By Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
Watching the waves roll in here in Duck, NC, I have to admit things seem pretty peaceful and serene. It got me wondering why the folks in Ferguson, Mo. are demonstrating on a daily basis about their policing. Wonderment stopped last evening when I came across this video by 35-year veteran of the St. Louis County Police Department, Sgt. Major Dan Page.  Former Green Beret and supervising cop, Dan’s vaguely known to most  CNN viewers as the enlightened peace officer who shoved reporter Don Lemon from a Ferguson street corner as he tried reporting on the mass protest of 17-year-old Michael Brown’s police-facilitated killing. Lemon was shoved and then was herded to some “Free Speech Zone” in a remote parking lot. Now street-savvy Page is back … and with a right-wing philosophy and blood thirsty vengeance that you’d have to go to 1970s Cambodia to match — “We can kill you anyway we want!”
Speaking before a group called the Oath Keepers who bill themselves as “a non-partisan association of current and formerly serving military, police, and first responders who pledge to fulfill the oath all military and police take to ‘defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic,” (they sure look like a group of Doomsday Preppers to me), Page waxes eloquent and profane about all manner of right-wing blood boilers from his utter revulsion at the “Sodomites” on the United States Supreme Court ( four of ’em, you know) to those “weak” women in the military who are taking elite combat positions away from more qualified men to the race-based mess in Ferguson. By his own admission, Page “don’t trust nobody and I hate everybody. I hate y’all too I hate everybody. I’m into diversity. I kill everybody.”
What’ s even more remarkable is that his audience just loves him. This self-proclaimed group of “military, police and first responders” seems mesmerized by the rant which covers topics from the NDAA of 2012 explaining it’s just like the movie, Escape Plan, with Sly Stallone (That boat’s real. I know”) to domestic violence situations (“just shoot each other and get it over with”.)
Sarg also  tells us the word “gay” means happy and that’s it.  A pox on those sodomites. He doesn’t like lawyers. Not crazy about women. He reminds us that the President has no control as Commander in-Chief over the Marines or the Air Force since the U.S. Constitution doesn’t say so. (See, gotcha).  He calls the Marines the world’s finest fighting force but decries it’s “feminization” (as in allowing women to serve in combat roles) at the hands of Obama and it’s “log-head” commandant. Page even mixes in a little fire and brimstone jurisprudence reminding us that you can’t have the Constitution without the Bible and he stands at the podium thumping the Good Book. Page can’t resist that favorite of all right-wing circus acts that Obama is really an illegal alien from Kenya.  All in all it’s quite an audition tape for a pundit job on Fox News.
The video did serve to answer my question about all the fuss in Ferguson, but curiously left unanswered  why the whole audience of people Missourians hire to protect all of them didn’t walk out en masse. Maybe they agree is one chilling answer. After all, Page did get a snazzy Oath Keepers patch for his trouble to the vigorous applause of the audience.
My advice to the folks in Ferguson is that if this guy is a core sampling of the prevailing attitude of the public servants in St. Louis County …  well, since we’re talking movies here, remember that classic horror flick, When a Stranger Calls?:
 Jill, Jill. We traced the call! It’s coming from inside the house! Do you hear me? It’s coming from inside the house! You need to get out! Jill?
If you’ve got the stomach, here’s the video and a play-by-play from Crooks and Liars:
1:07: Talks about all men being created equal then went on to say “That does not mean affirmative action”.
1:26: Rants about hate crime laws
3:22: Black (little?) Perverts [ed. note: I think he said “black robed perverts” but the other way ’round wouldn’t surprise me]
5:25: Talks about doing a fair share of killing
15:40: Calls supreme court justice a homosexual sodomite.
18:30 “If I die I go to heaven… I died a long time ago”
20:30: Talks about St. Louis County schools
26:40: Calls President Obama an illegal alien
27:00: We can kill you anyway we want
31:38: Goes on anti-muslim rant
37:00: Talks about being a Saint Louis County Cop
43:00: Talk about killing people again
46:41: Goes on rant over being briefed about the 9/11 attacks on Aug 1st 1999 then says 9/11 happened 30 days later also talks about no weapons of mass destruction being found in Afghanistan.
49:22: Continues rant about having secret clearance at Fort (Leavenworth?) and training with Russian spetsnaz
52:40: Says people involved in domestic violence should “just shoot each other and get it over with”.
