled Senate if they voted down the legislation. Why it's almost as if folks like Rob Doar of the MN Gun Owners Caucus was shining a light on the DFL's blatant obfuscation regarding the two bills thus making Dems.....ahem...."gun shy" in bringing them up for votes.

Regardless, the leftist chanting points will remain the same.

Rep. Dave Pinto, DFL-St. Paul, chief author of the background check bill, later characterized the vote as an effort by Minnesota Republicans to stymie new gun legislation.

“Today, they chose not to move forward on two gun-safety measures despite broad public support,” Pinto said. “That is deeply disappointing to thousands of families who have been touched by gun violence and expect action.”


You want action, Rep. Pinto? You might wanna study what has taken place over the past quarter century. As Doar pointed out during this testimony in the conference committee, "Minnesota violent crime rates has dropped 50% over the last 25 years while gun ownership permits to carry has sky rocketed.” Seems to me the answer is right in front of you.

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Monday, May 13, 2019

Box Score of the Week

New York Yankees at Milwaukee Brewers - April 10, 1976.

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Trailing 9-6 in the bottom of the 9th inning with the bases loaded and no outs, Don Money of the Brewers came to the plate. He appeared to hit a game-winning grand slam home run off Yanks pitcher Dave Pagan to give Milwaukee a dramatic victory but the home run was disallowed. After deliberation among the umpires, it was ruled that Yankees first baseman Chris Chambliss called for (and was granted) time right before Pagan delivered that fateful pitch. Money ended up flying out to right field. 

The Brewers did score one in the 9th but it wasn't enough as the Yanks prevailed 9-7.

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Sunday, May 12, 2019

On assignment

I am currently out of town for my day job, so I will not be airing my weekly radio program today. My friend and Northern Alliance Radio Network colleague Mitch Berg will be taking my place from 1:00 until 3:00 PM Central Time.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the Mitch plans on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out Mitch's podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Thursday, May 09, 2019

On cue

I would be willing to bet that most American newspapers' Editorial Boards have basic templates in place to respond to instances of gun violence against children. Just add the location & number of fatalities and you have your obligatory gun-grabber screed. And because the same vapid chanting points are usually regurgitated in response to these tragic events, they rarely (if ever) are relevant to the specific incident which EBs attempt to demagogue.

On Wednesday, the Minneapolis Star Tribune decided to take a swing at the shooting incident which occurred at a Colorado STEM school the day before (a shame their instant reaction wasn't lauding a genuine hero). And as is the mainstream media's wont, the Strib offered up suggestions of new laws which would do nothing to address what they believe is an epidemic.

Rob Doar, Political Director with the MN Gun Owners Caucus, was having none of it.

You can always count on those pushing for gun control to capitalize on the emotions of the public in the wake of a tragedy to push their agenda.

The simple fact is that Colorado ALREADY HAS Red Flag Confiscation and Universal Background Checks... and they DID NOT PREVENT THE TRAGEDY.

Citing the shooting in Colorado as some sort of urgency to pass Red Flags and UBCs here in MN is nothing short of ignorance and intellectual dishonesty.

The continued intellectual dishonesty by those embracing the non-sequitur of gun control and public safety will be a perpetual hindrance to any efforts to actually make our schools safer, reduce suicides, and address the repeat violent criminals who repeatedly escape justice.

But... that's not really what they want.

The DFL in both chambers have been demonizing (and in the House, actually voting AGAINST) the bipartisan efforts to improve school safety, increase penalties for repeat offenders, provide funding for mental health resources, school security assessments, and many more items that would actually have a benefit to public safety.

Why? Because they don't go "far enough". At least that's what they say. But, it's not true.

Democrats don't want to give Republicans a "win" on this issue. They will continue to vote down and block good ideas, because, to them, a Republican passing a good public safety policy is a bad thing.

They have their eyes on growing the metro-centric DFL majority and plan to use this issue as a drum to beat in the 2020 elections.

Those pushing for these measures will feign lament about the impasse at the legislature. They groan about Republican inaction, despite the fact that there is broad, bipartisan opposition to these bills in both chambers.

