I am angry and I am offended.
As a former law enforcement officer who spent 26 years carrying a badge and a gun, when the President of the United States talks about law enforcement, believe me, I listen.
So when the president says something really ignorant – when he should know better - I am doubly disappointed. If the country wanted to elect Jessie Jackson or Al Sharpton as president we already had that chance. Many thought Obama was an educated, reasonable, objective man.
Instead, I think we have just had confirmed what some feared and suspected: we have elected the Race Baiter in Chief.
What other conclusion can one make when the facts of the incident in Cambridge, Massachusetts are closely examined and weighed against training, experience, common sense, and logic? And yet when the president was asked his opinion of the arrest by a member of the media, he used the occasion to reveal his true heart, thus lending us a preview of what the next four years will probably bring.
This is a man who has an agenda, and I would suggest the driving force is revenge.
Which makes Obama no different than the agenda driven college professor, who having broken into his home, is apparently astonished that a well meaning neighbor, trying to protect his home, called the police – thinking he was, “Trying to jigger his way” into his own home. These are the president's words, not mine.
The police arrived and adopted the only posture they are trained to take – to be on guard, perhaps catching a thief in the act who could turn out to be very dangerous. After all, they would like to end their shift safely and return to their families – to their homes – alive.
The college professor knows who they are by their uniforms, and thus he has the advantage. But they don't know who he is – yet. He protests that he is the owner of the home, but the police see the jimmied door and they are not convinced by his words alone. They ask for identification so that they may compare the man's face with his photo ID, and confirm the address. Instead of quickly sizing up the situation and seeing the humor in the misunderstanding, the college professor resorts to form and accuses the police of treating him differently because he is black.
He misses an opportunity to build good relations between himself and the police, and maybe that's because he has no interest in building good relations. Maybe his entire career is built on highlighting the bad relations that he can find – or manufacture – between whites and blacks.
He is not grateful to a neighbor for watching his property for him. He is not grateful for a quick response by the police, acting professionally and competently – protecting everybody's safety as they are trained to do – oh no – he is not grateful, he is angry and so he “cops” an attitude.
In time we will find out what he did and said that forced the police to arrest him. But the Commander in Chief – the new race baiter in town – cannot wait for the facts. Like his college professor friend he too misses an opportunity to help heal relations between the races. He went so far as to accuse the police of acting stupidly. His golden opportunity came and went, and he blew it.
Maybe the stupid act on the part of the police here is choosing law enforcement as a career, thinking they were actually going to make a difference – actually going to help people. All people.
Obama and his administration have already maligned the military by suggesting that returning veterans may be closet terrorists. Now the president himself makes numerous unfortunate statements that suggest behind every police badge may hide the evil soul of a racist. He says and I quote, “you know, race remains a factor in this society.”
I assure you, sir, the race factor may remain in your heart – but not in mine. And, not in the hearts of the thousands of police officers who protect all citizens regardless of race, gender, or any other difference, even if you and your college professor friend choose to believe otherwise.
Frankly I find your position on race matters to be disappointing, repugnant, and threatening to the health of our culture which is, by its very nature, both generous and diverse. I think the millions of black families who have their homes and persons protected by the police every night and day of the week would disagree with your ugly characterization of all police officers.
What we are witness to here is the amazing spectacle of a black man elected to the highest office in our land, continuing the claim that America is a nation plagued with racism. Surely only the most gullible would continue to believe race baiting claptrap like that. The fact is, the professor's hatred for “Whitey” overwhelmed his judgment and he lost his temper – and that is all that has happened here.
That is, until the president decided to weigh in. When he did, he revealed his heart on the matter of race and it's sad to find out where he really stands on race relations. It appears that he will not be an agent of change, and that is a real shame.