My Recent Comments

• @ Bill Since "Smith" is such a common name, when I learned about the shooting I made contact with his father. Verifying the information I had already learned.
  8 months ago
• @Bill, No the first paragraph is not a joke. I do not joke about genealogy, good or bad, I try to run with accurate information. I can not expound on his mother's family tree. Just a quick look at part of Joel Edward Smith, III's paternial genealogy. Some of the family names he comes from: Bradshaw, Bullard, Cook, Davis, Dempsey, Ellis, Gunter, Hooker, Hopper, Jennings, Ligon, Mc Clure, Mc Kinney, Murphree, Murphy, Ray, Rogers, Roland, Self, Smith, Tillotson, Ward, Watkins, Wiggins, Young, Tuttle, Sebring. (That's just a few of the names. I can trace some of them back to the first person with that last name.) McKinney, Murphree, Ligon and Self fought in the American War of Independence from North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and New Jersey. During the Civil war, Company D of the Mounted Texas Volunteers, the Alabama 33rd and the Alabama 44th are outfits his ancestors fought with. One of his ancestors was slain in an Indian Attack in the swamps of South Carolina in 1809. When New Mexico became a state his 3xGreat Grandfather moved there to teach school. When you look into the First Families of Virginia or the First Families of New Jersey, you will find his ancestors. When you learn about the first ship built in this country. You will find one of his his ancestors. I also know that he has ancestry in two different Native American Peoples. So when you think about who Joel Smith III was he does not need to painted as someone newly arrived on the shores of this Country. Did he make some mistakes? Sure. Did he pay for those mistakes? Yes. Does his family deserve to be treated as less than American. No. Is the family deserving of a little respect during the very difficult time of burying their child. Yes.
  8 months ago
• I agree that Maria Vacaneri's response is the most reasoned response and very civil. If Maddog's information is correct about the series of events that lead to this outcome then I can't blame the deputy, and if he hesitated, we might be having a different discussion here. I have only seen what has been in the news, and some of the "witnesses" did not mention a knife. If it was Bic pen and the kid was advancing, in that split second the deputy had to make a choice, a hard choice. I have faith the truth will come out in this, but I don't think anyone should be trying to make more of this than they should. I don't care if the kid was Al Capone or newbie, this was a hard thing for the Peace Officer to do even though he was trained, taking a life is never easy. He will be replaying in his mind over and over. I have seen too many law enforcement professionals crippled by events like this. It is also tough on the parents and siblings of the kid. The kid is gone, lets look to those that are left.
  8 months ago
• @Samkat The Sheriff's Deputy may or may not have been justified in the shooting. Law enforcement has to make very tough calls, with very limited information, in a split second. God bless the Men and Women who try to keep our streets safe. I know that no matter what happened there is a family, who is going to bury a 19 year old. I don't care what the kid did during his life, there is a FAMILY that is hurting, that is never going to hear their kid's voice again. And saying things like "greased" etc. does not help this situation, it inflames. The facts will come out, the Deputy deserves the benefit of the doubt, but can we not let a family mourn the loss of a child? Anyone who has lost a child for any reason can surely understant that.
  8 months ago
• @Juggernaut8000 Should you be walking down the banks of a canal and IF you had a knife in your hand and anyone pointing a gun at you said, "Hands Up." You would raise your hands, you might, looking down the barrel of a gun, not think to drop what you are holding. I hope that you never come into a situation like that. The officer is (or at least should be) trained to "potect and serve". All members of the uniformed services are so trained. Two bullets, neck and stomach, three dug out of the wall. hmmm. Is his aim that bad, or was the kid that far away? Was it better to "grease" a 19 year old possible suspect or was there a vendetta on this kid? Do you know this kid? Are you speaking from actual knowledge. If you know him them you must be a as you described him. If you don't know him you are sharing with us your ignorance. I am not blind to society, nor am I that gullible and I have never been accused of being a liberal before. You don't know all the facts to this case and you call me gullible. You have no faith and you call me blind? You have no heart and call me a spinner of fairy tales. Cops do have a hard time, and making tough calls in tough situations that may or may not be correct is a hard thing to deal with. Taking someone's life is hard thing to deal with, even if they deserved it. But that does not mean that he gets a pass, it means he gets the benefit of the doubt, it is the 21st century not 1880 Tombstone. I do find it odd that I call for compassion for a family who will be burying their child and you start to call me names. A call for compassion is not a demonstration of child like qualities. However, I would encourage you to read your advice to me and take it to heart.
  8 months ago
• @Engaged Voter - The excesive force used when a person on one side of a canal is shot by someone else on another side of a canal. Seems like a logical protest. @vanjax - Curious how you, who where not there as well has an opinion about overreacting when you were not their either. Could he have been putting his hands up knife in hand and when he was told to drop it, he didn't hear? I don't know, I wasn't there either. I am concerned as to why there TWO shoots fired one in the neck and one in the stomach, either would have been enough to bring someone down and how many were dug out of the wall behind him. I don't know of anyone stupid enough to take a knife to gunfight. @Juggernaut 8000 - I am so glad you have been awarded the gift of seeing inside a person's soul and can read their future. Maybe money was saved because he would have grown up to be trouble, maybe he would have turned his life around and become a life guard and saved your kid from drowning one day. We will never know. My heart aches for people like you that do not know the love and peace of Jesus Christ. Someone who has never read the beatitudes or trys to live a Christ inspired life. Good luck in your life and if someone shoots a family member of yours for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I expect you to use the same words to describe your family member.
  8 months ago
• Joel Edward Smith III is a descendant of 4 different men who fought in the American Revolution for this country. Those familys came from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. He is also a descendant of a Texas Ranger. His family in this country stretches back to the very foundation of this country. He is also a descendent of many different preachers in his long and glorius family history. There are land features in this country named for his ancestors streatching back to North Carolina. If anyone should scream about his death, it should be the conservatives and liberals and moderates. But it will most likely only be his family. If he was close enough to use a knife, he was close enough for the sheriff's deputy to use a taser. I find it fascinating how this information about the conduct of a teenager who may or may not have had a knife, (witnesses say he didn't) is being brought up and aired throughout the media. He was shot and killed as an alleged suspect in a burglary. Shooting seems a bit much, dare I say excessive.
  8 months ago