Suicide has been called a final solution to a temporary problem. When someone commits suicide people immediately rush to the reason why. Frequently that reason is never known. I’m going to crawl out on a limb here and say that D.C. Metro Police officer Gunther Hashida, who took his life Thursday, was pushed over the edge by the debacle in Congress last week, where the four officers who testified about the Capitol riot were subsequently attacked and ridiculed by right-wing media. Daily Beast:
Hashida’s death comes months after two other police officers died by suicide following the harrowing battle against a mob of rioters on Jan. 6. U.S. Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood took his life three days after the riot. Days later, MPD officer Jeffrey Smith killed himself.
Last week, two of Hashida’s colleagues—MPD officers Daniel Hodges and Michael Fanone—appeared before a House select committee along with Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn and Sgt. Aquilino Gonell to detail the physical abuse and racial slurs they endured from Trump supporters during the riot.
Dunn revealed that he has been to counseling to address the ongoing emotional trauma he faces in the aftermath of the assault.
“I want to take this moment and speak to my fellow officers about the emotions they are continuing to experience from the events of January 6. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling,” Dunn said. “What we all went through that day was traumatic, and if you are hurting, please take advantage of the counseling services that are available to us.”
On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) lauded Hashida as a “hero” whose efforts to protect the country served as an inspiration.
“Officer Hashida was a hero, who risked his life to save our Capitol, the Congressional community and our very Democracy,” Pelosi wrote. “All Americans are indebted to him for his great valor and patriotism on January 6th and throughout his selfless service.”
“May Officer Hashida’s life be an inspiration to all to protect our Country and Democracy. And may it be a comfort to Officer Hashida’s family that so many mourn their loss and pray for them at this sad time,” she added.
Suicide is a complex topic. Sometimes it’s the outworking of rage, a way to get back, other times it’s an expression of hopelessness and having no answers. Who knows why any of these officers took their lives? But one thing that is certain, is that the tragedy at the Capitol is not being improved any by its transmutation into a culture war battleground. I think it’s safe to speculate that all three of these officers were dismayed and overwhelmed by the lies which are being told about the events of January 6.
Let’s see if Laura Ingraham decides to give this police officer an acting award tonight, or what she comes up with to further pollute the political groundwaters.
Heartbreaking.
Everyone, from that crowd of loons to the orange sh*t-gibbon must be treated as traitors and marched up to a firing squad and executed. I have had enough of these pieced of sh*t and the damage they did and still do. Traitors get executed and everyone taking part in that attack on Congress needs to be shot.
We have laws to give people fair trials, just because of the kind of sh*t you just posted.
True, but everyday loving father’s with no job are led out of family court in cuffs in contempt due to child support. Given most states are no fault divorce states, some of these folks are there because their wives committed adultery, yet 90% of the time the women get the kids due to gender bias. When these elected traitors commit the most egregious crimes & NO ONE goes to jail, frustration is to be expected. Might explain why the peasants often go overboard when power comes their way. Anyone who argues we, as citizens, get ‘equal treatment under the law’ is so deluded they aren’t worth arguing with. It would be nice but there has never been justice on earth & never will be with humans in charge.
If a guy cannot pay child support when Mom has the kids, how is he going to support his children if he has custody? You are also overlooking the fact that many, many of these fathers fathered those children out of wedlock. Many, many of these “loving” fathers abandoned their children and it is not unemployment keeping them from paying child support. If the “loving” father across the street from me who gets his 5-year-old son every other weekend were truly loving, he wouldn’t subject his child to the obscene lyrics in the rap he broadcasts to the whole neighborhood.
Only 43.5 percent of custodial parents reported receiving the full amount of child support due. https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/cps/techdocs/cpsapr16.pdf Are you trying to assert that 43.5% of fathers are unemployed or underemployed?
Oh, you mean like the “fair trials” that Trump and his supporters were touting in their “lock her up” chants throughout 2016 (and even afterwards)?
I do not recall a SINGLE situation where there was any cries of “lock her up after a fair trial.” Nope. Trump and his brain-dead supporters wanted to do away with the very idea of a fair trial.
And that was one of the Trumptards’ major “solutions” to ALL their problems: Lock up any “enemies” without so much as a fair trial (or even a courtesy hearing).
And, let’s not forget that the ANIMALS (and that’s insulting animals in general) who invaded the Capitol weren’t exactly sightseeing. A sizable portion of them were sporting GUNS and RIFLES and openly talking about KILLING any member of Congress they encountered (and I really doubt even the Congressional dummies who supported the insurrectionists would’ve been spared if they’d come across them).
And, one other minor point about “fair trials”: Remember Trump’s first impeachment? Remember how Mitch McConnell chose NOT to even allow the case to be presented properly before the Senate? McConnell had NO interest in a “fair trial” (even as he was wont to accuse Democrats bringing the case of trying to “rig” the trial).
Your point is well-taken but yet it does not invalidate PJ Evan’s point. Are you seriously recommending tit-for-tat? No matter how wrong Trump and his supporters are, we must stay firmly grounded in the rule of law on the high ground.
Even sadder is that a good percentage of the congress-critters these guys fought to protect are now either ridiculing them, or denying it ever happened. I don’t know how they can look at themselves in the mirror.