The Becker Report – June 2020
Beckerisms
Black Lives Matter (BLM): The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
The Good
It is good that attention has been drawn to the need for police to maintain order and a functioning society. Police reforms are needed where over-policing occurs and bad cops should be rooted out.
The Bad
The current civil unrest and calls for racial justice occurred after the death of George Floyd. There is no indication, evidence, or any allegations that his death was racially motivated or that race was even a factor. Only the cop involved knows what he was thinking at the time. Nobody else does.
Regardless of skin tone or race, no cop (or anybody else) has, or should have, the authority to play judge, jury, and executioner. I, like everybody else, was appalled by what I saw on that video. I certainly don’t have all the facts, but how can a man who is laying on his belly, cuffed “require” a knee in his throat until he takes his last breath? The nation is justifiably aghast.
Are the protests and riots justified? How often do cops kill black people? What are the statistics?
According to this Breitbart story, the Washington Post is the repository for the statistics on police shootings. It’s an interesting read.
An explanation and analysis of those statistics are in this Tucker Carlson clip. A (less than perfect) transcript beginning at about 9 minutes and 30 seconds is as follows:
Last year, the Post logged a total of 1,004 killings. Of the 802 shootings in which the race of the police officer and the suspect was noted, 371 of those killed were white. 236 were black. The vast majority of those killed were not in fact unarmed. The vast majority were armed, and African-American suspects were significantly more likely to have a deadly weapon than white suspects. Yet more white suspects were killed. Overall, there were a total of precisely 10 cases in the US last year, according the Washington Post, in which unarmed African-Americans were fatally shot by the police. There were nine men and one woman. As we said, a lot is at stake. The country is at stake. We want to take the time now to go through these case by case, into the specifics.
1) Channara Tom Pheap: According to Knoxville Police Officer Dylan Williams, Pheap attacked him, choked him, and then used a TASER on him (suspect on the police officer) before the officer shot him. Five eyewitnesses corroborated the officer’s claim. The officer was not charged.
2) Marcus McVae: Was, by any description, a career criminal from San Angelo, Texas. He’d been convicted of aggravated assault, assault on a public servant, and organized criminal activity. At the time he was killed, he was wanted on drug dealing charges, which is why the state trooper pulled him over. McVeigh fled in his car, then he fled on foot into the woods. There, he fought with the trooper and was shot and killed. The officer was not charged in the case.
3) Marzeus Scott: Assaulted a shop employee. When a female officer arrived and ordered the suspect toward her car, he instead charged her and knocked her to the ground. At that point, she shot and killed him. The entire incident was caught on body camera. The officer was not charged.
4) Ryan Twyman: Was being approached by two LA County Deputies when he backed into one of them with his vehicle. The deputy was caught in the car door. He and his partner opened fire. The deputies were not charged in that case.
5) Melvin Watkins: Shot by a deputy after he allegedly drove his car toward the deputy at high speed. The deputy was not charged.
6) Isaiah Lewis: He wasn’t just unarmed, he was completely naked. Lewis broke into a house and attacked a police officer. The police TASE’d Lewis, but he kept coming at them and attacking. The officer shot him. They were not charged.
7) Atatiana Jefferson: Shot by a Fort Worth officer named Aaron Dean. A neighbor had called a non-emergency number after seeing Jefferson’s door open, thinking something might be wrong. Police arrived, Jefferson saw them approach from a window, and was holding a gun at the time. According to body camera footage, the officer shot Jefferson within seconds. That officer has been charged with homicide.
8) Christopher Whitfield: Shot and killed in a place called Ethel, Louisiana. He’d robbed a gas station. Deputy Glenn Sims said his gun discharged accidentally while grappling with Whitfield. Sims, who is black himself, was not charged in that killing.
9) Kevin Mason: Shot by police during a multi-hour standoff. While Mason turned out not to have a gun, Mason claimed to have a gun, claimed to be armed, and vowed to kill police with it. They believed him. Mason had been in a shootout with police years before.
10) Gregory Griffin: Shot during a car chase. An officer named Giovanni Crespo claimed he saw someone pointing a gun at him. Later a gun was in fact found inside the vehicle, and yet officer Crespo was charged anyway with aggravated manslaughter.
Those are the facts. That is the entire list from 2019- last year- 10 deaths. In five deaths, an officer was attacked just before the shooting occurred. That is not disputed. One allegedly was an accident. That leaves a total of four deaths during a pursuit or in a standoff. Out of four, in two of those cases- in fully half- the officer was criminally charged. Is it possible that more of these officers should have been charged? Of course it’s possible, justice is not always served. That’s for sure. Either way, this is a very small number in a country of 325 million people.
