[Cruzzer]

Okay, before I get strung up, please read this through.

I was attending an in-service class today that was hosted by the police department that I work for. The topic of discussion was Racial Profiling and Arrest Search and Seizure. The instructors were Former Houston Mayor and Former Police Chief Lee P. Brown and Former Police Chief C.O. "Brad" Bradford. Chief Bradford ran an unsuccessful race for the office of Harris County District Attorney and as a republican I voted against him, but he said something today that makes me regret that decision and I told Bradford that on our break.

We were discussing the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution and Chief Bradford asked the class what the second amendment meant to citizens of the U.S., officers replied that it gave us the right to own guns. Chief Bradford said the following, "the second amendment to the U.S. Constitution gives us the right to protect ourselves from our government, that is what the framers had in mind when they wrote it." Now I know you guys see who he is shaking hands with so needless to say I was flabbergasted. How unique is that, a politician who is a straight talker and understands the significance of the Bill of Rights and says it in plain language.

I asked him about the "sporting" test that some individuals said should be used on the types of guns we could be allowed to own, Chief Bradford said that "sporting" was not at all what the framers had in mind. This is the kind of thinking that is needed in the hierarchy of the Democratic Party. We can certainly quibble and argue about stuff that is not in the Bill of Rights like abortion rights, gay marriage, bail outs and the like, but to find someone in his position who understands that the Bill of Right is not open for compromise made me proud that he was my top cop.

I'm going to do more research but I'd like to see a man like him rise to a position of prominence in the Democratic Party and in the national scene. On the second amendment, wouldn't it be cool for someone with that kind thinking to be sitting on the SCOTUS next to Clarence Thomas and Antonin Scalia?

http://www.cobradford.com/

Cruzzer

 

[Bravo]

FWIW, I voted for a demopublican too. ONE. He's been really great - and listens! I can tell from the way he votes - and yes, I DO check voting records before voting for someone.

But I balanced it out by voting for a republicrat. ONE republicrat. Only because the only other person he was running against was a BAD demopublican.

 

[MrChem]

I fall in the same category. I just seems like the dems move further left and the republicans further right with not much to choose from if you are a moderate.

 

[Bravo]

Interesting take on things!

The way I saw it, the demopublicans move towards communism, while the republicrats move steadily into the socialist camp.

Quiz time: which party is for larger, more intrusive government? Answer: BOTH!

 

[tk]

Some really good points in this thread. As i've said elsewhere, it's a mistake to assume someone shares your values/world view based upon a political label. There are some Democrats who are much more palatable than some Republicans, and I, personally, don't particularly like either party.

Bradford sounds like a good man. That's a rather courageous position to take if you're a Democrat and a cop.

tk

 

[smschulz]

So what do you think makes him a Democrat?
Democrats traditionally want the power of big gov't and generally anti-gun.

Could it be that it is suicide to be black and be a Republican?

???