SPRINGFIELD, IL (05/19/2015)(readMedia)-- Story by Capt. April Hawes, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs SPRINGFIELD, Illinois. - From the beginning of Col. Michael Haerr's military career, his wife Amy has been by his side. Now, as he transitions into retirement, they are looking forward to one four-letter word: time. "We're looking forward to being together. She's been a steadfast supporter of my career," said Haerr, of Eureka, Illinois, who will retire from the Illinois Army National Guard May 31. "I sometimes joke the reason we're still together out of 33 years in the military is we've probably only been together for 23 years." The two met through 4-H in 1981. She just graduated high school and was showing sheep; he just started his senior year of high school and was showing pigs. Soon after in 1982, Haerr decided to enlist in the Army. "He sort of sprung it on me," Amy said. "But it all turned out good in the end." The two married in 1985, which was the same year Haerr commissioned through Illinois State University's Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). Since then he has served in all three components of the U.S. Army: Active Duty, Reserves and the National Guard. He has served with the Illinois Army National Guard since 1991, and became a full-time military technician in 1993. Their first daughter, Emily, now 27, was born while he was on Active Duty at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. Just hours after she was born, Haerr got a call to report at 5 a.m. for a six-week long exercise. Soon after the Haerr family moved back to Illinois, Haerr transitioned to the Illinois Army National Guard and they welcomed their second daughter Katherine, now 24. "I had a great minister and battalion commander who I sought mentorship from," Haerr said. "They said 'if you don't put your family first, it's not going to be as good as it could be.'" Family was a common theme for Haerr in 2008 and 2009 when he was assigned as the rear deputy commander of the 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat team during its historic deployment to Afghanistan with nearly 3,000 Illinois Soldiers. He had just returned from his first Afghanistan deployment in 2007 and said he could personally relate to the 33rd's mission since he just went through it. "I felt a great passion to pass on the information to them," he said. "It also allowed me to communicate with families. I could explain to them Afghanistan truly is a world away; I could relate to them and speak first-hand to the experience." It was the largest single Illinois National Guard deployment since World War II. By the end, the 33rd suffered 18 casualties. "Having lost friends there and being in communication with folks waiting on their loved ones, I knew it was going to be a hard process," he said. "You never know the value of a Soldier until you see them through their parent's eyes. They're a natural treasure." Haerr deployed again to Afghanistan in 2011. He said it was a unique experience seeing the progress of the Afghanistan National Army and the evolution of U.S. Army leaders. For example, Haerr saw some battalion commanders during his first Afghanistan deployment who were brigade commanders during his second Afghanistan deployment. Since Haerr first enlisted in 1982, he has served in various positions including two company commands with 1st Battalion, 123rd Infantry Regiment; 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment Battalion Commander and most recently the Illinois Army National Guard's G4, Logistics Management Officer. In addition to his more than 30 years of military service, he has been a full-time military technician for 25 years. Haerr has also attended a variety of military courses including Air Assault, Airborne and Ranger schools as well as the U.S. Army War College. In addition to his two deployments to Afghanistan, he also deployed to Germany from 2001 to 2002. "In all the years I worked with Colonel Haerr, I could always count on him as a mentor, peer and friend," said Col. Eric Little of Springfield, Illinois United States Property and Fiscal Officer for the Illinois National Guard. "He has a wealth of institutional knowledge, especially in the world of logistics. His loyalty and dedication to the Illinois National Guard sets the example for future leaders of this organization. I wish him the best of luck in his retirement." Looking back on his career, Haerr said he accomplished all the goals he set as a young second lieutenant. When he graduated from ROTC he said he wanted to go to Ranger school and earn the rank of colonel. He also said he thought it would be "pretty cool" to earn a Meritorious Service Medal (MSM). He successfully completed Ranger school in 1989, earned the rank of colonel in 2008 and has earned five MSMs. "I've enjoyed how the military challenges you because it trains you at the same time," he said. "It all makes you better than when you started. I joined the Army to serve my country, learn new skills and pay for college. In the process, I found in the Illinois Army National Guard the ability to do all of those things, serving my community, state, nation and world while balancing commitments to my wife and family." With retirement on the horizon, Haerr and Amy plan to spend time together while travelling to see their daughters, who both now live out of state. Haerr also admitted he plans to spend some more time in the kitchen. "I've been telling him for years, 'When you retire, you get to do all the cooking because I'm tired of it,'" Amy said with a laugh.

Reveal Your Secret Identity & Win with a Superhero Costume Contest at Rock Island Library

Rock Island, IL: Reading will be everyone's superpower this summer at the Rock Island Library, and if you already have a superhero secret identity, here's your chance to win. The library will host a superhero costume contest for children, teens, and adults as part of its Super-Powered Summer Kickoff on Saturday, May 30.

The Summer Reading kickoff takes place in the parking lot of the Rock Island Main Library, 401 19th Street, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. To participate in the free costume contest, check in at the event's registration table and line up no later than 11:45 am. Families may compete as a superhero team, with prizes available in the children, teen, adult and family categories. There's no charge to enter the costume contest.