This is not genocide. It’s not even close to genocide. It’s laughable to suggest it is. In fact, the number of police killings is dropping. In 2015 during Barack Obama’s presidency, 38 unarmed black Americans and 32 whites were slain by police. Overall, totals have fallen since then, and they have fallen far more dramatically for African American men. Last year was the safest year for unarmed suspects since the Washington Post began tracking police shootings. It was the safest year for both white and black suspects. At the same time, this country remains a dangerous place for police officers. 48 of them were murdered in 2019, according to FBI data. That’s more than the number of unarmed suspects killed of all races.
One final number for you, because it matters: in 2018, 7,407 African Americans were murdered in the United States. If 2019 continues on a similar trajectory- and we hope it doesn’t. If it does, that would mean that for every unarmed African American shot to death in the United States by police, more than 700 were murdered by someone else, usually by someone they know. Again, those are the facts. They are not in dispute. Are African Americans being hunted, as Joy Reid recklessly claimed on MSNBC recently? Or is something else happening? Is our nation being ripped apart by a total and complete lie- a provable lie- a lie used by cynical media manipulators and unscrupulous politicians who understand that racial strife- race hatred- is their path to power, even if it destroys the country? You have the facts now, and you can decide what’s really going on.
The Ugly
BLM protesters seem to be a mix of the younger range of the millennial spectrum, anarchists, socialists, fascists, and communists. Many call themselves “Democratic Socialists.” Others call themselves “ANTIFA.” That stands for “anti-fascist.” Their name is an oxymoron because their tactics are fascist. They are the military wing of BLM. Similarly, the KKK was the military wing of the Democrat Party back in the day.
During 2016, BLM protesters murdered five cops and wounded seven others in Dallas. They murdered three and wounded three more in Baton Rouge. In 2020, they murdered one cop in Oakland, one in St. Louis and critically injured another in Las Vegas. Many cops have been shot including one in Cincinnati who took a bullet in his helmet but was uninjured. Nearly 400 NYPD officers have been hurt. Many more have suffered injuries in the nationwide riots. At least a dozen people have been killed so far. According to the FBI, 48 officers were feloniously killed in various situations in 2019.
Their chants have included, “Pigs in a blanket, fry ‘em like bacon.” And “What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want them? Now.” Unfortunately, their purposeful killing and destroying has been all too successful.
In addition to terrorizing citizens and assaulting and killing police officers, arson, looting, and vandalism is prominent. In Minneapolis, property damage will be in excess of $50 million. The Statehouse in Columbus has suffered $200,000 in damage so far and the city’s expenses has reached $3.3 million. A long list of damages have also occurred in Cincinnati.
From the Movement for Black Lives website (M4BL):
We are Abolitionist:
We believe that prisons, police and all other institutions that inflict violence on Black people must be abolished and replaced by institutions that value and affirm the flourishing of Black lives.
We believe in centering the experiences and leadership of the most marginalized Black people, including but not limited to those who are trans and queer, women and femmes, currently and formerly incarcerated, immigrants, disabled, working class, and poor.
We believe in transformation and a radical realignment of power:
The current systems we live inside of need to be radically transformed, which includes a realignment of global power. We are creating a proactive, movement-based vision instead of a reactionary one.
We build kinship with one another:
We draw from political lessons, grow in our leadership, and expanding our base to build a stronger movement.
We are anti-capitalist:
We believe and understand that Black people will never achieve liberation under the current global racialized capitalist system.
We are self-reflexive and do the work required to dismantle cisgender privilege and uplift Black trans folk, especially Black trans women who continue to be disproportionately impacted by trans-antagonistic violence.
We build a space that affirms Black women and is free from sexism, misogyny, and environments in which men are centered.
We practice empathy. We engage comrades with the intent to learn about and connect with their contexts.
We make our spaces family-friendly and enable parents to fully participate with their children. We dismantle the patriarchal practice that requires mothers to work “double shifts” so that they can mother in private even as they participate in public justice work.
We disrupt the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another, especially our children, to the degree that mothers, parents, and children are comfortable.
We foster a queer‐affirming network. When we gather, we do so with the intention of freeing ourselves from the tight grip of heteronormative thinking, or rather, the belief that all in the world are heterosexual (unless s/he or they disclose otherwise).
