Accountability and responsibility

By Jeff Orvis

Christmas Day, 2014. A lot of words are associated with this time of year: Peace, Prosperity, Charity and probably several more. As I prepared to jot down a few thoughts this time, considering recent events, a couple of words came to mind: Accountability and Responsibility.

These two words are closely associated, if not always synonymous. We are taught we are to be held accountable for our actions. If we don't, there are others, usually those in authority wearing a badge and carrying a weapon, will be responsible for us. The young man who was shot by Ferguson, MO police allegedly did not take proper responsibility when he robbed a convenience store and, again allegedly, attack the officer. The young man who recently was shot by a policeman a few miles down the road from there again allegedly did not take proper responsibility when he pulled a gun on the officer.

Sometimes the accountability and responsibility is shared by both the public and the police, as what apparently happened on the streets of New York when a man allegedly resisted arrest and was subsequently killed in an illegal choke hold by a policeman while some of his fellow officers did little to stop the incident.

While the friends and relatives of those who lost their lives are still mourning their passing, don't you think the officers involved are also suffering to some extent? First there were the interviews by police internal affairs and the district attorneys and the mountains of reports to be filed. If you can safely assume that at least most of those officers entered that line of work to help people, what internal turmoil they must still be suffering, knowing that they took another life, regardless of the circumstances.

While on the subject of our local police, while we are enjoying our families and opening our presents today, there are thousands of uniformed officers who are working hard, keeping us safe. If I was a policeman, I would dread working these holidays. People gather inside a home, liquor is consumed, arguments might start as the day progresses and in extreme cases, violence erupts. Police are called to stop the disturbance and often become the enemy, as all sides turn on them.

Of course, then we have the subsequent incidents in Missouri, where some misguided outlaws decided to capitalize on a bad situation by shooting, rioting and looting, destroying their own neighborhood. And just recently, a mentally challenged individual executed two policemen in their squad car, in retaliation for the death of the suspect on the New York street and for the suspect in Missouri.

So the question is, when will we all stop and accept responsibility for actions that sometimes lead to tragedy like this? In the wake of the massacre at the elementary school a couple of years ago, some apparently well-meaning politicians suggested that maybe it was “time for a conversation” on how to combat gun violence. I doubt that was much comfort to the parents of those kids and teachers who were murdered. The “conversation” won't bring them back.

There's another area of accountability and responsibility that has been troubling me recently. We see the commercials for the Humane Society, reminding us we should contribute to help homeless animals. We see commercials for various international aid groups seeking contributions to help the less fortunate here and abroad. Then we are seeing more and more commercials for a few organizations who are supposedly helping “wounded warriors.” Send $19 a month to one group and you will receive a blanket. Meanwhile, your contribution is supposed to help these returning warriors recover from their physical and emotional wounds.

I am mature enough to believe that our armed forces perform noble duties and keep us safe. They don't debate whether what they are doing in far off lands will have a lasting impact on our world. But many of them who are deployed to war zones do see at least a short term impact on the local population and their reward is knowing that they made a difference.

Recently, CNN has done an investigation into what percentage of donations to returning wounded veterans organizations actually go toward the veteran and how much is absorbed in fund raising costs and administrative overhead. The report indicated that some of the groups are spending far less than 50 percent of what they receive to help the returning veterans.

Aside from that, is it really the place of ordinary Americans to donate to ensure that those wounded in action receive prompt care and rehabilitation? If you believe that those who fight for us are true heroes, why won't our government treat them as such? Why so much red tape and delay at VA hospitals? Why isn't the government spending the money on the soldiers instead of donating some big, heavy armored vehicle to a small town police department that can barely afford gas for its two or three patrol car fleet?

If you enlist in the armed forces and serve one or more tours of duty in a combat zone, and come home minus a leg, arm, eye or nightmares that make you wake up nights screaming, your government should show its appreciation with superior and immediate medical care and a pension befitting a returning hero. Leave the pleas for donations from the public for abandoned dogs and cats. Our troops deserve much better treatment than that.

We need to ask some tough questions of our members of Congress. Hold them accountable. Demand that they take responsibility. After all, that's what we are paying them for.

Police situations, another opinion

By Jeff Orvis

Perhaps like never before has the issue of law enforcement been cussed and discussed. An unarmed shoplifting suspect is shot and killed in the street near St. Louis and soon the neighborhood is a powder keg of riots, looting and building burning. A big, unarmed man is approached by law officers in New York. He resists efforts by nearly a half-dozen cops to take him into custody and soon he lays dead on the sidewalk, the victim of an illegal choke hold.

Before the ink is even dry on the t-shirts, hundreds of athletes and others are wearing “hands up, don't shoot” or “I can't breathe” shirts. It's the latest fashion statement. Unfortunately, the statement comes from tragedy.

Social media is soon flooded with accounts of other violence involving law officers. Some of it allegedly stems from what police have done, but a lot of it is informing us of what is done to officers in the line of duty.

