You are disgusting, Ernie Chambers.

There are days that I just want KC to be done as a law enforcement officer.  I want him to turn in his badge, turn to the haters with a salute and say, "good luck."  Those times don't happen very often but they are starting to come more frequently.  Today is one of those days.

I just finished reading an article where Ernie Chambers, a state senator from Nebraska, stated during a legislative hearing that if he carried a gun, he would shoot a cop.  This was after he compared the police to ISIS - you know, that cuddly little group that beheads anyone different from them.  To make matters worse, Judiciary Committee member Laura Ebke of Crete said most of the committee didn't consider Chambers' comments on Friday out of line at the time.  How the f@#% do you not find that "out of line"??

They didn't find it out of line because our society is being trained to hate the police and label them all as racists when they do their jobs.  It's trendy, it sells, and... it's bullshit.  I'm not saying there are no bad cops.  There are.  But you know what?  The good cops hate them more than society does - they taint the profession and put every single person who wears a badge at risk.  I want to throat punch people who yammer on about how the police protect their own.  Wanna bet?  Good officers want them gone more than anyone.

Here's a few tips.  If you encounter law enforcement, be compliant.  Black, white, brown, red, or yellow - if you don't comply with their commands, things are going to go south very quickly.  If you believe you're 'above' being respectful, for God's sake, at least don't be disrespectful.  Don't be squirrely.  Believe it or not, most officers have great instincts and your fidgeting is a huge warning sign.  I find it fascinating when watching Cops with KC, he will say, "He's going to rabbit." right before a suspect takes off running.  (Now granted, suspects running is a Cops' staple, but it's so interesting to me that he knows right when it's going to happen.)  In short, don't be a jackass.  But if you're breaking the law, you're probably not open to listening to that piece of advice.

Let's get to the elephant in the room.  Race.  I can't speak for all officers, or any of them really.  I'm just around a lot of them and listen to their conversations and observe their conduct (usually) outside of work.  (I say "usually" because I've been on some ride-alongs in my tenure as a veteran officer's wife.)  What I have seen is this: race is merely an identifier, like hair color - blonde, brunette, red, gray... you get the gist.  It's behavior that is the driving force on how your encounter will go, on or off the clock.  When they're working, pulling a white man over who doesn't have license plates but has a "FREEDOM wasn’t won with a REGISTERED GUN." bumper sticker is a red flag that he could be an anti-government extremist and therefore, a possible threat to the officer's safety.  He could also just be someone who bought a used car with some interesting bumper stickers and hasn't received his plates yet.  Guess what - the cop is going to err on the side of you being a zealot until he learns otherwise.  Sorry in advance if that's you with your new car, but I'd like my husband to come home at night so too bad if you're offended.

The problem today seems to be if you happen to be of a different race than the officer.  The media has made that quite the issue: apparently they believe white officers are no longer allowed to arrest anyone of color because it has somehow become "racist" if they do.  I. Can't. Even.  How about we start focusing on BEHAVIOR?  Instead of immediately assuming it's the color of skin, maybe it's the actions and words?  When Henry Gates was livid with the cops for demanding proof that he lived in the house that his neighbors reported he was breaking into, I have to tell you, I didn't get it.  I didn't get it because if the police did that to me, I would THANK them for making sure it really was MY house, not just take my word for it.  It was Gates who made it about race by assuming he was being targeted for his skin color rather than his behavior.  Before you start spouting on that "I don't know what it's like," you're right - I don't.  But I do know my heart and think I know those around me.  It's not about race, even when people try to twist it to be.  I had an African American student who used to use the 'N-word' when greeting his buddies.  I frequently and with fervor explained that was not acceptable to which he would respond that "it was okay because he was black."  Uh, no - still not okay.  Same student cussed me out in front of the entire class and when he was called in for discipline his father stated something to the effect of his son being targeted because he was a black man.  Noooo, he was 'targeted' because he was incredibly disruptive and disrespectful.  When KC was doing undercover surveillance in a very affluent neighborhood, the president of the Neighborhood Watch called the police because he knew my husband "didn't belong."   Police came, got the scoop, and let the man know it was okay but wouldn't elaborate.  Not satisfied, the man then approached KC wanting to know what he was doing there.  It was never about race, it was about behavior, which the Neighborhood Watch fellow took (probably rightfully) as being shady.  Had KC been black he could have easily in his mind made it seem that it was about race instead of suspicious activity.

Is there racism today?  Sadly, yes.  But it's not all one-sided; and it's not all only black, brown, red, yellow, and white.  The popular, new color to discriminate against seems to be blue, as evidenced by an elected African American official's public comments about shooting cops and that, disgustingly, being deemed acceptable by his peers.  Police lives matter too.  So shove it, Ernie Chambers.  You're no better than what you are accusing others of being.

It would behoove all of us to pressure the media to start focusing on people's behavior rather than their social status, skin color, or attractiveness.  But not being inflammatory and reporting the facts doesn't sell; boobs, race baiting and police hating does.

God help us all.