There is a lot there to comment on, but it largely explains the problem rather than the solution. The ticket out of and/or to avoid poverty is to finish high school, get married, stay married, and then have children; in that sequence. A livable wage is earned commensurate with a skillset. Vocational education is a low cost way to acquire skills in high demand by the building trades.
None of what I’m describing is race specific or requires any so-called social justice. Maybe I should be more blunt: Keep your pants on, stay out of trouble, stay in school, and learn a trade. That simple formula is the basis for avoiding poverty and becoming economically successful.
Who are the racists?
All of us are biased and prejudiced to one extent or another. Stereotypes exist for a reason. The best among us are able to recognize all of that, set it aside, and give people the benefit of the doubt based on the evidence at hand.
Will Becker become “Woke”???
I had to look up the word to find out what that means: “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).” (BTW, this is a must watch 5-minute video on Social Justice.)
So, will Becker become “Woke”? Yes!!! I’m very much looking forward to meeting with whoever can help me become “woke.” I’ve taken the initiative to reach out to multiple people to help me with that. And I’ll continue to reach out to them and others.
I’ve always said that I’m willing to meet with anybody on any topic. (And I’ve had some “interesting” meetings.) I’ve met with many policy opponents who have helped me to understand their point of view. I love that! Although nobody has ever convinced me to adopt a liberal position on any topic, I’ve gained respect for their point of views after those meetings. I’ve generally found them to be good people who mean well. We simply come from different backgrounds, have different life experiences, different world views, and different constituencies. And that’s okay. We can learn from each other, respect each other, disagree, and still be friends. I’m okay with that. Being graceful and empathetic is never a bad thing.
Will Becker “take a knee”?
I will not “take a knee” against America during the National Anthem or any other time. Furthermore, I will not bow down to terrorists, arsonists, cop killers, thugs, vandals, looters, anarchists, socialist, communists, or anybody else who hates America.
I hope I’ve made myself clear.
Reparations
Both sides of my family came from Germany in the 1800s. Does that make me a German-American?
No. I’m a full-blooded American.
Regardless, both WWI and WWII were fought against the Germans, et. al. Since discrimination may have occurred against some of my ancestors during those wars, does that qualify me for reparations?
No. Living in, and being a citizen of, this country is a great honor. Our republic is a representative form of government. Rule of law, and equal opportunity for all, is second to none. Despite the flaws of our nation and every human being, I am, and always have been, a proud American. Period!
Defund/Disband the Police?
Argument for Yes: If we limited the experiment to Minneapolis, the nation would witness the results of anarchy, warlords, and gang rule. Businesses and residents would be forced to pay for protection or suffer the consequences. If “street justice” is what the citizens of Minneapolis want, then they can have the mob rule that they deserve.
Argument for No: As a fellow American, it would be horrifying to watch one of our cities descend into anarchy and mob rule. Police protection is essential to liberty and maintaining law and order. Only a liberal could come up with such a stupid idea.
Maliciously tear down statues and destroy the past?
Well, if I were a Democrat and the Party of segregationists, KKK, George Wallace, and slave owners, I too would be ashamed of my past. At least they have the decency to be embarrassed by their history.
Conversely, the Republican Party has always been the Party of freedom, civil rights, liberty, and equal opportunity for all.
Regardless, elected officials and their appointees decide what statues go where. Anarchy, vigilantism, and hate-filled mobs, are just that. Elected officials and law enforcement are derelict in their duties by allowing mob rule.
US Supreme Court continues to undermine the republic.
Without regard to how you feel about the issues decided by the high Court, the problem is that they operate outside of the law. In their minds, the law is whatever they say it is. And unfortunately, they’re right. We the people, have the government we deserve.
The judicial branch was never intended to be the policy making body of the United States nor were they ever intended to have veto power over the executive branch, legislative branch, nor the states. These are unconstitutional powers that the judiciary granted to themselves.
See Bill Federer’s June 26, 2020 American Minute.
Becker Bills in the Ohio House of Representatives
HR 55 – Build the Wall. This resolution urging congress to fund a physical barrier across the southern border has been assigned to the Transportation Committee and has had one hearing.
HB 39 – Replica Vehicles. John Patterson asked me to do this bipartisan bill with him. It creates a special category for these unique vehicles. It is in the Transportation Committee.
HB 153 – Working Officials Requirements Key (WORK) Act. This bill requires county elected officials to show up at their office at least five times every 30 days. It is in the State and Local Government Committee and has had two hearings.
