Tarnished by a few...

In my lifetime I have been privileged to know some of the finest police officers you could ever find. Men and women who risked their lives to protect families from gun violence. Others who have kept whole apartment buildings safe when fire erupted, simply because they had the foresight to ask all officers to turn their sirens on- BEFORE they went into the burning building and before the fire department arrived on the scene. Last week my former neighbor, Steven Olson from Douglas County Wisconsin saved two families from the sorrow of loosing their twelve year old’s to drowning when for some reason he just choose to check out a certain bay with his jet ski. He pulled those children onto his jet ski and brought them safely to shore.

I am so very proud to have known the many men and women who wear the uniforms of law enforcement, they indeed serve us well.

I also am deeply disappointed by the militarization of our police departments, the use of swat teams to serve minor warrants where no threat is expected. Today I heard of a man in Missouri who was taken from his car by an assault weapon armed local police officer arrested “Because you didn’t listen” { He was sitting in his car to escape the tear gas which had been fired into a crowd.} News video showed police from Ferguson Missouri dismantling the video equipment of Al Jazeera American news then threatening to confiscate others news cameras because they recorded those actions. If you have done nothing wrong, why are you afraid for our country to see what it is that you have done?

There is a difference between civil disobedience and looting and rioting. The Supreme Court of this land protected peaceful protest including marches on streets and high ways back in the 60's- I have not heard of them over ruling themselves recently. I understand that here are those who seemingly attempt to ratchet up the rhetoric in Missouri, and the niece of Martin Luther King has asked they change their speech to healing rather than inciting. Our Constitution allows for public redress of grievances through peaceful protest. It is not the responsibility of Law Enforcement to arrest and threaten peaceful protesters- or lump them together with those who willingly break the law by looting and damaging property.

My two cents worth.