Saturday, November 29, 2014

Sheriff Clarke doesn't mince words








Milwaukee County Sheriff  David Clarke tells it like it is. He’s a stellar reminder of what true leadership looks like and what it means to uphold the rule of law. It is a relief to hear someone speak with such honesty and candor.

To give you a taste of how fearlessly this man puts truth on display, here are two videos of Sherriff Clarke speaking about Ferguson. Below is a quote from a speech he gave at the National Press Club (video above) a couple of weeks ago:

… I’m known for not sugar coating things. This pissed me off … I sat up there and listened to Eric Holder throw law enforcement officers under the bus for political expediency….

His densely packed 6-minute speech is worth a listen, as is his recent interview with Neil Cavuto. I’ve transcribed a few gems for AT readers, but hope you’ll take the time to listen to this man. I can only hope and pray he is the voice of our future because, Lord knows, this is the kind of leadership and vision we desperately need.

On Al Sharpton:

... Anytime Al Sharpton shows up on the scene, nothing good is going to come of that.

On Barack Obama:

… I heard some of the president’s comments last night. And he said that what we need to do is try to understand them and he said that the anger was an understandable reaction. And I was just floored by that because it’s not an understandable reaction. People have to come up with a more socially acceptable way to deal with anger and frustration. This is totally and unequivocally intolerable ….

… when I heard the president call for calm after the rioting started, I questioned his sincerity because some of his political strategy of divide and conquer fuels this sort of racial animosity between people. And so I think when he called for calm after the rioting started I believe it was done with a wink and a nod.

On Jay Nixon:

… I think Governor Nixon is trying to soft shoe this thing. I don’t think he has the intestinal fortitude to deal with this. What’s happening down there right now is real ugly and the response isn’t going to be pleasing to the eye with what law enforcement and the national guard have to do. But, Neil, I mean come on. They have to restore order and the law enforcement officers and the national guard have to use all reasonable force to get that under control. Restraint is not an option right now for law enforcement .…

There’s always going to be people on the sideline that are going to second guess you. That’s part of what Governor Nixon has to deal with. It’s something that I have to deal with when I have to make tough decisions. He has to block that out and do what’s in the best interest of Ferguson, Missouri, and the state of Missouri and he has to get this thing under control and not worry about the optics so much. You know, nobody’s saying all due force or any force. What I’m calling for is all reasonable force to get this thing under control. And you’re going to be criticized. And he’s afraid to be criticized and he’s worried about what people might say in second guessing him? Then he’s in the wrong position.

On Eric Holder:

… Eric Holder is one of those that was in a very visible position to have talked reasonably and to kind of quell this thing early on and instead he engaged with inflammatory rhetoric. So for him to come on and announce what he’s going to today. You know, look, justice is about due process. You’re not guaranteed a result. You’re guaranteed due process. Due process played it out at the state level. If he wants to start a federal probe he’s entitled to do that, but that’s just going to prolong this thing and unless he thinks or he believes that there’s something nefarious that went on here with the Grand Jury investigation, I think he ought to reconsider that … For Eric Holder to come in I think it just continues to prolong this thing and fan the flames. And let’s say he comes out with some indictment of his own and  it’s thrown out at the federal level, because in the end I don’t see a judge in this country upon appeal that would uphold any kind of conviction here against the officer. And then we may have to relive this all over again.

Read more:


David Clarke is atop my wish list for AG after Obama is out.  And it's not entirely a specious thought.  I would vote for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in a heartbeat in 2016.  It's not that big a leap to see him tag the head of Wisconsin's largest sheriff's dept. to restore order in the DOJ, is it? 

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