Freedom Is Not Free

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” ― Ronald Reagan

In recent years, our beloved country has seen massive amounts of damage done to our society. The advent of Defund the Police to criminals being hailed as Martyrs or Servants of our Society. Politicians have ensured the downfall of our society largely while lining their pockets with US Citizens Tax Dollars and insider trading.

At the end of his vice presidency, Joe Biden had a net worth of 2.5 million dollars according to GoBankingRates. That was 8 million dollars on the day he became president and has increased to 32 million dollars.

It’s possible that President Biden simply followed the stock trading of Nancy Pelosi, who recently made 50% in one year but who knows?

Recently, Xahra Saleem, a 23-year-old Black Lives Matter activist from London, was been sentenced to a two-and-a-half-year prison term for committing fraud by misappropriating funds intended for a charity aiding disadvantaged youth in Bristol. Saleem, who served as the director of the charity “Changing Your Mindset,” orchestrated a fundraising campaign during a Black Lives Matter protest in June 2020 to secure personal protective equipment amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite raising over £32,000 (approximately $39,000 USD) for the cause, Saleem diverted the donations into her personal bank accounts. Subsequently, she spent the money on personal expenses, including an iPhone, beauty appointments, clothing, Amazon purchases, and transportation, among other luxuries. Judge Michael Longman highlighted Saleem’s misuse, emphasizing that she made over 2,500 personal payments from the account meant for charitable purposes.

The judge criticized Saleem’s failure to transfer the funds into a designated business account for the charity, despite assurances to handle the donations securely. Saleem’s delayed actions in rectifying the issue and her conversation with a friend via WhatsApp discussing the fraud further underscored concerns about her intentions.

Initially pleading not guilty, Saleem later admitted to the crime, expressing remorse for her actions. She attributed her decision-making to suffering from psychosis, which she claimed affected her judgment. Following the misuse of funds, the charity “Changing Your Mindset” ceased operations.

This incident not only sheds light on the misuse of charitable donations but also raises questions about the accountability and responsibility of individuals entrusted with managing such funds.

Frank David Sensabaugh, a prominent Black Lives Matter (BLM) leader in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as “Frank Nitty,” was apprehended by Milwaukee police under suspicion of felony third-degree sexual assault on Monday night, igniting controversy and concerns within the activist community.

Sensabaugh, 39, gained recognition as a BLM activist in the wake of George Floyd’s death, spearheading and organizing protests in Milwaukee, Kenosha, and other cities. His arrest, broadcasted live on Facebook, showcased a tense situation as Sensabaugh’s son took over filming during the police confrontation. Off-camera, a scuffle ensued between Sensabaugh’s associate and a police officer.

In a recorded plea to his supporters, Sensabaugh requested financial assistance for his expenses while in custody, emphasizing his lack of cash. This arrest isn’t Sensabaugh’s first encounter with the law; his criminal history involves prior charges related to drug manufacturing, driving with a revoked license, and a substantial backlog of over $92,000 in unpaid child support, according to Wisconsin public records.

Earlier in August, Sensabaugh faced disorderly conduct charges after leading a group to obstruct traffic on an Indiana highway. Moreover, on August 24, he participated in a BLM protest on private property in rural Michigan that resulted in a tense standoff, leading to a protester’s injury amid crossfire.

Sensabaugh’s arrest has prompted outcry and raised questions within the BLM movement, highlighting his controversial past and bringing attention to the balance between activism and legal accountability in social justice movements.

In a recent development, Anthony Sivanthaphanith, a former interim treasurer of Iowa City Pride, admitted guilt on Monday for embezzling more than $35,000 from the LGBTQ organization in 2021. Charged initially with first-degree theft, Sivanthaphanith entered a plea agreement for second-degree theft and is now obliged to reimburse $35,732 to Iowa City Pride.

Sivanthaphanith, aged 37 and residing in Iowa City, misused the organization’s debit card, allotted to the president and treasurer for board-approved purchases. Despite lacking authorization, he made personal expenditures, including payments for bills, travel expenses, dining at restaurants, and cash withdrawals using the organization’s account.

An internal audit was triggered when a vendor payment bounced in fall 2021, revealing a series of unauthorized transactions spanning from May to November 2021, totaling the aforementioned amount.

The criminal complaint highlighted Sivanthaphanith’s expenditure patterns in various cities outside Iowa, as evidenced by social media and email documentation that aligned with the time of purchases. During the investigation, his cellphone was searched, leading to admissions of unauthorized spending amounting to an estimated $8,000.

This incident raises concerns over fiscal management and transparency within organizations like Iowa City Pride, emphasizing the need for stringent financial oversight. Sivanthaphanith’s plea and pending restitution underscore the severity of misusing entrusted funds and serve as a cautionary tale for maintaining ethical conduct within such community-focused entities.

Be Cautious

While there are hundreds if not thousands of special interest groups rising and more to come. Citizens should be wary of these groups. They often call for violence in our cities, looting and riots. These special interest groups have emboldened the criminals to a heightened level of ARROGANCE.