They capitalize on tragedy to demand irrelevant, ineffective, and divisive legislation, not because they actually care about public safety, but because they want more power.

And they don't care about lying and misleading to get it.

Whether it's their stance on guns, the economy or abortion, the political left has proven time and again that they are absolutely not above obfuscation or flat-out fabrication in an effort to enact a "progressive" agenda.

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Tuesday, May 07, 2019

What do you see?

Check out this picture.




Me personally? It was the elephant, natch! Of course I assumed it had to do with my political leanings. But the website Bright Side has a different perspective.

If the elephant is the animal you saw first, you are very genuine and care deeply about everything around you. You are loyal, responsible, and your family and friends can always rely on you. If they need help, they know exactly who to talk to. And somehow you always find a way to find a solution and fix the issue. You are not just a good listener, you are an unbeatable problem-solver.

Your family and friends are always your first priority and you feel good when the people around you feel good.

I'll accept that. 😊

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Monday, May 06, 2019

Box Score of the Week

Chicago White Sox at Texas Rangers - April 27, 2010.

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In this game Rangers' rookie Justin Smoak collected his first career Run Batted In, driving in Vladimir Guerrero with a sacrifice fly. This past weekend, Toronto Blue Jays rookie Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. notched his first ever RBI on an infield single which scored........Justin Smoak. 

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Sunday, May 05, 2019

A peaceful co-existence is dropping out of sight......

Now into the month of May, the Northern Alliance rolls on through 2019. Today's 2-hour edition of The Closer gets started at 1:00 PM Central Time.

It's a guest-a-palooza on today's program:

1:15 - National political wonk Matt Mackowiak will check in to discuss AG William Barr's testimony before Congress, the latest involving 2020 Dem presidential candidates, etc.

1:45 - Salem Communications-Twin Cities GM Nic Anderson will join the program to promote a special AM 1280 Patriot event coming up in mid-June.

2:00 - Rep. Jim Nash (R-Waconia) will stop by to weigh in on this year's MN legislative session as we enter the final two weeks.


So please call (651) 289-4488 if you'd like to weigh in on any of the topics we plan on addressing.

You can listen live in the Twin Cities at AM 1280 or, if you're near downtown Minneapolis/West Metro area, 107.5 FM on your radio dial. In and out of the Minneapolis-St Paul area you can listen to the program on the Internet by clicking this link, or check us out via iheart radio as well as Amazon Alexa (just say "Alexa, play The Patriot Minneapolis")If you're unable to tune in live, please check out my podcast page for the latest show post.

And if you're so inclined, follow along on Twitter at #NARNShow or "Like" our Facebook page.

Until then.....

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Friday, May 03, 2019

Submitted without comment



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Wednesday, May 01, 2019

Noor verdict

I don't know the actual statistics, but it feels as though most questionable police shootings result in the officer being acquitted. As such, I was somewhat surprised (though maybe I shouldn't have been) by the latest verdict handed down in a Minneapolis officer involved shooting.

A jury found former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor guilty of third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and not guilty of second-degree murder in the 2017 shooting death of Justine Ruszczyk Damond.

Noor was immediately taken into custody. His sentencing is set for Friday, June 7 at 9 a.m.

The jury of 10 men and two women deliberated for 10 hours before reaching a verdict Tuesday afternoon.

Naturally many were quick to draw distinctions between this tragedy and others, particularly the Philando Castile shooting. When a black man is the victim, there are those who will suggest that all too often an officer does not receive any jail time. However, because Ms. Damond was a white woman, some will cite this verdict as a miscarriage of justice given the verdict in the Castile case. But if one scrutinizes the evidence which was laid out in the Damond case, it's difficult to conclude that the jury's verdict was all that outlandish. And yes, I will agree that the officer involved in the shooting death of Mr. Castile in July 2016 should not have walked. But that doesn't mean the jury in Ms. Damond's case should've shirked its responsibility to examine all evidence and decide accordingly. Justice does not occur through additional injustices.

While this outcome obviously won't bring back Ms. Damond, her loved ones are taking solace in the fact that they feel justice was served. Unfortunately, the same can't necessarily be said for those Philando Castile left behind.

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