So last week a white police officer arrested a black man in his home. The reasons are not important. The fact is last week a black man was arrested by a white officer. Meanwhile last week in South Carolina a black officer arrested a white man in his home. Once again the reasons are not important. In both cases the officer was doing what he deemed necessary at the time. That was to up hold the rule of law. It really does not make a difference what the outcome is or was the fact is the officer upheld the rule of law as he saw it at the time. If in a court of law the officer is found to have over stepped his boundaries then he will answer for that and in severe cases answer dearly. If on the other hand the suspect is found guilty of whatever the supposed offense then he will be found guilty in a court of law and also pay for the offense and in some cases dearly. In both cases we count on the police to spot and if required make corrections to ensure the rule of law is upheld. We expect the court to weed through the ?drama? of the event and rule based upon the established law.
It happens the black man arrested was in an "open and enlightened" society in Cambridge Massachusetts. The black man was a professor at Harvard and as such felt he was above and beyond the normal rule of law he was entitled to a faster rule of law. The officer was just a white guy working a shift weeding through the garbage of a day keeping us safe. So the black guy throws the race trump card and short circuits the entire process. There is no court looking for the right and wrong. There is the race card.
What if the white police officer was dead wrong? He will not pay the consequences because the black guy needed his immediate satisfaction. He is black, he was wronged, and he need no, was entitled to immediate satisfaction because of his status in society. Mean while we have a supposedly ?profiling? officer still on the loose to choose his black targets better, maybe not one so well connected in the immediate Harvard area.
My point is that blacks and whites wearing a badge are wearing it to serve the community they live in. They do a job, most well, some not so well. The court determines how well or bad that job is conducted. When people who believe they are special (professors, celebrities, politicians, etc) throw their ?special? card down because they are above the law then the system breaks down. The rest of us lose confidence in the process.
Enter President Obama
To make matters worse. The chief executive of the United States says the police officer acted stupidly. Does our chief executive have nothing more pressing to do than to comment on what is a routine event, unless you?re a (professors, celebrities, politicians, etc). Right here in my town a black man was arrested in his house by a white officer. Is our white officer acting stupidly?
The president claims to profess equality. Then without giving the rule of law a chance to work its course declares the enforcer of the law stupid. That is not the way to level the race playing field, in fact is adds enormous fuel to the fire. The president should encouraged all people, black and white, to let the process work. Instead he called our law enforcers stupid. If they are stupid then we the people have no option but to start taking law enforcement into our own hands. Society breaks down and the rule of law is non-existent. Mr. President you have a job that is to represent the people of this country, regardless of color. You cannot look at this country through colored lenses regardless of the color. You must be fair and equal to all. You must encourage the people to use the processes in place. You must accept that every now and then the process does not get it right. The moment you take a side you create a tear through the great melting pot and the damage left behind is terrible for all regardless of color.
We have police, firemen, service members of all colors and genders standing in the gap for the greater good of this society. They are not perfect, errors are made, and people suffer unnecessarily. They are not stupid; they are doing the best they can. They make mistakes. But they get it right much more often then they get it wrong. They are great people doing the job most Americans do not want to do. Support them don't call them stupid Mr. President.
Last thought. Mr. Harvard Professor. Do you not think you would have made more for the racial equality by letting the system work and if as you claim you were innocent let the court declare that. Congratulations for your big step backwards for equality. I hope that white guy in South Carolina chooses better.
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