Man shot, killed during attempted break-in; police say intruder’s behavior was bizarre

ENGLEWOOD — A man was shot and killed after reportedly trying to break into someone’s home early Friday.

As reported on News Center 7 at 6, the shooting happened around 2 a.m. in the 600 block of Overla Boulevard in Englewood.

A couple heard someone trying to break in, they prepared to defend themselves and gunfire happened while one of them was calling 911. A caller told dispatchers that her boyfriend heard someone trying to break in and he went to grab his gun.

On the call, you hear a confrontation and gunshots.

Englewood police crews pulled up during the call. They found the alleged intruder on the ground in the home’s side yard. The police said the man who lived at the home thought the intruder had left and checked his backyard shed. He then walked toward the street to see if his car had been broken into.

“He was confronted by the suspect. The suspect came toward him. He, in fear for his life, fired three shots from this firearm,” Englewood Police Chief Corey Follick said.

The man killed was identified as 43-year-old Matthew Culham. Follick said his actions were unusual for a burglar. “Most burglars, if they determine the home is occupied, once they’re detected they flee the area,” he said.

Follick said the evidence gathered at the scene did support the couple’s version of what happened. Police can’t explain Culham’s actions at this time. “That’s why we had to wait for toxicology reports to see if anything else is factored into that as well,” Follick said.

Englewood barely has one homicide a year over the last decade, making the shooting even more unusual.

We will continue to follow this story.

“The strongest argument for socialism is that it sounds good. The strongest argument against socialism is that it doesn’t work. But those who live by words will always have a soft spot in their hearts for socialism because it sounds so good.”
— Thomas Sowell

Americans Increasingly Worried About Uncle Sam Being Big Brother

There’s an intersection between the Second Amendment and anything that has to do with government overreach. If we look at the countless ways the federal government has failed on public safety policy and the execution of its duties, the body count is high. That’s both literal and figurative. Those who exercise the Second Amendment have everything to be worried about when it comes to our own government spying in on them. To progressives, gun owners are essentially an enemy of the state. A recent Rasmussen Reports® survey found that Americans are worried about domestic spying.

Voter concerns about domestic surveillance have not decreased, as the nation prepares for a new administration under President-elect Donald Trump.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 71% of Likely U.S. Voters are concerned about the U.S. government spying on American citizens, including 40% who are Very Concerned. Only 25% aren’t concerned about domestic spying. These findings are only slightly changed from January 2021, when Joe Biden was President-elect. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Forty-five percent (45%) expect government spying on U.S. citizens to increase in the new Trump administration, compared to 32% who think such surveillance will decrease and 15% who expect it to stay about the same. Four years ago, 40% believed spying would increase under Biden.

The phraseology of how voter concerns on spying have not decreased with a President-elect Trump sitting in the bullpen is interesting. How conservatives versus liberals feel about the potential for the government to peek into our lives perhaps is where the story is.

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“GOOD MEN PROJECT” (My Foot)
Author thinks inanimate objects are more of a problem than those with evil intent

Gary Whittenberger, Reducing Gun Violence in the United States

Gary Whittenberger is a retired psychologist and freelance writer known for his thoughtful contributions to discussions on psychology, philosophy, science, and religion. Holding a doctorate in clinical psychology from Florida State University, he worked as a psychologist in federal prisons for 23 years. Whittenberger is an active member of the freethought community and co-directed the Tallahassee Freethinkers’ Forum. He has authored several works, including God Wants YOU to be an Atheist, and has written for Skeptic Magazine, Free Inquiry, and other publications. His articles often tackle complex topics such as personhood, free will, and gun violence prevention.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Quick backdrop questions, what have the work in clinical psychology, in federal prisons, and freethought activism, taught about the American culture’s psyche around guns–the heart of the matter?

Dr. Gary Whittenberger: Scott, I want to thank you for this opportunity to talk about my article “A Comprehensive Program for Reducing Gun Violence in the US” which appeared in the October/November 2024 issue of Free Inquiry magazine.  Also, I compliment you on the great work you are doing with The Good Men Project.  We need more journalism, analysis, and commentary like that.

Turning to your question:  I think Americans have an obsession with guns which is unhealthy.  I think it has roots in the founding of a new country, exploring and settling the western frontier, and rebellion against old governments, all of which occurred a few centuries ago.  Fear and anger at levels higher in our country than what are found in other countries stimulate the ownership, purchase, and use of firearms.  Part of the solution is to lower these emotions and part of it is to reduce the access to and the number of firearms in the country.

Jacobsen: In the Uvalde case, what were the failures of law enforcement?

Whittenberger: Law enforcement officers failed to confront the shooter as soon as they could have and should have.  In my opinion, whenever there are at least two officers who have firearms on the scene, they should call for backup but begin to engage the shooter.  This response needs to be stipulated in policies, laws, and training.  Officers who do not have the willingness or courage to act to defend others in stressful situations should not be in law enforcement.

Jacobsen: How can gun regulations balance with Second Amendment rights?