On any given day of the week. You can tune into national news stations only to see the norm of society. What is the norm of society? Unfortunately, the norm has turned to criminal and unethical behavior on a constant basis. Regular scenes of these criminals are discovered wherein these people are walking into our retail stores with no concern and removing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise. All the while they are being let to conduct their brazen criminal activity with no consequences.

The BLM movement has seemed to breed more criminal activity than benefit the members. Articles are often located where BLM is protesting, then the protest turns violent. This is not unusual for BLM, it seems this is their preferred method of operation. I can’t help but wonder. Are the organizers of these protests acting like producers of a TV Show to encourage this behavior. It certainly seems to be the case. These activities allow protesters to turnt their attention to the thousands of dollars worth of property they have taken by force through their protest.

While BLM seems to be the loudest of the special interest groups for violence and theft. Other groups are exhibiting the same behavior.

The behavior of the special interest groups have become egregious. The politicians we place so much trust in have failed our society. The few politicians left that seem to care for their country are becoming more difficult to discover. Largely politicians have lost their way for our country. Once a person entered politics for the betterment of our beloved country.

Now, young people go to college for the sole purpose of entering politics. These young people enter the political arena now for money, they have been ensured this is the route to a life of riches. Their only concern is to be re-elected! If a politician is becoming rich while in office. Where did we go wrong in our country? Patriotism is now a punchline of a joke. The cost of freedom for our society must also come with rules to be followed. No matter your interest or goals. While politicians are allowed to continue to enrage and encourage these groups. Where are the responsible people? For instance Morgan Freeman in an interview with Mike Wallace on 60 minutes plainly says “we can stop racism”, Freeman said to Mike Wallace of 60 minutes. While Freemans views not be popular, Mr. Freeman shows growth and maturity in his views.

Our responsibility as Americans is to pass a courageous, balanced, even minded country to our children. Technology is constantly advancing and adapting. I often wonder when our citizens will adapt. Once, Americans knew what it was to compromise, these are days of old it seems. Compromising is the cornerstone of our country. I pose this thought to you. If our forefathers had argued and displayed the infighting and lack of compromise our country represents now? Would we even have the United States? Liely not, there would be several small countries banded together. Our power at one time was unity. Now the threats to our great country have become aware of our Freedoms and our lack of compromise. These threats will prey upon these issues to feed their agendas.

How can we see our country becoming more divided?

Well, turn on the news. Our military, while once the mightiest in the world, suffers! The recruitment for our military has been dropping for several years now. To worsen matters our law enforcement community recruitment has been devastated. The devastation has been brought upon largely by the “Mindset” of our citizens. These “mindsets” have been placed in our young people by the special interest groups that are destroying the fabric of our society.

The low pool of recruits for agencies has begun a new ludicrous option for agencies. In 2023 the state of California placed a bill into law allowing non citizens to become police officers. Using the logic that these individuals are allowed federally to work in the state. Considering the use of sanctuary cities and states along with many other logistical issues. I personally cannot believe this to be a sustainable effort. It’s not that I believe these individuals are not able to perform these tasks. We must consider the security concerns. These concerns not only arise from Cartel activities but Chinese Communist Party to terrorism activities. These are very real concerns. I surely would like to see and read the background investigations for these individuals. Society has birthed some of the most intelligent criminals of any time. Now we are adding the resources of the cartels and other nefarious organizations to our law enforcement community.. The fear of our agencies being led or staffed by individuals that cannot be investigated properly is quickly approaching.

Real Recruitment

Recruitment efforts within our law enforcement community must become real and tangible. Agencies that are still going to the apple barrel to find recruits will struggle for years.

The Apple Barrel is the status quo.

You run advertisements and hire firms to madly place social media for the new recruits. Agencies will have to begin to look beyond this method. Programs can and should be developed for our schools. A small class that could be entitled “Intro to Law Enforcement can be developed and taught by experienced officers. These programs will closely mirror our JROTC programs in schools. JROTC has always been a strong recruiting tool for our military. This same format can be used to groom our future law enforcement officers. Students can graduate high school and elect to attend college or additional programs can be created to further these students’ training and prepare them for the career in law enforcement.

 FREEDOM is not FREE!

Freedom must extend to all corners of our society. Our citizens will have to understand while freedom is paramount, It will come with conditions and rules. These rules and conditions that our Forefathers brought forth in our constitution were and are wise. They were meant to protect us indefinitely. Freedom of speech, a right or ancestors did not have must be preserved. While the burning of an American Flag turns my stomach. I must understand that this is a “Freedom of Speech”. I do not have to agree with it, like it or otherwise. It provokes anger in patriots to see our flag burned. Remember though Patriot, our constitution we must preserve, not our anger. The political society in the United States must learn and remember! Candidates are sent to these offices to better our communities and not line their pockets through extended terms and insider trading of stock and sureties.

“All of it began when some of you who know better, and are old enough to know better, let young people think that they had the right to choose the laws they would obey as long as they were doing it in the name of social protest.”  -Ronald Reagan