Summer reading registration and a variety of special events will be offered at the library from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, including:

• A superhero training camp testing your feats of strength and skill by The Speed Attic and Quad City Wolfpack football players.
• Meet and greet members of the Rock Island Police and Fire Departments, and learn about what they do for the community.
• Free comics while they last from the Mellow Blue Planet and The ComiQ Rack stores.
• Supersized bounce house and slide, face painting by Chuck Knudsen, balloon figures by Rick Eugene, superhero selfies, caped caricatures by Draw Me Bill and kids' games ranging from super-villain bowling to a parachute POWer throw.
• Free hot dogs, chips and water, courtesy of sponsor Sedona Technologies.
• Kona Ice will be available for sale, with proceeds benefitting the library.

Scheduled events at the free kickoff include a drill team performance by Metro Youth at 11 am, and music by the 38th Street Birds band at 1:30 pm in the Main Library Community Room. Rock Islanders John and Kelli Stanford are the dynamic duo behind 38th Street Birds, playing fun music for parents and kids that includes folk pop, children's music and comic tunes.

All events are free and open to the public, with most activities offered inside in event of rain. Due to the supersized nature of this event, the library's 30/31 and Southwest Branches will be closed on Saturday, May 30 so branch staff can assist with the kickoff.

The library's Every Hero Has a Story for children and Escape the Ordinary teen and adult reading contests run from May 30 to July 18. The reading incentives and more than 60 free events for all ages help keep children, teens and adults active, productive and learning over the summer. Research from 1906 on shows that students who don't read and learn over the summer score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer. (National Summer Learning Association.)

For more information about Rock Island Library services and programs, visit the library's online branch at www.rockislandlibrary.org, call 309-732-READ, or follow the library on Facebook or Twitter.

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Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library provides resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate through the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities.

This is a comprehensive invitation for those interested in the advancement of the Hilltop Campus Village, to attend the the Hilltop Campus Village Annual Meeting, this Thursday, May 21, beginning at 5:30pm at 1600 Greatest Grains Event Center. This is an important time for the district, as it seeks to rebuild and reinvigorate itself. The second five years will be at least as exciting as the first. We hope to see you there.

By John W. Whitehead
May 19, 2015

"If we're training cops as soldiers, giving them equipment like soldiers, dressing them up as soldiers, when are they going to pick up the mentality of soldiers? If you look at the police department, their creed is to protect and to serve. A soldier's mission is to engage his enemy in close combat and kill him. Do we want police officers to have that mentality? Of course not."? Arthur Rizer, former civilian police officer and member of the military

Talk about poor timing. Then again, perhaps it's brilliant timing.

Only now?after the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security (DHS) and Defense have passed off billions of dollars worth of military equipment to local police forces, after police agencies have been trained in the fine art of war, after SWAT team raids have swelled in number to more than 80,000 a year, after it has become second nature for local police to look and act like soldiers, after communities have become acclimated to the presence of militarized police patrolling their streets, after Americans have been taught compliance at the end of a police gun or taser, after lower income neighborhoods have been transformed into war zones, after hundreds if not thousands of unarmed Americans have lost their lives at the hands of police who shoot first and ask questions later, after a whole generation of young Americans has learned to march in lockstep with the government's dictates?only now does President Obama lift a hand to limit the number of military weapons being passed along to local police departments.

Not all, mind you, just some.

Talk about too little, too late.

Months after the White House defended a federal program that distributed $18 billion worth of military equipment to local police, Obama has announced that he will ban the federal government from providing local police departments with tracked armored vehicles, weaponized aircraft and vehicles, bayonets, grenade launchers, camouflage uniforms and large-caliber firearms.

Obama also indicated that less heavy-duty equipment (armored vehicles, tactical vehicles, riot gear and specialized firearms and ammunition) will reportedly be subject to more regulations such as local government approval, and police being required to undergo more training and collect data on the equipment's use. Perhaps hoping to sweeten the deal, the Obama administration is also offering $163 million in taxpayer-funded grants to "incentivize police departments to adopt the report's recommendations."

While this is a grossly overdue first step of sorts, it is nevertheless a first step from an administration that has been utterly complicit in accelerating the transformation of America's police forces into extensions of the military. Indeed, as investigative journalist Radley Balko points out, while the Obama administration has said all the right things about the need to scale back on a battlefield mindset, it has done all the wrong things to perpetuate the problem:

• distributed equipment designed for use on the battlefield to local police departments,
• provided private grants to communities to incentivize SWAT team raids,
• redefined "community policing" to reflect aggressive police tactics and funding a nationwide COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services) program that has contributed to dramatic rise in SWAT teams,
• encouraged the distribution of DHS anti-terror grants and the growth of "contractors that now cater to police agencies looking to cash DHS checks in exchange for battle-grade gear,"
• ramped up the use of military-style raids to crack down on immigration laws and target "medical marijuana growers, shops, and dispensaries in states that have legalized the drug,"
• defended as "reasonable" aggressive, militaristic police tactics in cases where police raided a guitar shop in defense of an obscure environmental law, raided a home looking for a woman who had defaulted on her student loans, and terrorized young children during a raid on the wrong house based on a mistaken license plate,
• and ushered in an era of outright highway robbery in which asset forfeiture laws have been used to swindle Americans out of cash, cars, houses, or other property that government agents can "accuse" of being connected to a crime.

