Roy Exum
There is an ages-old axiom that states, “Thunder makes the noise, but lightning does the work.”
So, venture with me to Toledo, Ohio, where a huge and magnificent mural of the departed George Floyd was painted on a brick wall of what was once – rather ironically -- known as Mugshots bar. At around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Doppler radar at TV station WTCG showed a lightning strike in that vicinity.
It turns out the powerful lightning bolt clobbered the wall at the building that was once home to Mugshots and blew the mural to smithereens.
The Toledo building inspector said the wall was old. “It was just age,” said the inspector, adding, “It just came away.”
But no, the pundits ain’t buying. Here are some of the comments found on WTCG yesterday afternoon:
* -- "And they say God isn't real," one commentator wrote.
* -- "I'm not a religious person whatsoever, but if there was ever an event that caused me to pause, this would be it," another user said. "Wow..."
* -- "Warning — be on the lookout for liberal logic on this: Lightning struck the mural; There is more lightning because of climate change; Republicans don't believe in climate change; Republicans are all white racists; White racists therefore destroyed the mural," another quipped.
* -- "Now BLM is gonna’ say that lightning strikes are racist, and they should check their privileges," another user observed.
* -- "Was wondering why we wanted a mural of a criminal anyway," another noted. "Of course, it's awful he's dead, but that doesn't mean we should celebrate a guy who held a knife to a pregnant woman's belly."
Donald Trump Jr. was flabbergasted. He told one news source, “While many might consider a lightning strike an unfortunate coincidence, Donald Trump Jr. had a very different, immediate response to seeing the news.
“It’s almost like a higher power is telling us something,” he wrote on Twitter. “When was the last time you heard of a brick building being destroyed by lightning? I am a builder and I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of it.”
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TOLEDO MAYOR SAYS MURAL WILL BE REPLACED
The city will work with Toledo's arts commission and the artist to replace the mural, "so that the message at the core of this artwork can be heard," Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz said in a statement yesterday.
“We may never know for certainty why the George Floyd mural came down. It could have been an act of nature, or it could have been an act of vandalism,” Kapszukiewicz said. "What we do know is that the mural will be replaced."
A witness told Toledo Fire and Rescue that the wall on which the mural was painted fell after a lightning bolt struck the building, according to WZZM-TV. The department told the station the lightning strike was the cause of the collapse.
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Now, some other stuff …
A NOTE FROM A KANSAS HIGHWAY PATROL OFFICER
I spent the better part of 30 minutes this morning, on the shoulder of U54, speaking to a truck driver who had been speeding. As soon as I walked up to the truck, I had a feeling it would not be a typical stop.
The man I had stopped identified himself as a born and raised Muslim from Afghanistan. He explained how he spent 7 years, 2012-2019, as a translator for the US Army and US Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq, intercepting radio signals and relaying them to fighters in battle.
He explained how the USA in his eyes the greatest country in the world and the people in this country is who are trying to tear it apart, have no idea what it’s like to grow up where he did, a war-torn country, where they would kill you for going against the grain.
He recognized the fact that I was a white law enforcement officer and that his skin was not the same as mine, but not one time did he ever feel unsafe to be stopped.
He then asked for a picture and showed me hundreds of photos of himself on the battlefield in the Middle East, with American soldiers. He was even more proud of his dog tags still around his neck and his military ID.
This gentleman left me with one final thing. He stated, “if only Americans could see this country from the outside looking in, all of this would stop”.
Now, do you really think he got a ticket? Or, deserved one?
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A TERRIBLY SAD EMAIL
I have written several times about my opposition to the Critical Race Theory. On Wednesday I received an email from a Hamilton County father about our county’s Department of Education that explains my dubious feelings for the current administration:
He writes: “My daughter was a teacher in the Hamilton County school system. I say it was, because of a training class two weeks ago. She had to attend a training class on the new curriculum and materials to be used in the upcoming year. The school system had brought in a consultant to help direct the teachers in this new plan.
“This consultant was from up north (not sure her state) and while leading the discussion, she got around to talking about children and transgender. The consultant instructed the teachers that they should encourage any student to follow their thoughts of changing their sex. No matter the child’s age, the teacher should encourage the student to follow their dreams and to pursue a sex change. The teacher should start addressing the student by their new gender as soon as possible.
“The teacher was encouraged to not discuss the child’s curiosity with the child’s parent. The child should have the freedom to pursue the transformation without the parent’s intervention. Although the Hamilton County representative told the teachers to listen but don’t encourage, the consultant was adamant about helping the student.
“My daughter spoke out about it and after, applied and accepted a position in another county. Not only is CRT an issue, but we’re also encouraging our young kids to change their sex.”
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And public schools wonder about a three percent decline in enrollment? Please …