A few people over the years have asked what my stance is on legalizing marijuana; either for medical or recreational use. Maybe they wanted to know because of my law enforcement background. I’ve never responded because I find myself going back and forth in the marketplace of ideas. Here are my thoughts today. Remember, it’s ok to disagree with me. We can still be friends.
For medical purposes, I don’t know why it’s not already legal for people with certain pain that marijuana helps. For example, have you ever seen videos of some people with epilepsy use it? It’s actually amazing to see how quickly it works. Also, have you see what prescription pain meds do to people in the long and short run? To me, that’s truly painful. No pun intended.
For recreational use, and I want to be clear, I don’t believe any drug that alters our mind/body/spirit is good for us. I don’t condone any of it. I believe drugs are a way to dull our physical and spiritual senses and we can’t become our best selves with the talents we’ve been given.
However, let’s try this for an experiment. I would bet the farm that if marijuana and alcohol were switched for one week, meaning that if everyone who got drunk for the week, instead got stone-cold high, our crime rate across the country (especially violent crime) would fall by over 50% or more. Almost overnight. Especially including crimes like robbery, sex assault, aggravated assault, intimate partner violence (or DV), child abuse, and homicide (to name a few). Did you know that over 40% of convicted murderers had used alcohol before or during the crime?
When I was a police officer I remember dealing with A LOT of people who had been drinking the liquid courage and wanting to fight everyone who got in their way, including me. However, I don’t ever remember a fight between people who had been smoking pot. Not one.
I believe alcohol is THE worst drug on the planet (worse than most illegal drugs today) but somehow, it’s the only one that is legal. How does that make any amount of sense?
Everyone is talking about these “experiments” with marijuana to see if they medically help people. I get it. But I say we first start with my experiment. Switch the two for one week and watch what would happen. And because I not only believe crime rate would go down by 50%, I also believe 50% of law enforcement in our entire country would be twiddling their thumbs with not a lot to do at night. Would we need as many police? Think about that for a second.
So, if I were to be forced to “pick a poison” out of alcohol and marijuana for America, for me it would be marijuana no questions asked. I would vote tomorrow for the experiment. I believe I would be right.
Again, I’m not advocating any drug use. It’s all bad for society to be high for no other reason than being high. Just want to get a conversation going.
Great news so far- still has a ways to go- now it goes to the house. (Feb 2018)
The Utah police quota bill passed unanimously out of the senate committee today. It was harder than I thought to tell some of my stories and experiences at the Salt Lake City Police Department. I love the men and women at the department and law-enforcement around the country.
As expected, several police chiefs and heads of departments were against the bill the way it was written. Many showed up to speak against it. The whole time these questions ran through my mind… If there’s no such thing as police quotas, why come to contest this bill? If quotas didn’t exist, why dress up in uniform, drive to the Utah Capital, and publicly say you’re against a bill that changes behavior you claim to not have? Do you see what I mean?
I know I will now probably never get a job in law enforcement ever again in the state of Utah, but hopefully my experiences will help shape the culture that desperately needs to change. Allow the police and the public’s relationship to heal. Allow cops to be cops. They want to serve and protect, not have pressure to hit numbers imposed on them.
Thank you Senator Howard Stephenson for your fight to do this. Thank you Todd Weiler for your words today (your stories were great). Thank you Connor Boyack for your support and effort. Thank you Jeff Hardenbrook for your testimony about the South Jordan police and the 65 monthly mandatory ticket quota when you worked there.
I hope this bill can continue on and become a law. It’s good public policy for the state of Utah.
https://kutv.com/news/local/bill-forbidding-ticket-quotas-in-law-enforcement-moves-on
Pretty sure we can all agree we don’t want kids to die in “gun free zone” schools, where literally anyone can come in with a gun. But I wonder why can’t we all agree that protecting these same kids in school, with guns, is the answer that would actually work?
We protect stores, banks, court houses, sporting events, POLITICIANS, (including former Presidents who oppose guns) with, guess what? guns. The list goes on and on and on… But somehow we can’t seem to protect our futures greatest asset, our children, the next generation, with guns?
It’s time start protecting ALL of our schools with guns. Allow ALL teachers and staff who want to carry, to carry.
Make no mistake, the ultimate goal of the progressive left is 100% gun confiscation from the American people. They will creep in with any excuse to crush the Second Amendment.
One more disturbing narrative I’m seeing the progressives push is that anyone with a “mental illness” shouldn’t have access to a gun? Really? Who would be in control of such a National diagnosis? Judges and doctors with agendas? They are saying if someone has had Bi-polar and or depression they should be disqualified to buy or be around a gun.
Basically they are taking out 15-20% of the American population with one swipe. That’s just people that are being treated by medication. What about people who have or have had depression that are not currently taking meds? What about people who are self medicating with alcohol everyday? Are they disqualified too? That’s probably 40% of Americans who have experienced depression in their lives.
I remember a high number of police officers I worked with ,and or their wives, who suffered from depression or PTSD. What about them? If your spouse has had a “mental illness” can your gun now be taken under this line of thinking? Including a cop?