It remains to be seen whether this overture on Obama's part, coming in the midst of heightened tensions between the nation's police forces and the populace they're supposed to protect, opens the door to actual reform or is merely a political gambit to appease the masses all the while further acclimating the populace to life in a police state.

Certainly, on its face, it does nothing to ease the misery of the police state that has been foisted upon us. In fact, Obama's belated gesture of concern does little to roll back the deadly menace of overzealous police agencies corrupted by money, power and institutional immunity. And it certainly fails to recognize the terrible toll that has been inflicted on our communities, our fragile ecosystem of a democracy, and our freedoms as a result of the government's determination to bring the war home.

Will the young black man guilty of nothing more than running away from brutish police officers be any safer in the wake of Obama's edict? It's unlikely.

Will the old man reaching for his cane have a lesser chance of being shot? It's doubtful.

Will the little girl asleep under her princess blanket live to see adulthood when a SWAT team crashes through her door? I wouldn't count on it.

It's a safe bet that our little worlds will be no safer following Obama's pronouncement and the release of his "Task Force on 21st Century Policing" report. In fact, there is a very good chance that life in the American police state will become even more perilous.

Among the report's 50-page list of recommendations is a call for more police officer boots on the ground, training for police "on the importance of de-escalation of force," and "positive non-enforcement activities" in high-crime communities to promote trust in the police such as sending an ice cream truck across the city.

Curiously, nowhere in the entire 120-page report is there a mention of the Fourth Amendment, which demands that the government respect citizen privacy and bodily integrity. The Constitution is referenced once, in the Appendix, in relation to Obama's authority as president. And while the word "constitutional" is used 15 times within the body of the report, its use provides little assurance that the Obama administration actually understands the clear prohibitions against government overreach as enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

For instance, in the section of the report on the use of technology and social media, the report notes: "Though all constitutional guidelines must be maintained in the performance of law enforcement duties, the legal framework (warrants, etc.) should continue to protect law enforcement access to data obtained from cell phones, social media, GPS, and other sources, allowing officers to detect, prevent, or respond to crime."

Translation: as I document in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People, the new face of policing in America is about to shift from waging its war on the American people using primarily the weapons of the battlefield to the evermore-sophisticated technology of the battlefield where government surveillance of our everyday activities will be even more invasive.

This emphasis on technology, surveillance and social media is nothing new. In much the same way the federal government used taxpayer-funded grants to "gift" local police agencies with military weapons and equipment, it is also funding the distribution of technology aimed at making it easier for police to monitor, track and spy on Americans. For instance, license plate readers, stingray devices and fusion centers are all funded by grants from the DHS. Funding for drones at the state and local levels also comes from the federal government, which in turn accesses the data acquired by the drones for its own uses.

If you're noticing a pattern here, it is one in which the federal government is not merely transforming local police agencies into extensions of itself but is in fact federalizing them, turning them into a national police force that answers not to "we the people" but to the Commander in Chief. Yet the American police force is not supposed to be a branch of the military, nor is it a private security force for the reigning political faction. It is supposed to be an aggregation of the countless local civilian units that exist for a sole purpose: to serve and protect the citizens of each and every American community.

So where does that leave us?

There's certainly no harm in embarking on a national dialogue on the dangers of militarized police, but if that's all it amounts to?words that sound good on paper and in the press but do little to actually respect our rights and restore our freedoms?then we're just playing at politics with no intention of actually bringing about reform.

Despite the Obama Administration's lofty claims of wanting to "ensure that public safety becomes more than the absence of crime, that it must also include the presence of justice," this is the reality we must contend with right now:

Americans still have no real protection against police abuse. Americans still have no right to self-defense in the face of SWAT teams mistakenly crashing through our doors, or police officers who shoot faster than they can reason. Americans are still no longer innocent until proven guilty. Americans still don't have a right to private property. Americans are still powerless in the face of militarized police. Americans still don't have a right to bodily integrity. Americans still don't have a right to the expectation of privacy. Americans are still being acclimated to a police state through the steady use and sight of military drills domestically, a heavy militarized police presence in public places and in the schools, and a taxpayer-funded propaganda campaign aimed at reassuring the public that the police are our "friends." And to top it all off, Americans still can't rely on the courts, Congress or the White House to mete out justice when our rights are violated by police.

To sum it all up: the problems we're grappling with have been building for more than 40 years. They're not going to go away overnight, and they certainly will not be resolved by a report that instructs the police to simply adopt different tactics to accomplish the same results?i.e., maintain the government's power, control and wealth at all costs.

This is the sad reality of life in the American police state.

WC: 1728

This commentary is also
available at www.rutherford.org.