The ultimate in mean, nasty leftism

Warning: I am not an investigative reporter. I am, as I've always maintained, merely an opinionated housewife. Therefore the following column is nothing more than my opinion, based on a number of articles on the following subject. I give this disclaimer because investigative journalists investigate. They interview people. They research backgrounds.

Me, I'm simply reacting. I'm reacting to an article that was so loathsome, so revolting, it deserves to be national news. Here are the facts as I understand them.

A Ventura County (California) sheriff's officer named Ron Helus was killed in the line of duty last Nov. 7 "when a 28-year-old man attacked the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks [California], killing 13 people and wounding a dozen police officers. The shooter also died that day of a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

Sgt. Helus, a 29-year veteran of law enforcement, was hailed by all parties as a hero. The Los Angeles Times reported, "'He was an unbelievable man,' Sheriff's Capt. Garo Kuredjian said. 'He was a lifetime learner, a trainer, a mentor, a leader. He was a cop's cop.' But there were two things he placed before his job: his wife Karen, and his son, Jordan, 24."

Are you getting this? Sgt. Helus was the epitome of brave law enforcement. His wife, son, friends, coworkers and everyone who knew him praised him to the skies. By all accounts, Sgt. Helus was a faithful, religious man who was active in church, devoted to his family and a credit to local law enforcement. His death was a horrific tragedy.

As a fundraiser to honor Sgt. Helus and help provide for his widow, a "Blue Bowl" event was organized by a Florida-based nonprofit group called Fallen Officers, which supports the families and departments of police officers who have been killed in the line of duty across the country. Isn't that nice?

And then the fundraiser fell apart. Thousand Oaks Police Chief Tim Hagel, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub and Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, all dropped their support of the event.

Why?

Because Republicans were invited.

Yes, you read that right. Republicans were invited to participate in a charity event to support a fallen officer's family, so official support was withdrawn.

Quoting Breitbart:

Mike Randall, vice president of the Fallen Officers Foundation, told the media that Chief Hagel came straight out and said that his department would not support the event if any Republicans, conservatives, or Trump supporters were invited to take part. "He basically said over and over in the conversation, 'This is not Trump country, that slogan "Make America Great" is not favorable, popular, within 1,200 square miles,' that we don't want Republicans here. I could not believe it," Randall said.

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The shocked Randall added that Hagel told him, "'The only thing,' and I quote, 'the only thing you [could have done to make] this worse, Mike, was to invite Dick Cheney and Sarah Huckabee Sanders.'"

Chief Hagel demanded that only leftists be invited to attend the event, or he would pull the department's support. When Randall refused, the chief carried through with his threat.

To add insult to injury, Breitbart adds, "The Helus family has already lost thousands of dollars that had already been donated to the event, because the money has been returned to donors since the chief nixed the event."

"Ron Helus was a true hero, and he saved lives that night. Did he run in and go, 'Are you Republican or Democrat or independent, I need to know before I help you?' No, they don't," Randall said. "You've messed with the wrong person, you've messed with the wrong founder, you've messed with the wrong foundation."

Fox News reported Mike Randall saying, "Both Democrats and Republicans were invited to the event. Gov. Gavin Newsom's public safety liaison, Trump supporter Scott Baio, who attended Helus' church, and Trump-supporting singer Joy Villawere all scheduled to attend. He also said Democratic Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin was upset that her former opponent had been invited. He added that Hagel told him to get rid of the Republican speakers or the police department would withdraw. They finally did pull out."

(As an interesting aside, the Breitbart article added, "The outrageous actions of Chief Hagel came on the heels of reports that the Los Angeles Police Department is being investigated by the FBI for accepting former gang members as police recruits, while excluding conservatives from becoming police officers.")

Normally, I have the highest respect for law enforcement officers, in large part because I've had nothing but positive interactions with them. This, however, shakes my faith. What's next? Will Chief Hagel order the Thousand Oaks police to refuse assistance for conservatives?

I hope – and readers of this column can take this as a hint – the Helus family is buried in donations by all the evil rotten conservatives these people hate. (Here's a link to the Helus family's official GoFundMe page. Be generous.)

In response to the negative publicity Thousand Oaks has been getting as a result of this decision, the Ventura County Sheriff's Office released a statement that can be read here. This statement includes an assertion by Sgt. Helus' 24-year-old son, Jordan, that the Chief Hagel is neither "rogue" nor a "villain."

I sincerely hope Jordan Helus is right. I sincerely hope Thousand Oaks Police Chief Tim Hagel, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub and Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin aren't loathsome toads whose attitude toward conservatives color how they interact with the people they serve. Because let me tell you, this comes across as really, really bad.

Of course, none of this attitude occurs in a vacuum. It's been building up. Consider some quotes:

"That Scott down there that's running for governor of Florida. Instead of running for governor of Florida, they ought to have him and shoot him. Put him against the wall and shoot him." – Rep. Paul Kanjorski, D-Penn.

"Cheney deserves [the] same final end he gave Saddam. Hope there are cell cams." – Maine state Rep. Chuck Kruger, D-Thomaston

"May your children all die from debilitating, painful and incurable diseases." – Allan Brauer, communications chair of the Democratic Party of Sacramento County to Sen. Ted Cruz staffer Amanda Carpenter

"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren't like them." – Barack Obama

The divide in this country is growing wider. Trump Derangement Syndrome continues to strip the left of any semblance of the warm, inclusive, loving position they purportedly represent. This incident is just one more example.

God help us all. And God bless Sgt. Ron Helus and his family.