My prediction is once we get a very radical progressive into office, maybe after Trump, the Second Amendment will try to be repealed and you will see these ideas try to be put into action.
In order to keep our rights, it’s going to take a lot of voices and strong advocacy for the Second Amendment in the upcoming years. Mark my words.
May 1st 2018 – #Himtoo
Sandy Mayor Fires Police Chief for Giving Hugs? Or to cover up a real sexual scandal involving his buddy?
The last several days I’ve been trying to connect the dots on a case that has been troubling on my mind and heart. Years ago, after my gun and badge were taken for discrimination and my story was all over national news, I was a disaster. Of course, I was guilty, right? I was in the news, it had to be true!
Later, I met an incredible man named Chief Kevin Thacker of the Sandy City Police Department. 35 Years on the job. His reputation was always good. Not normal for a chief of police.
You could tell this guy was different than most chiefs I had ever met. He even told me he didn’t want the job as Chief at first, and definitely didn’t seek after it. A humble man. He was genuine and very concerned about my case. When I met him, he asked how my family was doing. He gave me comfort at the time. He asked questions that someone who actually cared about people would ask.
Well, I just read a story about how he was fired. I knew something was off after reading. Especially the way the Mayor was grandstanding the case. Not one, but three press conferences. Why three? Isn’t one enough?
Chief Thacker’s name was drug in the mud and all over the news for being some kind of sexual predator. The Mayor of Sandy, Kurt Bradburn said they need to give the people “Trasparency” and that’s why he was placed on leave weeks before he fired him. And that’s why the mayor needed to do the press shows, because of “transparency”. Ok. The Mayor said Thacker “engaged in inappropriate touching and unprofessional conduct with employees.”
What was the inappropriate conduct? What was the police chiefs crime?
Hugs…….(Very long pause) This isn’t a joke. Hugs. The man was fired for giving people hugs.
Now, this man’s 35 yr incredible career has come to this. People trying to equate him with the #metoo movement. No. No. And No. . https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46307345&nid=148
“By swiftly dealing with this issue, I hope we have upheld public trust and sent the message that this behavior won’t be tolerated by my administration,” The Mayor added.
However, nobody put in an official complaint about the case. What? That’s right. From what I am reading, nobody actually turned the chief in. Why? Because they were hugs. Many of the people in his office he hugged didn’t even want to testify at all. They loved him. Nobody had a real problem with it until the Mayor made a problem out of it.
But why would the Mayor do such a thing?
What I have recently discovered is that the Mayor, Kurt Bradburn, (oh ya the same guy who gave himself a 15K raise on the first day of being Mayor and was all over the news) failed to mention that his Chief City Admin Officer, Matthew Huish, actually had a formal sexual harassment open case against him.
He sent several “unprofessional” emails late in the evening to a female staffer. His text to her said..
“Of course! I ALWAYS have time for YOU! :-)” or “I’m not a man who is easily dissuaded, so expect to see me trying again soon! Haha” during a time when the two kept missing each other while trying to meet at work. Another said, “Hey Girl, (is that an HR violation?)”
Clearly Huish knew he was truly crossing lines. Why would he say “Is this an HR violation”?
Why didn’t the Mayor bring that little tid bit out in the name of transparency? Wouldn’t that have been an important side-note for everyone during one of the three press side-shows for the state to hear about destroying Thackers reputation? https://www.ksl.com/?sid=46311422&nid=148
A few questions…
Why, if transparency is such a big deal, did an actual sexual harassment claim and case just get a tiny headline today? Today? They have been investigating this for a while now. But AFTER Thacker was blasted in the news? And why, don’t we know the name of this city official in the KSL article? In fact, The heading says, “Sandy Administrator Cleared After Investigation.” Doesn’t say anything juicy about “sexual harassment” in his case. Like he did to Thacker. Shouldn’t we be consistent Mayor Bradburn in being transparent?
People of Sandy… It sounds like you need to start asking some tough questions. And it sounds like the Mayor is willing to destroy someone else’s life and reputation to possibly cover up a lot bigger problem with his buddies in office.
I can almost guarantee this Mayor will be in the news again, and it will be for a lot more than giving himself a 15K raise. Mark my words. I’m not for litigating as the go-to, but I hope Thacker lights the City of Sandy up with the biggest defamation case possible. They handled two cases that were supposedly the same, completely different. Dirty politics. But yet so clear to see. Time will only reveal more.
This is why politics will destroy lives. How many people can I throw under the bus to get to the top? This is why we need to elect moral and ethical leaders who know how to do the right thing, for the right reason. Sandy City, Wake Up.
Oh and.. I actually remember Thacker giving me a hug, and guess what, it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. A man hug. I think we not only need more guys like Thacker in our world, but we need a lot more hugs, too.
This article below needs to read, “Sandy has second sexual-harassment that was actually the first and only.”
https://www.sltrib.com/news/2018/05/01/sandy-has-a-second-sexual-harassment-investigation-of-a-city-official-staff-chief-is-cleared/
https://m.soundcloud.com/user-944114873/05-10-2018-loving-liberty-with-bryan-hyde-and-eric-moutsos?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=facebook
