It sure didn’t take long for events in the news to produce an apocalypse-
worthy article. These two items happened over the weekend, but a full schedule kept me from responding to them in a timely manner. But before I get started, I want to make something clear.
* Disclaimer: I am not participating in a political debate. The purpose of the Apocalypse Blog is to look at the current events with an eye towards how they fit into the prophecies of the Second Coming. I am not picking a political side. I am looking at the possible consequences for the events we are experiencing. Keep in mind that all of this comes from a guy who spends too much of his time wondering how the world will end and then writing stories about it.
Compton Shooting.
Image courtesy of Newsbreak
worthy article. These two items happened over the weekend, but a full schedule kept me from responding to them in a timely manner. But before I get started, I want to make something clear.
* Disclaimer: I am not participating in a political debate. The purpose of the Apocalypse Blog is to look at the current events with an eye towards how they fit into the prophecies of the Second Coming. I am not picking a political side. I am looking at the possible consequences for the events we are experiencing. Keep in mind that all of this comes from a guy who spends too much of his time wondering how the world will end and then writing stories about it.
Compton Shooting.
Image courtesy of Newsbreak
News Item #1 – Two LA Police Officers Ambushed
Saturday, September 12, 2002. An individual with a pistol, walked up to two Compton police officers and shot both. Each of the officers took a single shot to the head. Then the assailant fled the scene. The victims are a 31-year-old mother and her 24-year-old police partner.
People on the street, when the shooting happened, cheered the unprovoked attack. One individual even streamed himself laughing about the violence perpetrated against the officers. A crowd gathered at the hospital, while the officers were in surgery, and chanted, “We hope they die” and “Ya’ll going to die. One by one.” The crowd also blocked the entrance to the emergency room, putting other lives at risk.
Lancaster riot. Image courtesy of Red State
Saturday, September 12, 2002. An individual with a pistol, walked up to two Compton police officers and shot both. Each of the officers took a single shot to the head. Then the assailant fled the scene. The victims are a 31-year-old mother and her 24-year-old police partner.
People on the street, when the shooting happened, cheered the unprovoked attack. One individual even streamed himself laughing about the violence perpetrated against the officers. A crowd gathered at the hospital, while the officers were in surgery, and chanted, “We hope they die” and “Ya’ll going to die. One by one.” The crowd also blocked the entrance to the emergency room, putting other lives at risk.
Lancaster riot. Image courtesy of Red State
News Item #2 – Police Involved Shooting in Lancaster, PA.
Sunday, September 13, 2020. A man wielding a knife charges a Lancaster police officer. The officer shoots and kills the man after it first attempting to flee the situation. Based on the body-cam footage of the incident, it appears to be a case of self-defense.
As a result of the shooting, members of Black Lives Matter have rioted, taken up position in front of the local police station for the purpose of taunting officers, and finally a clash between police and the protesters.
These events happened during the same weekend, on opposite sides of the country. A sign that this is more than an isolated incident of bad behavior. Together, they represent the current state of mind for a growing segment of America. Together, they bracket the gateway into the apocalyptic world of Mad Max.
Sunday, September 13, 2020. A man wielding a knife charges a Lancaster police officer. The officer shoots and kills the man after it first attempting to flee the situation. Based on the body-cam footage of the incident, it appears to be a case of self-defense.
As a result of the shooting, members of Black Lives Matter have rioted, taken up position in front of the local police station for the purpose of taunting officers, and finally a clash between police and the protesters.
These events happened during the same weekend, on opposite sides of the country. A sign that this is more than an isolated incident of bad behavior. Together, they represent the current state of mind for a growing segment of America. Together, they bracket the gateway into the apocalyptic world of Mad Max.
Mad Max was the story of a police officer, attempting to keep his part of the world from devolving into utter chaos and barbarism. In the movie, he eventually embraces the same violence he originally sought to oppose. But that isn’t our story.
What connects the fictional story of Mad Max with the events that are taking place in the United States today, is what it means to Cross the Blue Line.
Police represent law and order in society. A level of respect and even admiration is expected to be shown to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our civil rights. They are a symbol of freedom and security. They are the living embodiment of the law and thusly the government.
In a normal, functioning society, the citizens take pause when it comes to how they interact with the police. After all, bad behavior directed at an officer of the law could result in penalties involving fines and imprisonment. And this is the way we want the system to work. The police can only protect us and enforce peace for as long as we respect their authority.
When society as a whole targets the police and actively works to hinder their ability to enforce the law, we have Crossed the Blue Line. It is the gateway to societal chaos. Crossing that line permits every variant of us vs. them to be explored because there is no one to stop the conflict between opposing factions. The actions citizens take are only limited by the lengths which each individual is willing to go in order to promote their own side of an argument.
Books and movies are filled with examples of what we expect it to look like when we Cross the Blue Line: Mad Max, Escape from New York, The Road, The Postman, and The Book of Eli. All of these stories show what happens when we eliminate the police from the equation. Power is taken by those strong enough to force others to their will. Property is taken by groups large enough to take it. The weak are enslave, killed, or worse.
Make no mistake about it. The authority of the police is under attack. More than one-hundred days of violent protest in Portland. The lawless CHOP zone in Seattle. Riots in major cities every time a police officer is involved in a shooting – even when it is the officer being shot. This is madness.
This is the apocalypse.
What connects the fictional story of Mad Max with the events that are taking place in the United States today, is what it means to Cross the Blue Line.
Police represent law and order in society. A level of respect and even admiration is expected to be shown to the brave men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our civil rights. They are a symbol of freedom and security. They are the living embodiment of the law and thusly the government.
In a normal, functioning society, the citizens take pause when it comes to how they interact with the police. After all, bad behavior directed at an officer of the law could result in penalties involving fines and imprisonment. And this is the way we want the system to work. The police can only protect us and enforce peace for as long as we respect their authority.
When society as a whole targets the police and actively works to hinder their ability to enforce the law, we have Crossed the Blue Line. It is the gateway to societal chaos. Crossing that line permits every variant of us vs. them to be explored because there is no one to stop the conflict between opposing factions. The actions citizens take are only limited by the lengths which each individual is willing to go in order to promote their own side of an argument.
Books and movies are filled with examples of what we expect it to look like when we Cross the Blue Line: Mad Max, Escape from New York, The Road, The Postman, and The Book of Eli. All of these stories show what happens when we eliminate the police from the equation. Power is taken by those strong enough to force others to their will. Property is taken by groups large enough to take it. The weak are enslave, killed, or worse.
Make no mistake about it. The authority of the police is under attack. More than one-hundred days of violent protest in Portland. The lawless CHOP zone in Seattle. Riots in major cities every time a police officer is involved in a shooting – even when it is the officer being shot. This is madness.
This is the apocalypse.
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