Timed with the Thanksgiving holiday, Angel Studios has released the film Bonhoeffer – Pastor, Spy, Assassin. The film tells the true life story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran minister, theologian and anti-Nazi dissident. He directly challenged the German church of the 1930s and 1940s to reject the heresies demanded by Hitler, which Hitler intended to advance his own power and further his brutal reign. To this date, the living example of clarity, courage, and sacrifice displayed by Bonhoeffer is a blessing. There is cause for thanksgiving. For those among the clergy and others holding positions of authority, including all who work in policing, the film is a recommended resource. [Click the link below to read more.]
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The founder of Secure 1776, Thomas Lemmer, will once again be presenting at the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP) Annual Conference. This year the conference will be held on 24 to 26 April 2024 at the Tinley Park Convention Center. Lemmer will be presenting his powerful and insightful course “Embracing Truth – A Wellness Foundation.” Within the policing profession, the ongoing challenges of officer wellness are a reality. Many police officers believe that their leaders and their communities do not fully understand them or the challenges they face. In this session, conference attendees will be guided into a deeper exploration of how those who have sworn a law enforcement oath can and must embrace the power of truth.
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As the American Revolutionary War concluded in 1781, the work to establish a system of government for the new nation began. The ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence burned brightly. However, in its first years, America struggled in outlining the form and substance of the national political union. From May through September 1787, the states held a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Our U.S. Constitution was agreed upon by the delegates on the 17th of September. Most Americans are not aware that we are to honor that day, each year, as Constitution Day. Today, our nation is once again in the midst of a political struggle, and we would be wise to remember that the constitution still matters. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Last week, on the Fourth of July, the film Sound of Freedom was released in theaters. The release had been delayed for years. The criticism the film has received since its release has also been unusual. There is a key connection between the delayed release and the post release criticism. The film is based on a true story, and that story is beyond ugly. The film builds from the efforts of former Homeland Security Special Agent Tim Ballard and his efforts to confront the scourge of child trafficking. Sound of Freedom is compelling, must see viewing about the international child sex trade. The film spares the audience from the actual abuse images, but captures the horror of the reality that exists. We urge you to see this moving film. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Officials have confirmed the murder of yet another Chicago Police Department (CPD) officer. The incident occurred about 1:45 a.m. today, 6 May 2023. The identity of the murdered female police officer was not initially released, but has since been confirmed as Areanah Preston. We join all those mourning her loss, most particularly her family. That is the most important part of this story. Lawlessness in Chicago remains a serious issue, and the city has lost another officer to violence. But, there is also another undercurrent worth noting. Even before linking to their reporting on the March murder of Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso, Chicago’s ABC affiliate linked its readers to their article on the release of body camera footage in a completely unrelated police shooting. Media bias? [Click the link below to read more.]
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Late yesterday afternoon, Chicago Police Officer Andres Vasquez Lasso was murdered as he honored his sacred oath. He and other police officers were responding to a domestic-related call of a man with a gun. As Officer Vasquez Lasso was coming to the defense of a victim, and a community, he was wounded by the offender. Despite the efforts of his fellow officers and medical personnel, Officer Vasquez Lasso did not survive the attack. His murder is a tragedy for his family, and a tragedy for a city that struggles against lawlessness. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Since May of 2020, the nation has witnessed growing lawlessness. Compared to 2019, violence in cities like Chicago drove the year-over-year national murder rate higher by nearly 30 percent in 2020. That single-year murder-rate increase is the largest ever recorded. While the final 2021 national murders statistics will not be released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) until later this year, we already know that last year lawlessness and violence remained at elevated levels. Saturday, in Chicago and Milwaukee the nation witnessed more lawlessness in the centers of those two cities. A 16-year-old boy was murdered near the Bean (Cloud Gate) sky sculpture in Chicago’s Millennium Park. Two others were also shot in downtown Chicago as the night progressed. In downtown Milwaukee, 21 people were shot in three separate shootings, in the blocks surrounding Fiserv Forum, following the NBA playoff basketball game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. In Buffalo, lawlessness does not begin to describe the tear in the social fabric. Pure evil was on full display with the deliberate taking of ten lives. The Buffalo carnage was streamed live on the Twitch social media site by the attacker. For those who are apt to find social forces as a ready excuse for criminal acts of cruelty, the streamed video is definitive proof of the existence of pure evil. Hateful, demonic evil. Not only must law and order return to the nation’s cities, this one nation under God must seek revival and renounce all such evil. [Click the link below to read more.]
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It has long been said, “knowledge is power.” It is important to note that the pronouncement is not “information is power.” In the “Bizzaro World” of the news media, so much of what passes as the “news” is little more than information. The rise of 24-hour cable news has provided more time to pass more information. But, often the platform simply passes the same information in a mind-numbing extended loop whose output does not foster actual knowledge. Pseudo-knowledge is advanced through the frequent use of split-screen commentators and political operatives advancing their own narratives. These often competing narratives generally distort true factual analysis, and they often end in an incomprehensible mash of over-talking and shouting. This phenomenon crosses the spectrum of political, social, and daily-life topics, particularly when there is an overlap into politics. Lawlessness is one of these topics. Even the local – allegedly straight news – news programming runs a steady flow of lawless incident-of-the-day segments, particularly when the incidents are violent with shock-seeking video. These segments are generally little more than sensationalized information, and rarely is their presentation one that advances knowledge. Secure 1776 offers this “cops ask questions” question in Latin: “Cui bono?” Translation: “Who benefits?” [Click the link below to read more.]
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In our New Year’s Day editorial, we made clear that 2021 was not a “happy new year” relative to public safety. Our founder also made clear that for 2022 to be a “happy new year,” resolve would be required. On 29 December 2021, Bradley Police Sergeant Rittmanic’s last known words were to her attacker, as her own gun was pointed at her head. “Just leave, you don’t have to do this. Please just go. Please don’t. Please don’t.” Yet, her attacker was determined to kill her anyway and did. Yesterday, Illinois buried Sergeant Marlene Rittmanic. Today, we ask whether our community is fully resolved to say: “Enough!” In 2022, will we demand our elected officials and the media stop demonizing the police? Will our courts be the place where consequences occur, or will the streets continue to be the place where the truth about consequences are most visible? [Click the link below to read more.]
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In September, following the release of the final 2020 national crime statistics by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Secure 1776 published our post, “Truth and Consequences, 2020 Murders.” In 2020, America’s murder rate increased about 30 percent from 2019. Even though four weeks remain in 2021, as of 30 November, and compared to all of last year, the nation has already passed three key “truth and consequences” thresholds. First, more police officers have been ambushed. Second, more police officers have been hit by gunfire. Third, more police officers have been murdered. The truth, the nation, particularly in its urban areas continues to suffer from increased lawlessness. The nation’s police officers are among those suffering the consequences. [Click the link below to read more.]
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Fear is real. Otherwise intelligent people can become easily confused by fear. Fear is an emotion that can facilitate the worst of inhumanity. The antidote for fear and confusion is not a sheltered, ignorant existence of irrational obedience. What can break us free from fear and confusion? First, the ability to think critically, which requires both logic and study. Second, courage, which is far more than taking risks. Third, an adherence to a true faith. “Cops ask questions,” and cops recognize examples of clear-headed, acts of courage founded on higher principles when they see them. Here, on Veteran’s Day, we provide a message of inspiration in the actions of a World War II soldier. He was not confused. Even while captured by the enemy, he did not surrender to fear. He provided moral clarity. He led. [Click the link below to read more.]
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