Back in the day when I was a child, my father was an active (badged and armed) member of the local Civil Defense Police Department.  Once the threat of nuclear annihilation seemed to fall into the background (around 1965), the local CD force became more or less a local police auxiliary, assisting in traffic control when large events occurred locally (like Notre Dame football games).  As a result of my father's involvement, I grew up with a police scanner on 24-7 along with some visits to the house by my father's police friends.  I grew up to respect the police for what they do, which was constantly reinforced by television programs elevating law enforcement to lofty positions of actual public adoration. But somewhere the line, "To Serve and Protect" became blurred - so much so that today, we aren't sure who exactly the police are serving and protecting.
         With the long overdue "eruption" of the Black Lives Matter movement, many Americans have literally learned via cell-phone videos that the police no longer work for all citizens of the community, but for monied interests, and perhaps those that look and speak like them.  Somehow, citizens have been separated by race and socio-economic status to determine who is policed and who is protected.  Thanks to social media, law enforcement is being revealed as often time less enforcement and more punishment, including an astounding rate of summary execution of Blacks, Latinos and People of Color.  Because we live in a NRA supported gun culture thriving on the notion that everyone with a gun is the answer to all violence, police themselves have become more and more fearful for their lives - which makes policing extremely dangerous for our citizenry.  With a President urging police "knock heads" (See: www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-trump-police-dont-worry-people-custody-hitting-heads-squad-cars) and carry criminals out on stretchers" (See: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1es9MZyyPOA), police brutality has somehow been accepted as "normal" by some Americans. 
        What role does 21st Century law enforcement become?  With recent cals to "defund the police", politicians have seized on these efforts to portray those seeking to reform law enforcement as somehow being Anti-police instead of pro-law abiding policing. With Trump and the GOP stoking the fires of division and hate (all the while using law enforcement at their last line of defense), they forget that once upon a time, a group of rogue policemen threatening to ignore crimes unless their demands were all met (ie., improved benefits and expanded authorizations for use of enhanced  policing "tactics." ).  
        One such incident resulted in the liquidation of the entire Boston police department.  The governor that supported that radical solution?  None other than future GOP President, Calvin Coolidge. (See: www.americanheritage.com/strike-made-president).  So Republicans used to believe that good police must replace bad police and police unions don't always correlate to enviable law enforcement.  Just this past week, the Atlanta Police Department had a rash of officers calling in "sick" ("Blue Flu") to protest the indictment of one of the own for brutally shooting a suspect in the back as they tried to run away. (See: www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/06/18/as-atlanta-police-protest-is-blue-flu-the-next-pandemic/#7709ebe6638f).  When citizens demanded his indictment, Republicans suddenly couldn't recall that Republicans have done just that - defunded the police or replaced them wholesale.   Now I am pro-Union, but not when their main intent is to insulate their members from wrongdoing.  Today, their is mounting evidence that police unions do just that - perpetuate a system of protected immunity from exposure for breaking the law themselves.  
       Another concern is that modern law enforcement has very few Blacks, Latinos, People of Color (or females) in their leadership ranks. In some areas, there have never been any Black Captains or Chiefs. (See: www.heraldtribune.com/opinion/20200622/anderson-local-law-leadership-lacking-in-diversity).  It is also of concern that there is growing evidence to suggest police agencies at all levels recruits and retain officers with known  affiliation with Un-American White Supremacists groups.  (See: www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/fbi-white-supremacists-in-law-enforcement). It should concern us all that law enforcement has sought out military surplus gear and equipment meant to patrol enemy territory, and not America's city streets.  And this is part of our problem today - law enforcement has forgotten what their actual role in society is.  Americans must take back legitimate control over Law Enforcement so they can no longer be allowed to police, accuse, arrest and summarily execute judgment by their use of lethal force.  Riot control must also be reformed, as far too many Americans exercising their First Amendment rights have been attacked and brutalized from the firing of rubber bullets to the use if pepper spray and gas.  Worse yet, Americans recently witnessed from the comfort of their homes, the sheer audacity of law enforcement literally beating innocent protesters (with clubs, shields, batons and fists). When it comes to modern day Public Relations, law enforcement obviously has a lot to learn. 
          Growing up, many Americans like myself were oriented to law enforcement through the actions of  fictional Marshal Matt Dillon of television's Gunsmoke series (See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunsmoke), Detective Sgt. Joe Friday in Dragnet (See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragnet_(franchise) or Eliot Ness of the 
"Untouchables" (See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Untouchables_(1959_TV_series).  Each of these characters embodied the "Serve and Protect" ideal including concerted efforts to be truthful to their mission while de-escalating violence and confrontation.  As Eliot Ness once said, "Doubts raced through my mind as I considered the feasibility of enforcing a law which the majority of honest citizens didn't seem to want."  We sure could use Marshal Dillon, Joe Friday and Eliot Ness these days (now more than ever)!   Have a safe week!

* I wrote this before learning of John Bolton's allegations of Trump's treasonous behavior.         

