On November 5th a horrific shooting occurred at Ft. Hood Military Base resulting in 13 dead and 30+ wounded. A Major (and Psychiatrist) for the U.S. Army is the accused shooter. Much is being made of his name, his background and his actions. However, instead of the shooter, let's discuss the hero of the day, Officer Kimberly Munley.

A member of the civilian police department for Fort Hood, she and her partner were the first police officers to arrive on the scene, showing up roughly 3 minutes after the first call went out. By chance, where they arrived is where the suspect was also. Now, details are not specific at this time, however, Officer Munley and the shooter encountered each other and a gunfight ensued. Despite being wounded herself, Office Munley hit the suspect four times, dropping him in his tracks and preventing any more shootings.

The Army (specifically Lt. Gen Cone) is giving her complete credit for stopping the shooting as should we. Officer Kimberly Munley, you are a hero. You will say you were doing your job, which is part of why you are a hero. Thank you for your service, who knows how bad things would have been without your intervention.

Edit: Additional information: According to a New York Times article Officer Munley is a firearms expert, a firearms instructor for the police department, a member of the SWAT team, former Army and an all around bad ass, along with being an incredible woman.

Statements are showing that as she pulled up she saw the suspect chasing a wounded soldier, firing. She exited her vehicle and drew the shooter's attention. She and the shooter started closing on each other, both firing repeatedly. It is unknown if her first round hit or if anyone else also fired, however, it is know she hit several times, even, apparently, after being wounded.

Overall, she was hit in the right wrist and two wounds to EACH thigh.

So yeah, even with the tragedy we have before us, we have a person that each and every one of us can admire.

Bishop John Shelby Spong has had it, go here and read what he has to say.

My favorite quotes from the entire statement:

"Indeed I feel the Christian Church should not only apologize, but do public penance for the way we have treated people of color, women, adherents of other religions and those we designated heretics, as well as gay and lesbian people."

and

"I am unwilling to argue about it or to discuss it as if there are two equally valid, competing positions any longer. The day for that mentality has simply gone forever."

For a Bishop to come out with this statement is amazing. There is no date when he made this statement I just hope he has stuck to it.

Bishop Spong, thank you for realizing that, when we get down to it, people are people, the same all over.

America wants more prisons. We want sex offenders kept together in groups so that they can easily be monitored. But we don't want it near us. This is NIMBY, Not In My Backyard. It's when everyone can agree we need something, but none of us want it near us.

This is a prime example of NIMBY

Day Care May Oust Sex Offenders

Families Concerned About Bus Stop Location Take Action

What began as concern over a school bus stop located on Orange Blossom Trail near a mobile home park that houses more than 90 sex offenders became a plan to push them out in the name of children’s safety after a proposal to move the bus stop didn’t work.

The woman who came up with the plan, Barbara Farris, said she wants them out and away from the public school bus stop. In fact, Farris has been sitting down the street, protesting their presence.

“We’ve been out here for eight nights, slept out here, watching these sex offenders,” Farris said. “We watch them do crack, pick up prostitutes.”

According to the release conditions placed on sex offenders, they are prohibited from living near schools, churches and day cares, but there is nothing that says can’t live by the bus stop.

So Farris has ramped up her efforts, and said she has a location for the day care facility locked down and is working with someone who already owns multiple day cares.

Several sex offenders who live at the Lake Shore Village Moble Home Park came out to talk to Local 6 about the proposal.

“We did our time,” said a sex offender who wished to remain anonymous. “We’re trying to do what’s right.”

Some sex offenders Local 6 spoke with said forcing them out of the area wouldn’t solve anything.

“Would you rather have 91 sex offenders in a park that has police protection because the owner of the park provides that to watch over what's going on, or would you rather have them scattered all over Orlando?” asked another offender who did not want to be identified.

Still, Farris said she hopes to her proposal will be approved and enacted quickly.

“Once we get our license approved, they have 24 hours to relocate,” Farris said.

Farris said she has a list of other monitored communities where they could relocate, but all are out of the county.

Read the bolded section again. The sex offenders can move to another county, she doesn't care, as long as they are gone from near here. This is a prime example of NIMBY!!

Honestly, I find this woman and her plan repulsive. And the fact that she seems to take glee in forcing 91 people to move with 24 hours notice. I sincerely hope that her request for a license is denied, the ultimate reason would be because of the community of sex offenders next door and that it would not be an appropriate area for a day care. That would rock, hoisted on her own petard if you will.

Overall though, the treatment of sex offenders (and other convicts but specifically sex offenders) is disgusting. Florida has a large community of sex offenders homeless, living under a bridge, because of laws stating where they can live. Offenders are even being directed to live in tents in the woods and the location under the bridge by their probation officers because they CANNOT be placed anywhere else.

You know, personally, I feel much safer knowing that we have an entire class of criminal that is being ostracized by society to the point that they are forced into being homeless, regardless of their economic situation. It's refreshing to know that these sex offenders are completely unmonitored (SINCE THEY LIVE UNDER A FREAKIN' BRIDGE OR OUT IN THE WOODS) with really now reason to stay on the straight and narrow, since JAIL WOULD MOST LIKELY BE PREFERABLE to their current situation.

A community of sex offenders is a brilliant idea, just not in my town