HB 176 – Convention and Visitors’ Bureaus. This is a bill I’m doing with Tom Brinkman. It requires open records.
HB 182 – Abortion Insurance Coverage. The bill stops insurance companies from paying for abortions. It does not apply to self-insured private companies nor does it prevent any company from directly contracting with an abortionist. It has been assigned to the Insurance Committee and has had its first hearing.
HB 219 – Sunday Alcohol, Liquor, and Especially Spirits Act (SALES). I’m doing this bill with Representative Jim Hoops. In short, HB 219 removes the Sunday option. All businesses currently allowed to sell alcohol during the week will also be allowed Sunday sales. Voters retain the option to vote their precinct dry. It has been incorporated into HB 674 and requires no further action.
HB 389 – Allows nonprofit organizations to give away alcohol for fundraising purposes. John Rogers reached out to me to do this bipartisan bill. It simply legalizes the common practice of churches raffling off booze at fundraisers.
HB 505 – Restores local control for zoning authority of halfway houses. This is a bipartisan bill. Representative Crossman asked to be part of it.
HB 538 – Human Life Protection Act – Upon the reversal of Roe v. Wade, Ohio becomes a pro-life state.
HB 618 – Need Ohio Working – (NOW) – This bill reopens Ohio for business and prevents the abuse of power from happening again. It has been assigned to the State and Local Government committee.
HB 674 – Revises alcohol laws. Brett Hillyer and I teamed up to get this passed. The bill incorporates HB 219 (SALES) and other reforms. It passed the Ohio House and was referred to the Senate Committee on Agriculture & Natural Resources, chaired by Sen. Frank Hoagland.
Video Central
How Small Communities can COMMAND Law and Order ~ Rex Reviews (31 minutes)
Tucker Carlson: Why Are Americans Surrendering To Mobs? Kneeling Will Never Be Good Enough For Them (16 minutes)
Candace Owens: “I DO NOT support George Floyd!” & Here’s Why! (18 minutes)
Tucker: Liberal activists now want to ‘defund the police’ (10 minutes)
George Soros ‘Paid Protestor’ Opens Up To TYT! (2 minutes)
Barr says active duty troops should only be deployed within U.S. “as a last resort” (18 minutes)
Tucker: Black Lives Matter is now a political party (25 minutes)
Defund the Police: What’s a Better Way to Do Public Safety and Racial Justice? (20 minutes)
Black Lives Matter Support Leaps in U.S. Public Opinion in Wake of George Floyd Death (16 minutes)
This is my introduction of HB 618: Need Ohio Working (NOW) Act on June 9, 2020 (5 minutes)
This is my floor speech from June 11, 2020 on HB 425 – Repeal of Duty to Notify (2 minutes)
ANTIFA: The truth behind the mask (10 minutes)
Tucker: The world welcomes its newest country (16 minutes)
Tucker: The new nation of CHAZ is a lesson for us all (7 minutes)
Epic! Tucker Carlson Runs Tourism Ad for CHAZ Antifa-Anarchist Autonomous Zone in Seattle (2 minutes)
Ben Shapiro DEBUNKS Viral ‘Systemic Racism Explained’ Video (18 minutes)
Fair Argument Against “Systemic Racism” (8 minutes)
Let Them Have C.H.A.Z.: Seattle’s Armed Camp Run by Warlords Best Ad for Progressivism (15 minutes)
I don’t know anything about police work, but this might be the reason for choke holds and other aggressive restraints (2 minutes)
Police Reform Dem vs. GOP Style: Make Suing Cops Easier, Make Lynching a Hate Crime (16 minutes)
Freed from History: Boston Mayor Backs Petition to Take Down Emancipation Memorial (14 minutes)
Inside CHAZ (the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone) (5 minutes)
White Privilege is MADE UP by Leftists (14 minutes)
Take Down White European Jesus: Progressive Calls to Remove White Supremacy Tool (13 minutes)
Facebook Content Moderator: ‘If Someone’s Wearing MAGA Hat, I’m Going to Delete Them for Terrorism’ (20 minutes)
BLACK PEOPLE ARE NOT OPPRESSED IN AMERICA (10 minutes)
Graduation 2020: The Covid Class (5 minutes)
Black America Needs Fathers (6 minutes)
Get the latest information from the CDC about COVID-19 (as of June 2, 2020) (30 minutes)
Candace Owens BROKE THE INTERNET OVER GEORGE FLOYD RANT (16 minutes)
