Vinson: This conspiracy needs to end

By MIKE VINSON

Conspiracy: a combination of persons banded secretly together and resolved to accomplish an evil or unlawful end (reference: Webster's Third New International Dictionary).

When it comes to tragic events, assassinations of public figures, in particular, there are those who scream "conspiracy" minus a smidgeon of supportive evidence. On the other hand, there are those who denounce the possibility of a conspiracy even when the supportive evidence is overwhelmingly obvious. Therefore, I must ask: Is not one stance just as ludicrous and short-sighted as the other?

Having heavily researched and written about the assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., in Memphis, TN, April 4, 1968, and the guilt/innocence of James Earl Ray, King's alleged assassin, I can confirm one should not believe everything he/she reads, watches, or hears regarding these high-profile assassinations.

With that, I'll enter the "Conspiracy Zone" as carefully and objectively as possible:

Around 3 p.m. on December 20, in the busy Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York, Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, black, walked up on a New York Police Department/NYPD patrol car and opened fire with a semiautomatic handgun on the two NYPD policemen inside, hitting both multiple times, killing them "execution style." Officer Rafael Ramos, 40, Hispanic, and Officer Wejian Liu, 32, Vietnamese, were pronounced dead at the scene. After murdering the two NYPD policemen, Brinsley fled to a nearby subway station and committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
Ismaaiyl Brinsley had a long criminal record and reportedly had shot his girlfriend in the stomach, in Baltimore, Maryland, just hours before making the journey to New York to carry out his dastardly deed.(NOTE: The girlfriend survived.) In his final posting on Instagram, Brinsley allegedly wrote: "I'm putting wings on pigs today. They take 1 of ours, let's take 2 of theirs...Shoot The Police #RIP Eriv Garner #RIP Mike Brown..."This May Be My Final Post...I'm Putting Pigs In A Blanket."

Still, before ambushing NYPD officers Ramos and Liu, Brinsley reportedly told bystanders, "Watch what I'm gonna do." Chilling, to say the least!

Seemingly credible reports indicate the reason behind Ismaaiyl Brinsley's murderous acts was Brinsley was upset over the way the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases had been handled. As discussed in previous columns, Michael Brown, 18, black, was shot to death by a white police officer during a physical confrontation, in Ferguson, Missouri, August 2014. Eric Garner 43, black, died en route to the hospital after being restrained by white NYPD cops in Staten Island, New York, July 2014. All law enforcement involved in Brown's death and Garner's death was cleared of any wrongdoing (though civil suits are pending).

As most know, resultant of the Michael Brown and Eric Garner cases (and others), demonstrations, outcry from all levels, and criminal behavior have saturated America, and law enforcement appears to be receiving the brunt end of it: Attacking policemen has become barbarically trendy. Hopefully, it will get better before it gets worse.

Back to Ismaaiyl Brinsley murdering the two NYPD cops and, too, any sort of "conspiracy" being involved . . .
First, allow me to establish what one views on the Internet very well might not be what it appears to be. That being said, let's ride into the Conspiracy Zone:

As stated above, after killing the two NYPD cops, Brinsley ran to a subway station, put another message on Instagram, and then shot himself in the head. This Instagram, via Internet, shows Brinsley's left leg, and on his left foot is a blue-colored athletic shoe with no shoelace. However, the same Internet site shows Brinsley's body on a gurney, and his left shoe does have a shoelace, and it is neatly tied!

Fueling the conspiracy fire even hotter, no one from NYPD has come forward and publicly explained the "magic shoelace" to the best of my knowledge.

Even if there is a "conspiracy" at work here, how would a shoelace vs. no shoelace be any sort of factor? Well, that very type of confusion is what brainy conspirators create, isn't it?

Hopefully, someone will explain the "magic shoelace" and put this conspiracy theory to rest.