Reader Mail (police): Your upbringing shows when you cheer cops’ defiance of civilian authority. I grew up a son-of-a-vet and became a vet-lifer myself. My imprinting shows too when I say that your cheer-leading is as frightening as the cops turning their backs on their mayor. I learned that what keeps us from a military coup d’état and dictatorship and martial law like in so many countries was our respect for civilian authority over the armed force, regardless of our politics and who we voted for: “Our’s was not to reason why, but to do or die” (to paraphrase Kipling). The $350,000.00 (in today’s dollars) is worth the tax for a West Point graduate’s education and training if Honor, Duty and Country means respecting the elected President as Commander in Chief. The myth in Western movies of town sheriffs running the town with the mayor and city council cowering behind him (Who else will protected us?) is a bit of Americana that’s mostly gone for good. Your nostalgia is misplaced, especially for public employee unions run amok: They curse us but call us when they needed us. Intimidating: ‘hands off or we might just be slow when were needed.’ Please. What do you think they sign up for–conditional help? (Nurse, this patient doesnt like us. Next!) When I saw the police officers turn their back on the mayor as their civilian authority, I chill ran up my spine and one thought came to mind–sin vergüenza. You do not honor the tradition, sir, that anyone hired to carry and use a weapon for the public good is not privileged to decide what war to fight in, nor whom to salute. We are both sons of civil servants sworn to protect us, why didn’t we learn the same lesson?
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 16:04:21 +0000
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