Don: Why is no one outraged about plight of former JBLM soldier who stormed White House?
Oct 1, 2014, 6:49 PM | Updated: Oct 2, 2014, 7:23 am
The former JBLM soldier accused of climbing a fence and storming the White House with a knife pleaded not guilty Wednesday, the same day the head of the Secret Service resigned.
Julia Pearson stepped down amidst bipartisan furor over the White House incident and several others.
Pearson got pummeled by lawmakers from both sides of the aisle for the White House breach.
But KIRO Radio’s Don O’Neill is furious no one bothered to mention the soldier who climbed the fence and sparked the outrage.
Here’s what Don had to say:
One thing that we should understand is, number one, the reason why you have Democrats and Republicans running in front of the television cameras and grandstanding is because we’re in an election cycle. They are all looking for something to champion in their district and they want to look like they’re tough.
They’re looking like they’re tough on Omar Gonzalez. Who’s Omar Gonzalez? He’s a soldier from JBLM who’s gone to war 11 times. His mind’s not right. As a result of that, when he went to the White House, it seems like he didn’t go there to hurt the President, he was going there to warn the President.
He has these voices in his head, he felt like the atmosphere was collapsing in on top of him.
My heart is broken for Omar Gonzalez. He’s sitting in a jail cell right now, and what really should be happening in the other Washington today is that pinhead that just stood up went after the director of the Secret Service. He should have stood and said, ‘Where’s Omar Gonzalez? Can we get him out of a jail cell? Can we get him to a hospital? Can we get him some help? Can we make sure that he’s okay?’
No, instead what they’re doing, on both sides, is grandstanding. They’re hoping the folks at home are watching this because they’re being really tough and they’re beating the hell out of a woman who’s only been in this job for a year-and-a-half.
Here’s the disgrace: You send a man to war 11 times. He is not right. He is living in his car. He comes home and he’s going to warn the commander in chief, and not one politician – not even a politician from this state that represents JBLM – stood up and said ‘Where’s Omar Gonzalez? Let’s get him out of a cell, let’s get him to a hospital, let’s get him out of his car and let’s get him some help.’
We broke him, let’s fix him.
What makes a man jump over the fence at the White House anyway? What makes a man want to go talk to the President? What makes a man have 800 rounds of ammunition in his car with no way to deliver those round because there was a gun connected to those rounds?
This is a man that needs our help, and I continue to be disgusted by these pigs in the other Washington that we call politicians. I am mad as hell about this, as mad as I have been about anything. His name is Omar Gonzalez. He doesn’t belong in a jail cell. He belongs in a hospital getting help, getting treatment.
