Sometimes the world just decides to rapidly cough up an answer to my questions, sort of.
"The global peace index... report says nearly two-thirds of the countries it ranks every year have become more violent since 2007... The United States ranks 85th, below Cuba and China and just ahead of Angola." That would be 85th for the US out of 149 countries or over half way down the list. It appears we surpass both China and CUBA in violence and I think much of the increase in the last year can be attributed to escalation by law enforcement.
I know where my feelings to be violent come from. They are reactive to a government that is becoming progressively more violent and aggressive; more likely to violate rights at a whim and even kill. Did you know that a federal officer recently shot a rock wielder and may have shot them on foreign soil? "The agent told the rock throwers to stop, then fired his weapon several times, hitting the boy", a boy aged 15! "The agent was not injured..." In response to the teen wielding rock: "It is a deadly force encounter, one that justifies the use of deadly force," [T.J. Bonner, president of the union representing Border Patrol agents] said.
"Mexicans ridiculed that stance." I am SO with the Mexicans on this one! Instantaneous death penalty for throwing rocks that didn't hit, that didn't harm AT ALL? Grow a brain Bonner!
That before that, another Mexican national was tasered to death? "Anastasio Hernandez, 42, who died after a Customs and Border Protection officer shocked him with a stun gun at the San Ysidro border crossing that separates San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico." (Tasers, non-lethal, yeah, uh huh, sure...)
Today, in the US, it is the government, it is law enforcement who are escalating the violence and it is disgusting to watch! More and reactive violence is exactly what these officers (and animal rights activists and anyone else who wants to violate well established rights) should expect. Dudes, that is how it works. I'm more than happy to leave you be, to follow reasonable laws, to even have a civilized dispute with you. However, when you take people's property by violence and in disregard to fundamental rights, how can you expect anything but a violent reaction? You may or may not get that violent reaction right then and there but you will leave behind someone spoiling for it and it may well boil over at a later time. No matter to me as it was law enforcement violence and escalation that started the dominoes of violence tumbling. As far as I'm concerned, law enforcement government, the courts, the legislators, the bureaucrats all get the blame for this. However, it is often the officer in the field who commits the violence and "just following orders" will NOT cut it with me as an excuse for doing what you know or should know is just plain wrong and illegal! It didn't cut it at My Lai and it won't cut it with me.
"Beacons of peace are New Zealand — which tops the index — Iceland, Japan, Austria, Norway, Ireland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Finland and Sweden." 2 days ago, I said: "The Australian Outback is looking better with every passing day..." Darned if I didn't pick one in the top 20!
Damn it to hell! I really want to stay in my home and country for the rest of my life but I don't want to defend my property by right of arms. I shouldn't have to! At least not from law enforcement!! For now, I stand ready to do just that and I contemplate leaving for another country that has done a better job of protecting the rights we purport to hold so dear while allowing governments and NPOs to thieve from us in violation of those most basic of rights.