AMERICA HATES COP’s
WHAT: Does America believe in the rule of law? Does America have a foundation in the rule of law? Why is there so much hate aimed at police? When/where did this hate start?
THE FOUNDATION: The rule of law expressed by John Adams, “to the end it may be a government of laws, not of men.” The fathers of our country read Plato and Aristotle and their writings claiming that obedience to positive law, as well as checks on rulers and magistrates was necessary. England gave us the Magna Carta (1215) which states “No free man shall be taken, imprisoned, disseized, outlawed, banished, or in any way destroyed, nor will he proceed against or prosecute him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers and the Law of the Land.” In the 17th century English writings of Henry de-Bracton, Edward Coke, and William Blackstone helped establish that the King was subject to the law. During our American Revolution Thomas Paine wrote about these concepts in his papers “Common Sense”.
IS AMERICA DIFFERENT: Many countries aspire to follow their laws and their constitution, but in America our Constitution and laws are binding! The rule of law expressed in the American Constitution and Bill of Rights is the bedrock of our legal system. This is the first principle on which our legal system is built. Our founding fathers felt that the RULE OF LAW is fundamental of a free and just government. John Adams wrote good government and the very definition of a republic is an empire of laws.
WHERE/WHEN DID THIS HATE START: The bad guys always disliked police but for most Americans the police have always been the friendly face in a time of need. Today police make an extra effort to reach the community they serve and protect, but that is not always enough. Some public confusion has to do with police image portrayed on media. Some has to do with local leadership, but today blame lies at the feet of national leaders.
LEADERS SET THE TONE: Intentional or not, our leaders have set the tone of cop hating and public distrust we see today. It started in 2009 when President Obama said, “The Cambridge Police acted stupidly” when they arrested Henry Louis Gates Jr. a professor at Harvard. It continued when Obama said. “If I had a son he would look like Trayvon,” referencing the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida. The biggest rock that President Obama tossed at the rule of law was when he made this statement regarding the findings of the Ferguson Grand jury; “We need to accept that this decision was the grand jury’s to make. There are Americans who agree with it, and there are Americans who are deeply disappointed, even angry. It’s an understandable reaction.” End of statement. No explanation from Obama the former Constitutional Professor to the Black Community why the Grand Jurys finding was acceptable and correct. President Obama made a conscious decision to punch the thin blue line.
NEW YORK CITY: I will not spend much time on New York Mayor de Blasio’s well documented dislike of police. A few days ago police officer Miosotis Familia, a single mother of three was assassinated. Instead of remaining in town to support the family and show support to the police community by attending the NYPD police swearing in De Blasio chose to go to Germany to speak to G20 protesters. De Blasio is the text book example of a leader encouraging hate and disrespect and yet his ten man security detail is made up of NY Police.
PERFECT POLICE: No element in society is perfect or without bad apples. Police would be the first to admit that and they work hard to weed the bad actors out of the system. School liaison and community outreach can help with their image and increase understanding. The media could help when police are in riot gear forming that thin blue line to keep opposing groups of protesters apart in order to protect the public from each other. Police now have body cameras to help tell the story etc.
THIN BLUE LINE: Venezuela and Somalia are examples of two countries that do not have rule of law. The strong men in those countries determine what the rules are to be. In America we can walk our streets; our homes do not need bars on the windows because of the efforts by our police. When there is a reference to our police force the slang is THE THIN BLUE LINE. Thin is the operative word because they are all that stand between society and chaos.
THINK ABOUT IT AND BE THANKFUL: Think what your life would truly be like without that thin blue line. Your police are your neighbors, parents, husbands, wives, uncles, aunts, brothers, sisters and grandparents so I encourage you to introduce your children to their local police.
Say, “Thank you.”