Through my former line of work, as well as other personal encounters, I have become acquainted with several local, county, state and federal law enforcement personnel. Having some understanding of what they experience every day, I have a hard time justifying jumping on the t-shirt bandwagon. Because of the availability of cell phones, it's hard to argue with those who feel the man in the New York case was a victim, regardless of what a grand jury might say. The situation in St. Louis is, and will be for some time, up for debate, as “witnesses” suddenly crawled out of the woodwork claiming the suspect was gunned down for no reason. That grand jury believed the officer, who said he felt his life was in danger because the suspect tried to grab his gun.

We expect a lot of our law officers. We send them off to classes, then slap a gun on their hip and expect them to protect us, all for as little as $35,000 a year to start. They are expected to make life and death decisions in a split second sometimes, often after hours of boring little action. They come to our aid seven days a week, every day of the year, in all kinds of weather, often missing or delaying holiday or birthday family celebrations of their own. They represent their city, county, state or nation, so they often have to act as public relations experts, keeping their own emotions in check, regardless of who they encounter.

I remember one time, when we were in church on a Sunday morning and a part-time police officer, since retired, was on duty. There was an ambulance call to our church for someone who had fainted. He came with the ambulance crew, then apologized for wearing a gun in the sanctuary. We quickly were sure to thank him for being there and accepted the fact he had every right to wear his firearm while on duty, even in church.

We are coming into the holiday season, when folks will gather together to celebrate, often with intoxicants. Emotions sometimes run high, resulting in disagreements. Domestic disputes can be some of the most dangerous for officers, who are often expected to keep the peace, even when it soon results in both sides turning on the police officer.

More than once, I've heard mothers of young kids warn them that they had better behave or that policeman over there will arrest them. I'd much rather hear the mother point to the officer and tell her child that he or she is there to protect them if they ever encounter a stranger or get hurt.

More than 99 percent of the time, police officers perform their duties admirably. Some people wonder why so much news has been devoted to the ongoing situations in St. Louis and New York. It's because what happened and what has happened since is news. We have a saying in the news business that while dog bites man may not be news, man bites dog is. It's something that thankfully doesn't happen every day.

I find it a bit amazing that many officers I have known firmly believe in the Second Amendment and the public's right to own guns. You would think their job might be safer if they didn't expect everyone they encounter would be packing heat. We have read of several recent situations where a seemingly routine traffic stop has resulted in a shooting of a police officer. Seems like those of us who are still unarmed are becoming the minority.

Regarding the situation in St. Louis, I have to comment on the morons who decided it would be a good idea to celebrate the grand jury's decision by torching several businesses in their neighborhood, stealing whatever they could carry. Don't they know this is like spitting on the grave of the man they thought was unjustly killed? Don't they realize they are destroying some of the places they shopped, some of them owned by their neighbors? All this did was intensify and prolong the tragedy.

I guess the moral of this rambling piece is the next time you are rolling down the highway and you encounter a policeman on the side of the road, don't mutter some oath. Take your foot off the gas a little. The next time you are stuck in a snowbank on the side of the road or are involved in a traffic accident and a state patrolman or county deputy comes to your aid, say a little prayer of thanks that he or she was there to help.

Hawks are going bowling again. Some first thoughts

By Jeff Orvis

Some immediate thoughts in the wake of the news that Iowa will play Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Bowl on Jan. 2, 2015:

Many fans were disappointed with the Hawks' 7-5 record this season. Coach Kirk Ferentz and the man before him, Hayden Fry, set the bar pretty high over the past 20+ years. This year's team had plenty of promise, with experienced players at many positions and a premed major at quarterback, along with a former Air Force Academy student as the main running back.

My parents instilled in me the gift of optimism. Sometimes it is a hindrance, when you always see the glass as half-full until you are proved wrong. With that in mind, consider the fact that the Hawks had a legitimate chance at winning every game they played, except for that laugher at Minnesota. They were eight total points away from a 10-2 season and 15 points away from an 11-1 campaign. They lost two games by three points each, another by two and a third by a touchdown.

With that in mind, along with the way Hawk fans love to follow their team to bowl games, they were rewarded with a Jan. 2 bowl in Florida against an opponent with a rich tradition.

Before the bowl invitation was received, Athletic Director Gary Barta indicated that he still has full confidence in Ferentz. He is evidently not alone, as the bowl scouts seem to agree. When an AD makes such a statement, some coaches may start packing their bags, as sometimes this is a prelude to a firing.

While I don't think that is the case here, Barta is a man of character. But several factors could still lead to a new coaching staff before next season. If the Hawks don't perform well in the bowl game, there could be trouble. If the fans don't follow their team to Florida with the customary enthusiasm, the handwriting could be on the wall. Or if the frustration displayed by some fans was reflected in a drop in financial support for the program, we all know that money talks in big time athletics. This year's single game ticket prices of $60-$70 spoke a specific language to me: “Not in this lifetime.”

A more remote possibility could be that Ferentz may decide this would be a good time to explore other opportunities. He's said his family likes living in Iowa City. But he and his wife have just one child still in school, Steven, who is completing his third year in the Iowa program. The coach has prior experience as an NFL assistant coach and depending on his level of enthusiasm for the college game, he might entertain offers to move up to the next level as a head coach. Looks like San Francisco could be a real possibility, for instance.

A lot of the talking heads on national TV have said that the Big Ten isn't a premiere football conference this year. But it's interesting that 10 teams from the league are going bowling this year. Not too bad for a weak conference.