HOW I SWITCHED FROM DEMOCRAT TO REPUBLICAN (13 minutes)
Who Is Booker T. Washington? (5 minutes)
America’s Failed Social Experiment: Are You On Team Red or Team Blue? (13 minutes)
‘Black Lives Matter’ Is Not Helping Blacks This is a MUST watch (25 minutes)
The Mainstream Media Will Not Tell the Truth About Black Lives Matter (7 minutes)
Who’s More Radical: The Left or the Right? (5 minutes)
Will Witt Debunks “Defunding the Police” (5 minutes)
Boy Scouts of America Bows to Black Lives Matter (4 minutes)
Jordan Peterson Debunks White Privilege Brandon Tatum is awesome!!! (6 minutes)
Tom Zawistowski nails it again (70 minutes)
‘Eat the Rich’: Mercedes Burns as Dealership Heavily Damaged During Oakland Riot (1 minute)
The Candace Owens Show: What Does Black America Want? (17 minutes)
The Ferguson Lie (6 minutes)
Americanos: Anthony Cabassa (15 minutes)
RNC ad: This isn’t about justice, it’s about destroying America (1 minute)
I WILL NEVER DISRESPECT MY FLAG OR MY COUNTRY (2 minutes)
Candace Owens GoFundMe Account SUSPENDED – My Thoughts! (12 minutes)
TRUTH ABOUT ELIJAH MCCLAIN THE MEDIA WON’T TELL YOU (6 minutes)
Aunt Jemima & Other Foods With Black Branding Now Deemed Racist! (16 minutes)
The Candace Owens Show: Marc Lamont Hill “Black Lives Matter is a terrorist unit” (80 minutes)
Black K State Athletes threatened to QUIT OVER GEORGE FLOYD TWEET (7 minutes)
ST LOUIS COUPLE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE CLOWNS (10 minutes)
Tucker: Ordinary citizens stand up as politicians cower to the rage mob (11 minutes)
Flipper: Chief Justice Roberts Strikes Down Abortion Restriction He Upheld Before (16 minutes)
The Left Couldn’t Care Less About Blacks (90 seconds)
ANOTHER Black Teenager Shot And Killed in CHAZ / CHOP! (11 minutes)
Marc Lamont Hill Tells Candace Owens Men Can Have Babies! (12 minutes)
Family Guy Voice Actor Quits Role Because He’s White! (11 minutes)
Event Calendar
July 13, 2020
2020 Clermont Chamber Salute to Leaders at the Oasis beginning at 5:30 PM.
July 29, 2020
2020 Clermont Chamber Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner at the Oasis beginning at 5:30 PM.
Becker – Vetted, Tested, and Proven!
“Clermont County State Rep. John Becker, one of the most conservative members of the Ohio House…” according to Cleveland.com (August 2019).
Becker wins “Sponsor of Liberty” award by the Republican Liberty Caucus of Ohio (October 2018).
“Becker has a legitimate claim as the state’s most conservative legislator,” according to The [Cleveland] Plain Dealer (September 2017).
“Rep. John Becker, suburban Cincinnati Republican… [holds] the unofficial title as the General Assembly’s most conservative lawmaker,” proclaimed the Columbus Dispatch (September 2015).
Becker wins prestigious William Wilberforce Leadership Award (April 2015). “GOP Ohio House freshman Becker is no shrinking violet,” headlined the Columbus Dispatch (December 2014).
“Becker…is arguably the most conservative member of the Ohio House,” said The Cincinnati Enquirer (January 2014).
Ranked as a top tier “most archconservative” by the Columbus Dispatch (September 2013).
If you prefer to donate online, please click this link or one of my donate buttons at www.BeckerGOP.com.
| Introduction (38 seconds) | Second Amendment (36 seconds) |
| Taxes (49 seconds) | Energy (55 seconds) |
| Pro-Life (42 seconds) | Creation Science and Evolution (42 sec.) |
| State Government Spending (45 sec.) | |
| State Government (37 seconds) |
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Disclaimer
Nothing in this newsletter constitutes legal advice. I am not an attorney and do not play one on TV. This newsletter is not sanctioned by the GOP, ORP, or any organization, or affiliation. Much of it is simply my opinion. I am fully and solely responsible for my opinion. Although I strive for accuracy, this is not “The Gospel according to John.” Additionally, I don’t necessarily try to be “fair and balanced.” After all, I didn’t get into politics to be a news reporter. My agenda is to influence public policy consistent with Southern Ohio conservative values. For more information on my motivations or how to get involved, see: What is a Central Committee?