Feb 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 2

AROUND THE COUNTRY
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Video created to help promote awareness of the Protect & Serve Act
(H.R. 743
By Paula Fitzsimmons
The Protect & Serve Act (H.R. 743)
needs to be enacted because our
guardians are being attacked in
greater numbers and it’s not letting
up. This isn’t something that can
wait, either.
I’m not naive to think that this bill
will stop all the carnage. You can’t
legislate morality, and people intent
on doing harm will always find a
way. What this bill can do is punish
offenders (the Feds don’t mess
around). It will send a resounding
message that attacks on officers of
the law will not be tolerated.
There are currently few, if any
deterrents for assaulting local or
state police officers. While most
states in the union have laws to
penalize these attacks, they vary in
their wording. And depending on
the political persuasion of a district
attorney, justice can be arbitrary.
What You Can Do
The sad fact is that we’re losing
the info war. In fact, Joe Gamaldi,
vice president of the Fraternal Order
of Police (FOP) recently stated
that META, the company that owns
Facebook and Instagram, refused
to run ads that highlight attacks on
officers.
We need all hands-on-deck, and
that, dear reader, includes you!
Please don’t think for a moment
that you’re not making a difference.
By sharing this video (or article),
you’re helping to plant another
seed. Even if a small percentage of
viewers take the time to call their
Congressperson, you’ve helped us
get closer to making H.R. 743 a reality.
With that, please consider doing
the following :
• Watch and Share the Video
with your friends, family members,
on social media, and on forums
where links are allowed. You can
either share this article or the link
to the video.
• Lobby Your U.S. Congressperson
If you haven’t already, please urge
your Congressperson to co-sponsor
H.R. 743. If short on time, feel free
to use FOP’s convenient automated
form. If you prefer not to share the
video, please still ask your network
to contact their House Representatives.
The list of co-sponsors is
here.
House Judiciary Committee Update
As mentioned in a previous post,
H.R. 743 is being held up because a
group of House Judiciary Committee
Republicans informed Chairman
Rep. Jim Jordan (OH) that
they wouldn’t support the bill. Yes,
Republicans; you read that correctly.
{Sigh}
After reaching out to several
people knowledgeable about the
Protect & Serve Act, I still haven’t
received any answers about which
specific Representatives made this
statement. This is so wrong. Not
just that this group won’t support
the bill, but that I have to jump
through hoops just to get names
that should have been made public.
So for now, the list of Representatives
who haven’t yet signed on
as co-sponsors provides important
clues. If you live in the district of a
Congressperson on this list, can you
please make a quick call or send
an email urging that the Committee
prioritize the Protect & Serve Act?
44 The Blues - February ‘24