Whittenberger: As I said in my article, the Second Amendment needs to be amended.  Although American citizens should have a right to possess, own, and use guns, this right should not be absolute.  The right should be regulated, restricted, and limited for the common good, especially to minimize unjustified aggression.  I have suggested that ordinary citizens be limited to three firearms.  Nobody needs an armory.  I think “military type” guns should be held from the public.  I believe that five different groups of persons should be prohibited from having guns.  Any ethical, well-trained, and responsible firearms user has no good reason to oppose these reforms.

Jacobsen: What is the importance of considering mental health in approach reduction of gun violence?

Whittenberger: I think it is extremely important, but I don’t agree with the more conservative pundits who think it should be the only approach to reducing gun violence.  The more guns there are in a society, the more unjustified gun violence there will be.  The more guns are accessible to people likely to misuse them, the more unjustified violence there will be.  Yes, treating mental health problems is necessary, but not sufficient.  We need to identify, diagnose, and treat mental health problems early, during childhood, and this is why we need so many more social workers, counselors, and psychologists to work with children in our schools.

Jacobsen: What community intervention efforts can mitigate gun-related violence?

Whittenberger: I think politicians, office holders, nonprofits, and all citizens of a community should strongly advocate for and support gun control policies, as I have outlined in my article.  We all need to commit ourselves to slightly reducing our freedoms to possess, own, and use guns in order to reduce gun violence and promote the common good.  Give up a little in order to gain so much more!  I support buy-back programs conducted by cities and counties.

Jacobsen: What other training or preparedness might help law enforcement agencies?

Whittenberger: Law enforcement agencies need to improve both their employee selection procedures and their training.  Officers need to use their agency-issued firearms in a prudent, rational, ethical, and legal manner.   Over-use and under-use of firearms by officers are both problems which need to be corrected.  We saw in the Uvalde situation that officers took up to 75 minutes to mount their counter-attack, which was way too long.  On the other hand, we have seen in other kinds of situations that officers are too prone to use their firearms too quickly to resolve a situation.

Jacobsen: What other reasonable and unreasonable approaches to the reduction of gun violence are being proposed other than, for example, pray?

Whittenberger: I think I have mentioned most of the reasonable approaches in my article.  Banning firearms for private citizens in the US would be an unreasonable approach.  I think more than half the citizens do have legitimate uses for the ownership of firearms for protection, hunting, and target practice, but ownership of firearms by some citizens, of military-grade guns, and more than three guns is not reasonable.

Jacobsen: What would be a reasonable estimate of efficacy of these proposition to reduce gun violence?

Whittenberger: I think full implementation of the practical steps I have recommended would reduce gun violence by 90%.

Jacobsen: What might be some criticisms of your approach?

Whittenberger: A common criticism is “Implementation of your recommended gun regulation program would lead to the banning and confiscation of guns among private citizens.”  This is a slippery slope argument which is used to scare people and arouse resistance to gun regulation.  My approach is a common sense and gradual approach which would not be fully in place for about 75 years.  And yet, reductions in gun violence will gradually dissipate over that time period.   Responsible users of firearms should be willing to sacrifice just a little of their freedom for the common good which comes from a reduction of gun violence in our society.

Jacobsen: What might be barriers to implementation at the state of the federal level?

Whittenberger:   Extreme selfishness, fear, the NRA, and owners of large numbers of guns would be barriers to implementation.

Jacobsen: Thank you for the opportunity and your time, Gary.

Whittenberger:   You are welcome.  And thank you for bringing wider exposure to my article and my many ideas about gun control.  Gun violence is rampant in our society and we need to solve the problem!  “Thoughts and prayers” for victims just don’t cut it.  Please continue your excellent work with The Good Men Project.

Multiple Arctic outbreaks to affect more than 250 million in central, eastern US into mid-January.

The central, southern and eastern United States are bracing for the coldest, most persistent frigid Arctic air in years that will come in waves and last through mid-January. Storms packing snow and ice will join in.

AccuWeather Sr. Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin discussed the Arctic chill that will impact the Midwest and the mid-Atlantic regions next week.

Round after round after round of Arctic air is poised to plunge into the central and eastern United States. AccuWeather meteorologists warn that each outbreak of Arctic air has the potential to bring colder air farther south than the previous round and will lead to a major surge in energy demands and the risk of freeze-related damage in the Southern states.

The magnitude and extent of the Arctic air will build into the first full week of January and linger through the middle of the month and will, at times, affect more than 250 million people living in more than 40 states in the Central and Eastern regions.

“At this time, it looks like there will be at least three major blasts of Arctic air that will affect the Southern states,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Alex DaSilva said. “The first outbreak will linger into Jan. 4, the second on Jan. 7-8 and then the third round on Jan. 11-12.” Additional rounds of Arctic air may follow but be directed more toward the Midwest and Northeast.

Each wave will bring a reinforcing shot of cool air, keeping air temperatures well below the norm for the first month of the year.

Even though each layer of cold coming in may stop short of the most extreme conditions in the past 10-15 years, the number of days spent below the historical average will add up in dozens of states from just east of the Rockies to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

“This is not record-setting cold, but the longevity of these cold waves, combined with snow on the ground in the Upper Midwest and northern Plains, will lead to a prolonged surge in heating demand,” AccuWeather Long-Range Expert Joe Lundberg said.

The prolonged nature of the cold, as a result, could end up making a splash on the record books, making it the coldest January in over a decade.

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