Doesn't Brian Terry's Parents deserve justice also?

Where’s the Outrage- -Part 2

I am the father of a murdered son who was killed in 1993 at the age of 25 years old in Los Angeles, CA. Since that time I have become very active in the victim’s rights movement as a parent of a murdered son. Yesterday, once again members of the Democratic Party’s House of Representatives, most notably the Congressional Black Caucus led by Nancy Pelosi showed a blatant and insulting disregard for the parents and other family members, friends and co-workers of Brian Terry when they walked off the House Floor just prior to the vote to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. By that action from a parent of a murdered child’s viewpoint those members once again showed that politics matters mostly in Washington, D.C. by our elected representatives as they were unable to put partisan politics aside and to me for all intents and purposes cause further heartbreak for the Terry family. Their actions were disgraceful, but sadly familiar as to what the American public has come to expect from the President, Attorney General as well as members of the House of Representatives and Senate.

 As a grieving parent of a murdered son my heart goes out to Brian Terry’s family as it does to Trayvon Martin’s. In both cases all they want is for the truth to be found out and most importantly justice to be served on behalf of their sons. Unfortunately there is and has been a stark contrast in both horrible cases as to the efforts put forward by leaders in the African-American community as well as the Department of Justice and more than likely members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

 I want to preface and qualify my observation and opinion when talking about the two horrific crimes so as not to appear to be biased or racist but merely to question what has/is happening as I write this article for my blog.

 To Mr. and Mrs. Martin as a parent who has lost a son to murder I truly can understand what you are going through and I pray that justice will be served on your son Trayvon’s behalf and yours. You have suffered the most unimaginable loss any parent could ever endure or have happen to them. While I happen, through the accident of birth to be white true justice is and must be colorblind. You deserve to ask and demand nothing less from the American Criminal Justice System and sadly are finding in many matters you can do nothing more than witness what is happening and will feel powerless in the process. From one parent of a murdered son to another mother and father that has suffered this kind of loss I pray to God to give each of you strength as you now are, and through no fault of your own are doing, travelling down the road of criminal justice. To me, you are conducting yet another act of parenting on behalf of Trayvon and I feel certain as a parent we never stop loving and protecting our children even though they have been stolen from us. As I have already said you deserve and expect justice will be served for Trayvon. Again, as a parent that happens to be white and I didn’t love my son anymore than you did Trayvon what my family has experienced and many other victims I have become acquainted with these past 19 years is there will be many persons in society, media and the political realm that will appear to be friends but seek nothing more than to capitalize on the crime you have become a victim of, simply stated use you for their gain or agenda.

In the highly charged environment of politics and race once again I feel they have made the horrific loss of your son Trayvon secondary in poisoning the well of race relations in America. This was not the case for us when our son Tom was murdered and I thank God we didn’t have to experience the added stress you folks are being subjected to. After 19 years I am angry, very angry but not at the fact that our son was murdered by an Asian but simply and only because he was murdered and stolen away from us.

I have watched both of you as Trayvon’s mother and father on television on numerous occasions and I feel certain your only concern is that he will receive justice and you are now his voices since his was forever silenced.

Today, to me there is a dichotomy on the part of Attorney General Eric Holder, the Congressional Black Caucus and the President as to their perception of the murder of Trayvon Martin and Brian Terry and what they have said or done. As an example on May 7, 2012 when addressing the Detroit Chapter of the NAACP the attorney general said “despite significant progress in civil rights, the nation is still struggling to overcome injustice and eliminate disparities. He goes on to say, “this violence is an issue that has - - - rightly- - - garnered significant national attention in recent months, as our nation has struggled to make sense of the tragic shooting death of a Florida teenager named Trayvon Martin. “As this case moves through the legal system, Justice Department officials will continue to communicate closely with state and local authorities to ensure that community concerns are heard, tensions alleviated, and - as with every investigation at every level- appropriate actions are guided by the facts and the law. (Emphasis mine not the attorney general’s) To me these statements made by Attorney General Holder are in the very least contradictory to those he and the Obama Administration have been making for the past 18 plus months when called to testify before Congressman Darryl Issa’s congressional committee investigating the botched “Operation Fast and Furious” that caused U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry to be murdered by one of the firearms involved in the operation. This has led us to the events of this past week, the vote in the House finding the attorney general guilty of contempt of Congress, the intervention of the President in ordering Executive Privilege in obstructing Congressman Issa’s committee from receiving the documents requested and subpoenaed as well as the politically motivated boycott by the Congressional Black Caucus.

Is it any wonder then why Brian Terry’s mother Josephine when interviewed on a Philadelphia Radio Talk Show 1201 WPHT recently said the following; “the only thing I can say is, if he did that (the President asserting executive privilege over the Fast & Furious documents) they apparently don’t want Issa to get the documents to see what’s in there. “My son and I were very, very close and my son was a person that believed in justice and believed in telling the truth. She concluded her statement by saying “He was a true American and I think he deserves the truth and I think everybody should know the truth. “And if this was a bad thing they did with Fast and Furious it should be acknowledged so it never happens to anybody else’s son.

 Mr. President, Attorney General Holder, as you have stated  Trayvon Martin’s parents deserve nothing less than your full cooperation in seeing that their son receives justice, but so does Brian Terry’s and you are preventing them from it by your egregious conduct and both of you and the Congressional Black Caucus and Nancy Pelosi should stop playing the political games. I for one as a parent of a murdered son would be mad as hell if you were preventing justice to be served had my son’s case been a government one and would be on every TV Talk Show, Radio Talk Show, flood the newspapers with articles and editorials and be at every campaign stop you make that I could possibly attend. Your actions are a disgrace and as far as I am concerned you are both breaching your Oath’s of Office you swore to.