53:15: Somebody like me is going to come in and kill you
56:20: I don’t trust nobody and I hate everybody. I hate y’all too I hate everybody. I’m into diversity. I kill everybody.
58:02: Audience member: So what happens when good men like you are retiring from the military. What kind of military do we have left then?
58:15: Sodomites and females. End of statement.
1:01:00: Rants about female green beret
1:03:00 He’s handed an oathkeeper patch
Epilogue:
St. Louis County Police Chief  Jon Belmar, who immediately defended the shooting of  Michael Brown by Ferguson Police Officer Darren Wilson,  issued the following statement about Page via Twitter:
Some of you may have already seen the video of the St. Louis County Police Officer speaking off-duty at an Oath Keepers event. If you haven’t we are sure you will in the coming days as news circulates the release of the video.
Chief Jon Belmar was notified of this video’s existence today and upon a abbreviated viewing of the video was disturbed by the conversation being had. Chief Belmar does not expect this kind of rhetoric from his officers, just like they don’t expect it from him.
Chief Belmar, on behalf of the St. Louis County Police Department, would like to apologize to the community, anyone that video has or will effect, and to the other hard working officers on the detail with the officer in question because they deserve better than that. While the officer has never been involved in an officer involved shooting, the statements made about killing are unacceptable and not what we are about as a Department.
We hold our officers to a high standard of honor both on and off duty. While we as a department do not have an issue with officers expressing themselves, this was disturbing and unacceptable. The officer is a 35 year veteran of this department and has been deployed numerous times in military service. He had passed the evaluations upon returning from deployment and there was no indication of this attitude.
Chief Belmar would again like to apologize to anyone this video has offended and ask any videos of this nature be reported so we can take proper action against any officer not meeting our standards.
Being from Missouri, Belmar should have no problem with  my skepticism:  Show Me.
~Mark Esposito, Weekend Contributor
By the way and for better or worse, the views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not necessarily those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays of art are solely the author’s decision and responsibility. No infringement of intellectual property rights is intended and will be remedied upon notice from the owner. Fair use is however asserted for such inclusions of quotes, excerpts, photos, art, and the like.
I did break the rules and sold beer @ Royals and Chief’s games to make a few extra bucks. But my salary in 1975-76 was $100/month!
Hell bettykath, I was a VISTA volunteer living and working poverty wages in the inner city of KC.
bettykath, What are your life experiences that make you so down w/ the struggle? I am a denier and I’m pretty sure I have much more experience. I lived and worked in inner cities. I worked in a Federal Prison. On a positive note, I have pointed out here many times how the militarization of the police, precipitated by the insane War on Drugs, has been a problem for decades. There is bipartisan fault on that and the 2 people most righteous on this issue are the Paul’s.
Elaine, thanks for the correction. It happened when I as on “sabbatical”. My read, based on incomplete information, was that some really distasteful commentary was allowed without challenge and, if someone challenged it, the challenger was the one chastised.
nick, White privilege is something that peach colored folks have whether they want it or not. There are those who abuse that privilege, there are those who deny that it exists and there are those who recognize it and try to remove the privilege by providing opportunity for all. I do wish some of the deniers could spend a few days in NYC, South Central LA, Ferguson OH, just to name a few places. Just a few days as their pale skinned self and then a few days with a much darker complexion so they could find out that they are not hassled when they arrive pale, but then get stopped and frisked for WWB or DWB. It’s a whole different relationship with the PTB.
The militarization of the police is gradually removing the color line from their abuse. You may end up being right when the white privilege no longer protects you from police abuse. But there are still the economic advantages due to white privilege. As tight as things get for the peach folks, it’s way tighter for the black and brown folks b/c other peach colored folks are in charge.
bettykath – if you want to take on the mantle of ‘white privilege’ that is on you. Do not expect me to follow in your footsteps.
Jack, Just as some background, rafflaw, REALLY doesn’t like guns. I think he would support a vote to rescind the 2nd Amendment. Actually, he would probably just like it neutered, giving the appearance you have a tight to bear arms. He’s from Chicago, where the 2nd Amendment has been ignored, and he abides that.
This is a pretty good article. I would especially recommend it to “rafflaw”.
http://www.creators.com/opinion/thomas-sowell/the-bullet-counters.html
I suppose some people think that when a bullet hits a person, the impact will always produce a noticeable effect, or that a single bullet is likely to stop someone.