On this date, forty-eight years ago, Richard Nixon authorized a group of clandestine agents to break into Democratic National Headquarters to steal data in an effort to use it against the Democrats in the then upcoming election cycle.  Pre-Internet, an actual physical breaking and entering was required to accomplish this goal. But by chance they got caught - on site inside the offices of the DNC at the Watergate Office building. 
​        Instead of apologizing for such brazen illegal activity, Richard Nixon doubled-down and used his entire Administration to suppress the truth by interfering with all investigations by using the Department of Justice as his personal cover-up team.  With the president's authority, the Attorney General and the DOJ routinely promoted to deny, deflect, obscure and lie about the origins of the decisions behind the illegal break in.  In other words, without the tenacious efforts of a handful of journalists (namely Washington Post reporters Woodward and Bernstein), Americans would have never known the extent of the criminal enterprise being run out of the West Wing of the White House.   While journalists were working on the story, Nixon along with his VP, (Agnew), consistently claimed the media was nothing more than purveyors of "Fake News" and that they alone would get to the bottom of this matter.  
          By the time the dust cleared, Nixon was caught directing all sorts of illegal activities - all under the guise of promoting his Committee to Re-Elect the President - appropriately known simply as C.R.E.E.P.   The only ones being fake in the Watergate story was the president and his GOP enablers.  From the lessons of Watergate, Congress enacted legislation involving the independence of Inspectors General and the need for expanded Constitutional Oversight.  And today?  Some former Trump officials have asserted the president has made it a standard for America's National Security to be compromised whenever Trump's personal interests may be at stake.  The Congressional GOP on this problem?  Crickets. 
          Our Nation learned valuable lessons from Watergate, but like a lot of Americans these days, our country is now filled with armchair revisionist historians routinely excoriating serious journalists as purveyors of "Fake News," all the while living in their own world of "Alternate Facts."  Why else could anyone still believe anything that comes out of Trump, Pence or any of his "officials" when they routinely lie to us? 
        Over 19,000 lies and counting yet millions hang on every word Trump utters.  Now that we are struggling with the coronavirus, witnessing the abuse of law enforcement against people of color and those protesting against said brutality, Americans may finally be waking up to realize that Trump is nothing more than an empty shell of an accomplished con man.  When Steve Mnuchin tells House members they have no right to know who got over $600 Billion in relief aid, because it would violate receiving companies' "trade secrets", we should all be on alert that taxpayer money has been misappropriated to reward Trump supporters - and even to Trump's own businesses.  
         As one who has studied presidential history for decades, I used to firmly believe that all former presidents  be treated with deference after they leave office.  But after living through the years of Trump's abuses of office, I can confidently state that IF he is found guilty of crimes while in office, that YES - he and his co-conspirators deserve to spend time in prison. Former Attorney Generals Mitchell and Kleindienst served prison time for their role in the Watergate cover-up.  Yet Trump isn't the only one that should get prison time.  William Barr, once critical of Nixon for resigning believing he could "weather the storm" is unlawfully using the DOJ just as Nixon's AG's did - as a personal enforcement enterprise against Americans that oppose him - especially Democrats in Congress and Joe Biden, the Democratic Nominee. 
         So as we finally begin to recognize nationally that Black Lives Matter, let us also begin to demand our president begin to ACT lawfully.  Let's all hope he doesn't burn down America during the transition period from a loss in November to Inauguration Day for Joe Biden as our 46th President.  And then let the investigations begin against Trump and every member of the GOP that has used their positions to enable the con man. 
          As President George Washington once said, "Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light."  This November, let's make sure the light of democracy shines down on our great nation to expel and expunge the scourge we have experienced with MAGA and Donald J. Trump. Have a SAFE week!

         With everything that is going on these days, I am sure most readers are well informed on Trump's response to the protesting surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and the racist murder by police of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless other Americans.  So I decided to include a passage from Boomer to Millennials, Moving America Forward that applies more today than ever before.  From the Chapter entitled "Equal Protection Under Law: We The People Are All Equal;

          "We all want safe and secure neighborhoods and communities, but there's no question we have
           seen a blatant slide away from "To Serve and Protect" to one that protects the status quo. 

           The Black Lives Matter movement, commonly known as BLM, came about as a result of
           police killing unarmed black men, often documented via cell phone footage across the country. 
           ...and police officers end up killing their suspects; becoming judge, jury and executioner
            in public view. 

           Is it any wonder that black communities in America have little faith in the police force
           for looking after their interests? Race alone may not be the only factor in the abuses the
          public sustains.  The traditional "Blue Line" must be changed to hold all officers of the
          law accountable for any unlawful actions, regardless of the racial background of its abusers or victims. 

          Many citizens now view the police as enforcers tasked with controlling their behavior, enemies
          rather than trusted fellow human beings or friends to seek out for assistance when a crime
          is being committed. As a result, our police have become marginalized in the communities
          they are attempting to serve. Instead of protecting everyone in our society, politicians
          expect police to protect only those that have leverage in the political process. 

          It's a lose-lose scenario, but the Trump Administration's focus on terrorizing and
          scapegoating these communities, despite their positive contributions, and regardless of
         whatever negative consequences might come of it, all for the cynical political points
         scored with its increasingly insecure (racist) base."
                 
​                                           Boomer to Millennials, Moving America Forward, ISBN:9781938842412
​
       As marches of protesters take to the streets around the world, it remains time to stand up and demand our government and law enforcement step away from its abuses based upon lack of oversight and a deep-seeded hatred of Blacks and others.  Policing in America MUST be reformed.  It must return to being the one aspect of American life all citizens can trust for equal justice under the law.  As A. Phillip Randolph once wrote; "If someone tries to deprive you of your rights, you've got to resist it.  You've got to resent it. You've got to fight against it."
         I stand with America.  I stand with Black Lives Matter.  I oppose police brutality and systemic racism.  I stand FOR America, and against those that want to keep our fellow citizens under their thumb of violent abuse and control.   We must continue to protest, to demand voices are heard, and we must reform the Police if we are to ever move past this historical point in our history.  And to aid this objective, register to vote this November to remove Trump and Trumpism from our society.  If not now, when?  Have a great week!

     Say it again, BLACK LIVES MATTER!  "One Nation, Under G-d, With Liberty and Justice for ALL!"