Capitol Police Hero, Lt Michael Byrd request for help.

[bottomofthehill]

I still don’t understand how the Right sees Rittenhouse with no training, just gets to shoot someone and Lt Byrd, with his training and justification is bad....

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lt-michael-byrd?qid=1b0dc04d42bb1ff6ac67449d90f26f53

Lt. Michael Byrd is a national hero. Lt. Byrd is a 28 year veteran of the United States Capitol Police and, as he was for over a decade before that day, the ranking official in charge of protecting the Members of Congress on the floor of the House of Representatives on January 6th.

When an armed mob of thousands overran the United States Capitol, intent on disrupting Congress and preventing them from certifying President Biden’s electoral win, scores of law enforcement officers were seriously injured. Many, unable to respond with force because they were overrun by the violent mob, were badly beaten and tasered. When the mob began to enter the final ring of protection inside the inner sanctum of the House Chamber, Lt. Byrd was the in the forefront of that last line of defense.

Obligated to use lethal force, Lt. Byrd’s life has been threatened and he has been forced from his home. His wife, also former law enforcement, has had to close her business and they have lost over 60% of their pre-insurrection income.

Rather than living in their dream home and finishing his decorated career with honor, Lt. Byrd and his family have been falsely vilified, threatened, and maligned. While we can never adequately thank Lt. Byrd for his lifetime of law enforcement service, nor stop those who would provide a false narrative for their own political agenda, we can help Lt. Byrd and his family pick up the pieces and make it through this difficult time together.

Lt. Byrd has spent his entire adult life protecting Congress and our Nation’s Capital. Please consider contributing to help the Byrd family through this difficult time. Every donation of every size is appreciated and every supportive note means the world to the Byrd family.

Thank you.

[NCjack]

1. Some more donors are needed. After I donated, the amount was $38,712, with the goal being $50,000

[cally]

2. Kick

[texasfiddler]

3. Thanks for letting me know this

I just donated. I wish we didn’t have to do this.

[mountain grammy]

4. Thank you so much for posting this.

[bottomofthehill]

6. I don't understand what you are trying to say

[MustLoveBeagles]

7. K&R

[malletgirl02]

8. Republicans

I wonder how many of those Republican Congress members he was protecting was involved in slandering him.

[soldierant]

10. Excellent question.

[usaf-vet]

9. $

[NBachers]

11. Done- Thanks for posting this link.

[Ampulae]

12. Well done poster

Donated. Thank you for this.

[NullTuples]

13. The distinction is simple, from their point of view.

I still don’t understand how the Right sees Rittenhouse with no training, just gets to shoot someone and Lt Byrd, with his training and justification is bad....

They know that there are what they consider "good cops" - those would be the ones that helped the 1/6 Insurrection, the ones that let Kyle Rittenhouse know they were on his side, the ones that shoot Black men, and the ones that are Constitutional Sheriffs.

And they know that there are what they consider "bad cops" - the ones who aren't part of that effort, the ones that don't share the same views. The ones they don't consider true Americans, but are still cops nonetheless. But if those cops get in the way, suddenly they aren't even really cops anymore.

My point is, this sort of thing has happened before. One of the signs of a certain flavor of authoritarian movements - much as with in a cult - is an abandonment of objective reality. Values become completely subjective, and variable. Willingness to submit to that lack of a firm baseline is a sign of loyalty. And the more irrational or inconsistent a thing a member can make themselves believe, the more loyal they see themselves and the more dedicated others within see them. It emboldens all of them, together.

[bottomofthehill]

14. Thanks, now I get what you were saying.

[live love laugh]

15. Thanks for sharing this.

[crickets]

16. Thanks for posting this, bottomofthehill.

It's very sad we've come to this point as a country. The Lt Byrds among us deserve better.

[bottomofthehill]

17. It is so strange to me that the right is celebrating young Kyle

Yet this man stepped up to save Members of Congress and potentially American Democracy itself and he is reduced to asking for financial help from the public.

He trained his whole adult life in hope that he would never have to draw his weapon in Defense of others and when he was called upon, he followed his training. For that, his life is threatened, his and his wife’s careers are dramatically changed, he had to leave his home, his neighbors, his memories, his comfort zone, all for doing his job.