Why does anyone need to start a dialogue with a gun?
Northern border is 35,000 percent less of a problem than southern border
Since Friday, there is one line from Kevin Monahan testimony I find haunting.
“The warning shot to me, is almost like starting a dialogue,” Monahan said on the witness stand Friday while trying to explain his actions on the night of April 15.
He tried to explain why he felt “under siege” by the presence of a motorcycle and two SUVs in his rural driveway.
Why he felt he was being invaded.
And ultimately, why he was so out-of-his-mind terrified that he immediately grabbed a 20-gauge shotgun, ordered his wife to get dressed and hide in a closet with a pistol, then raced onto his porch to begin the conversation with a warning shot instead of a shout, or a demand for identification or a simple 9-1-1 call.
It sounds like the actions of someone who lives in a war zone or some other less civilized place in the world.
The reasons for this fear is at the root from which all the other questions grow.
So If we ultimately concede Kevin Monahan’s version of the events that night are true, if we concede it was the weapon’s fault and not the man holding it, if we concede that poor Kaylin Gillis’s life was taken by a random bullet, despite the infinitesimal odds it would hit a human target without anyone aiming, we are still left with one final reality and the reason for this trial - Why was Kevin Monahan holding the shotgun that night.
Why?
Why was he so worried about crime in a place where almost little crime exists?
Why was his first instinct to grab the shotgun by his bed?
Why was the next a warning shot?
Was this the rational thinking of two mature adults with a lifetime of experience in a rural location?
One fearful decision built on the next, cascading to the point that the gun was discharged twice and a 20-year-old woman died.
“This was a terrible accident,” Monahan’s attorney Arthur Frost claimed during his opening statement.
Gun owners routinely say they own firearms to protect their family.
That they keep them close by when there is an unexplained bump in the night.
For protection.
Was the Monahans worldview one of evil incarnate at the bottom of every driveway, including their own?
That question was never asked.
The first rule of gun ownership is to never point a firearm at any anyone unless you intend to use deadly force.
So what we know after 10 days of testimony is that Kevin Monahan started the dialogue with a loaded shotgun.
Because he says he was afraid.
And 20-year-old Kaylin’s Gillis ended up dead, denied the possibilities and joys of a long and full life that the Monahans have already enjoyed.
We will hear closing arguments in the Washington County courtroom this morning, but I doubt we will learn anything new.
Ultimately, what we learned over the past two weeks is that Kevin Monahan is right to be afraid, he is right to be petrified when someone comes up your driveway late at night.
He needs to look in the mirror to see the reason why.
Stefanik vote
Rep. Elise Stefanik voted to shut down the government on Friday.
She was one of 106 Republicans who voted against the spending measure negotiated by new Speaker Mike Johnson.
Her vote came on the eve of an appearance with Donald Trump in New Hampshire. Trump was also for shutting down the government.
And while Stefanik passed on talking to Watertown televisions station WWNY-TV, she did explain her vote to a British tabloid - The Daly Mail.
She told the British media outlet that she had “concerns” about border security measures, pointing out that “My northern border district has seen an astonishing 550 percent increase in apprehensions.”
That Swanton sector which includes the Champlain border area north of Plattsburgh has seen 7,000 apprehensions over the past year. While that is a big increases from the 1,000 apprehensions a year earlier, it is quite a bit less than the 2.5 million encounters at the southern border. Or if you want to use a percentage as Rep. Stefanik does, it is about 35,000 percent less of a problem than at the southern border.
And while there is concern about the surge from the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officials, there concern seems less pronounced than Rep. Stefanik.
“The vast majority of people we catch are still individuals looking for that American dream trying to get into the United States,” Roger Bresnahan said. He also said, the influx of more people has made it more difficult to to find those entering for nefarious reasons.
That puts an emotional strain on local law enforcement.
“Given so much of the unknown that you are dealing with and all the turmoil and tension in other countries that these people are coming from puts an awful lot of emotional strain and pressure on law enforcement and medical staff, including our 9-1-1 centers, Clinton County Sheriff Dave Favro told WCAX-TV in Plattsburgh.
He said that completely closing the borders is not the answer because it would not have a big impact for a year or more.
“The number one thing border patrol needs is continued manpower and resources for our area,” Bresnahan told WCAX-TV.
Considering that Rep. Stefanik recently referred to the people jailed for attacking Capitol Police officers as hostages, you have to wonder if she will help in that regard.
Republicans in Congress have continually refused to address that type of funding, preferring to use it as a political issue in a presidential election year.
Latest from NCPR
Emily Russell and Zach Hirsch continued their series on right-wing extremism with a Glens Falls man who was convicted of trespassing at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and now has no regrets.
It is a fascinating interview.
Conflict of interest
During the past week, I have seen at least three commentators on cable news say that they are either friends of, or acquaintances with the writer E. Jean Carroll and then proceed to comment on her sexual assault damages trial against Donald Trump.
Anyone with a personal relationship with a principle person in any news story needs to recuse themselves from commenting. That is simply Journalism Ethics 101.
The offending network was MSNBC and it should immediately stop the practic.
Thompson honored
Long-time Post-Star reporter Maury Thompson was honored with the John D. Austin Contribution to History Award Saturday at the Warren County Historical Society’s annual meeting.
Maury has written two books and produced a documentary film about Charles Evans Hughes in recent years.
He has done so much research at the Folklife Center at Crandall Library that they have a chair there in his honor.
January book tour
My next event will be at the Moreau Community Center on Thursday, Jan. 25 at 1 p.m.
I’ll be talking about newspapers, journalism and the events and people that shaped the Glens Falls region over the past two decades.
I’ll be signing my latest book “The Last American Editor, Vol. 2” afterward.
Hope to see you there.
The NRA and conservative advocates have worked very hard to create a psychologically damaged electorate, afraid, paranoid, resorting to a “shoot first, ask questions later” philosophy. They’ve been very successful. It is a tactic of control and they use it for political control.
Elise Stefanik, whose husband is a gun industry lobbyist, has benefitted from that psychological damage. It benefits her. She has done virtually nothing to heal divisions in our communities. She has emphasized a deluded vision of crime and violence in our communities. She will accept no responsibility.
Border Patrol has been asking Congress for more money to hire more officers, and update security since President Obama was president. Congress was controlled by Republicans at that time, and voted no, and continue to vote no. The problem isn't immigration, it's REPUBLICANS!!