Statistically, only 1 of 3 bullets fired by a police officer (other than on the firing range) hits the target.
And, yes, I think mespo is a fan of the William H Macy series on Showtime. I watched one episode but realized if I want to watch alcoholic Irishmen I can just go to maternal family reunions!
That William H. Macy show is based on an excellent British show. You actually do not want any of the character as part of the gene pool.
Byron, ?. It sounds like you’re talking about mespo’s other thread, but I still don’t understand.
nick:
I am surprised Mespo has a problem with this guy, he is all for paying taxes and says so boldly.
The guy is a lefty and mespo is trying to make everyone think he is a conservative libertarian. Does Mespo have no shame?
Rick, Good clip, thanks. The AG is OBSESSED w/ trying these war criminals as regular car thieves. Ironically, I just got off the treadmill and was flipping the Sunday morning shows. Reliable Sources on CNN[took a big drop when they lost Howie Kurtz] had a discussion on Foley. These liberal MSM people want this treated as a war crime, and THEY’RE CORRECT!! It’s amazing, we kill US citizens w/ drones w/ NO DUE PROCESS and treat the Benghazi terrorists and this Brit like we would a drug dealer. It’s like we’re in Wonderland.
bettykath,
Just so you know: No guest bloggers were “forced out.” They chose to leave. The decision was theirs to make.
Elaine – even the former GBers who left agreed that they were ‘forced’ out. They had choice, toe the new line or leave. They chose to leave.
John Oliver,
I have no doubt that bettykath has convictions, she’s just not used to having them challenged. you see, she has found a washed-up attorney who gives them full faith and credit. If you have never visited Freddy Leatherman’s Blog, I suggest you do. http://frederickleatherman.com/
As you will see, it’s as close to an echo chamber as you can find. The host sets forth unfounded conclusions, and the chamber adds to them whatever their fantasy mind can come up with, and then that fantasy is treated as fact.
I attempted to leave 4 or 5 comments over there. All of them went to moderation, and were eventually deleted without being published. I guess they would have interfered with the echo. 🙂
Squeeky, LOL! White privilege is the magic accusation. If you deny it, then you have it! I am AMAZED it took so long for that to raise it’s phony head. My suggestion, don’t even engage on that front. Let those who believe say their piece. They can’t be reasoned w/. They will not meet you half way, or even take one step in your direction. They wear that concept w/ a crown of thorns and you simply can’t have an intellectual conversation w/ that mindset. We are RAAACISTS because we don’t believe it. Of course, many black people think it’s horseshit too. They laugh @ white hand wringers. I have a black friend who screws w/ them. It’s sometimes funny but often quite uncomfortable. I’ve told him that. But, he is a master @ taking their guilt and making them jump like a trained dog. He’s somewhat a sexist and really guilt trips white women. That’s usually when he crosses the line IMO.
Nick – We have no Hispanics that I can tell and they would add much if we could attract some.
I’d like to see JT and former US AG Alberto Gonzales to do a legal analysis on ISIS.
Former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is now Alberto Gonzales Dean of Belmont University College of Law.
Watch Gonzales get legal in this video on Obama and ISIS. Obama just waits and waits and waits.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/08/22/alberto-gonzales-obama-authorized-to-retaliate-militarily-for-james-foley/
Paul,
even the Supreme Court suggested that reasonable gun restrictions were acceptable. I guess the Oath Keepers don’t agree.
rafflaw – but the SCOTUS agreed that NY’s gun laws were unreasonable.
As I’ve said to you and others, maybe the key to weathering attacks is to simply not engage those who will not discuss w/ intellectual honesty. There are maybe 10 or so people who I do not respond, some I don’t even read. You never get that time back!
@bettykath
White privilege??? Yes, I have heard of that! Here is an Irish Poem all about it:
Noblesse Obliques???
An Irish Poem by Squeeky Fromm
There was a white lady with gall,
Who thought it was her right to call
All conservative blacks
Just Uncle Tom hacks,
Now, that is White Privilege, y’all!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
John, I really don’t want to rehash the old. But, you can read the archives and see what non liberals had to endure. I LOVE that there is a record. People just said “Screw this!” I don’t blame them or judge them. I just will never be driven away by ANYONE. It’s my blue collar upbringing. Others endured the viciousness and also remain.
@Jack
Thx!
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter