Christopher Dorner – What did we learn?

As the story of Chris Dorner comes to a close (or is it?) it seems that a post-mortem is in order.  I preface this piece by stating that I do not condone the actions of Christopher Dorner.  What happened to the innocents he gunned down is tragic. 

But you have to ask yourself in the midst of his ranting manifesto was there some truth?

You have to ask yourself does it make sense to heed the message of a Madman?

For me it comes down to a lack of faith in the machine that runs this country.  Federal, State and Local officials have shown time and time again that they are not equipped or do not desire to run this country effectively.  Whereas at one time politics was a tool of government now government has become the tool.  Money and influence controls our lives today and not an objective fair body of individuals who share the same purpose, the same goals, as our forefathers planned.  The US Government is no longer about freedom, equality, fair judgment, and independence.  It is about whom can raise the most money to buy the most votes and influence the most people.

What does this have to do with Christopher Dorner?  Though he seemed to be bipolar at best, a madman at worst, he faced a challenge many of us face.  Unfairness in the work place.  To what degree, who is to say?  But I believe that there must have been a root of truth to his allegations that set things in motion.  He was wronged in some way.  Many of us at some time in our lives are wronged in the workplace.  The way we cope with it is to cuss out the boss during happy hour, talk it out with the spouse at the dinner table, file a workers comp claim, or more likely find another job.  Most of us don’t have a killer’s mindset; most of us do not hunt down innocents.  But many of us can empathize with the plight of Dorner.

The nearly 15,000 people who have liked the Christopher Dorner Facebook page are evidence that empathy is alive and well in cyberspace.  I hope that the LAPD reopens the case and re-evaluates the evidence and methods used.   Not to find blame but to determine reforms that will prevent the birth of the rage in Dorner’s heart.  To determine ways to be more transparent to the city of Los Angeles where possible.  To create a world where the public will not question the existence of a “blue code” or “blue line” because such things have no fuel to live.

Whether or not Christopher Dorner was a madman all levels of government need to address the mental health challenges of this country.  What do the beating of Kelly Thomas by Fullerton police, the Sandy Hook murders, the Aurora movie shootings and Christopher Dorner have in common?  It’s not guns.  It’s mental health and the fact that this country has fallen far short in its care of the disabled and mental challenged in our community.  Enough with all this talk about gun control (soon the media will dub this “weapon control”) address the real challenge that America in 2013 faces.  Mental Health.