America is all up in the air about the death of yet another black man who died while he was under arrest by police officers. Another similar case was of another black man who was arrested for selling individual cigarettes on the streets to make some money. I believe he was charged with selling non-taxed tobacco products in opposition of the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Laws of the country. In that case several officers took hold of an obese black man and wrestled him down to the ground to handcuff him and secure the arrest. In the melee, the obese black man kept saying, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe”. He died in custody to the loud objections of most of the black populace in America. I believe that case resulted in rioting, looting and the burning of private property in the community, and indeed spread to several communities in America.

Now, a similar case is filling the news cycles of the land and all America is up in arms about yet another black man dying in the custody of police officers, while calling out that he could not breathe. Minutes after the man ceased from movement, the officers called an ambulance and the police reports say that he was transported to a medical facility where he died. Note, that the reports say he died in the hospital, not on the ground with a police officer’s knee on his neck. A video on the TV news reports show an officer, after having handcuffed the suspect (note that I said suspect) has his knee on the neck of the black suspect while he was on the ground. Another video shows that the suspect was not resisting when the officers approached him to question him.

According to reports, the black man, George Floyd, was arrested after the police responded to reports of a forgery in progress. Whether Mr. Floyd was guilty of forgery or not would be the business of the criminal courts to discover evidence, find facts, hear witnesses, and make the determination of whether to declare him guilty or not guilty. That is the business of the criminal courts of the land, because Mr. George Floyd has a presumption of innocence until proven guilty. That is a Constitutional Right afforded to all U.S. citizens in this country. Every person is considered by law to be innocent UNTIL proven guilty by a judge or jury of his/her peers. That is one of the liberties afforded the citizens of this country by the Constitution of the United States of America. Mr. Floyd could look forward to his day in court…but his life was cut short before he could appear before that court and plead his case.

George Floyd had the right to an attorney and to a trial by a jury of his peers. The country is demanding that those officers be arrested and charged with Mr. Floyd’s death. And, if they are charged, those officers also have a right afforded by the same U.S. Constitution to be considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. So, the Constitution affords all its citizens to have certain, unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We are a Republic, a nation built on the rule of law. America is a unique place in the family of nations in that respect. Every person is given the right of being declared innocent before a trial finds the facts and determines guilt.

But, those citizens who are rioting, looting, and burning the cities of America DO NOT HAVE A RIGHT to destroy private property; they do not have a right to steal everything they can lay their hands on; they do not have a right to burn down a private business or home or destroy vehicles or any other property or take or harm any other lives. No one has a right to violate the law. And, the atrocities of nobody, not even the police officers in that case, gives anyone the green light to start a wholesale destruction of our society, just because they are angry or because they perceive an injustice has been done. There is an old saying, one that our parents used at many opportunities that says, “two wrongs don’t make a right”. So simple, but so true. Momma was right; we do not have a right or privilege to do harm to anyone’s property or lives because we deem ourselves to have been dealt an injustice. That is what the courts of the land are for. Let the laws take their course and give liberty a chance to work, yet another time.

Although we may be incensed at the wrongdoing of a person or persons, we do not have the liberty to take liberties with other people’s property. Those business owners whose property is on fire had nothing to do with Mr. Floyd’s arrest or his death after he was brought into custody. Those private citizens had nothing to do with any of the wrongs either. So, they too have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No one is above the law, no one!

Notice in this article, that I do not use the term, racial discrimination. I also do not call the members of the black population African Americans. Those terms are misused and abused in our country today and it should stop. If any citizen of this country calls themselves any hyphenated-American name, then they are not a citizen of this country that affords us all with so many liberties and freedoms. To call yourself anything other than a total American, not a hyphenated American, is unpatriotic. I know that there are many people who have a deep-seated hatred for this country, but they should take a clear look at the freedoms that they enjoy in this country. To hyphenate your Americanism is not American. We should pledge allegiance to the flag, and we should defend our country against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I have taken that oath twice in my life and there is not expiration date on either of them. When I joined the United States Marine Corps, I raised my right hand and swore that I would defend my nation against ALL enemies, both foreign and domestic. Then, when I was sworn in as a Georgia Conservation Ranger, I took the same pledge again, with a slight difference, I also swore to defend the constitution of the State of Georgia and the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, both foreign and domestic.

When I see people that claim to be African-Americans storming the streets of a city while looting, burning, stealing and destroying property that doesn’t belong to them, I see self-proclaimed non-Americans; I see domestic enemies of the land, and I am sworn to defend my state and nation against such villains, just as if they were Taliban, or Nazis, or Communists or any other group determined to destroy America. There is no room in this country for such anti-American activity. Two wrongs do not make a right and looting America is not going to set peace and order back into existence. Again, that is a job for the courts of the land. Everybody is presumed innocent in America until proven guilty; lets defend her and her laws. The Constitution is two hundred and forty-four years old and is as strong today as it ever was. America still stands as a shining beacon on a hill, for all Americans, indeed also for all the world to see.

God Bless America