The New Breed of Hero

by John Brennan
Dec. 21, 2011

The United States has done a remarkable job over the years convincing you that the folks in law enforcement are here for no other reason then to "protect and serve." The words sound honorable and are meant to instill trust and confidence. You see this worn out, duplicitous motto emblazoned across every squad car in every small town across America. But it has become just another slogan that means nothing at all any longer.

In an earlier essay I wrote about buzzwords; words politicians like to spew out when speaking to the people. We’ve heard liberty, freedom and democracy so often , they have become nothing but empty, meaningless, over-used words, just like the slogan, "protect and serve." Perhaps they never did mean anything, but we – the American people – were brainwashed into believing that somehow they meant something important. We’ve been duped into thinking that the people of law enforcement are here to actually protect us and to serve us as humble, appreciative public servants. But as I have come to realize, this is really not the case at all. In fact, their ultimate end purpose may prove to be far more sinister as time goes on. Maybe law enforcement’s new motto should be "subdue and enslave", because this is what their mission now seems to be.

Growing up, I was taught to respect the men in law enforcement. I was told that you could trust men in uniform and they were people of integrity. I say only men, because when I was a kid you didn’t see any women-men like you do today. What’s a woman-man you ask? I think you know what I mean. Rough gals. You see them everywhere in law enforcement; females out to prove something to somebody. Maybe they feel cheated because they were born without a ……..Well, you know what I’m saying. They are the unattractive, masculine creatures you see acting like tough guys . Just like the type of men now attracted to law enforcement; genetically short-changed . The type we made fun of as kids. They were the misfits, the bullies and the weirdoes and they now are the ones wearing the uniforms. Maybe its always been this way, but I seem to notice it more today than ever before. This is the type of personality I see on all levels of law enforcement ; angry people who have some insatiable need to control others . This is the new small-minded, tough guy breed now attracted to police work. They saw how those in uniform were revered after 9/11 and they ,too, wanted in on this new hero business.

Everyday I read stories about police abusing their authority: unnecessary beatings, questionable shootings, and torturous tazings. It is not my imagination, it seems to be happening everywhere. In small towns in the rural Midwest to the big cities of New York and Los Angeles, and all points in between, cops are abusing and killing people at an alarming rate. I know there are bad guys out there and some of these cases are justified, but too often, it is the cops who are guilty of escalating the situation into something more violent. With cellular technology, we are now able to see what has been going on for years. Go to Youtube.com and see for yourself. Type in "police brutality" and watch what comes up. You can see actual footage of a particular event, allowing you be the judge. Something has gone terribly wrong in America. You see it in their surly attitude and cocky demeanor and blatant disregard for civil liberties. They no longer see themselves as public servants, but instead as overseers of an unruly public; all of us to be treated accordingly; with a heavy hand.

And it is scary how military-like they have become; not only in appearance but in attitude. Every small force in every one-horse town across the country is now run like some independent army unit, with an overweight police chief pompously displaying his four silver stars on his collar. Make no mistake about it, police across America now see the general public as the new enemy, and themselves as the frontline soldiers in a war against the people. 9/11 has allowed them to unleash their aggression under the guise of fighting terrorism. This perverse approach to policing will only attract a strange crowd; mentally troubled individuals desperate to prove how tough they are.

What kind of person tazes an 80-year-old woman? What kind of cowardly man beats an unarmed, mentally ill homeless man to death? What kind of human being shoots a sleeping baby through a plate glass window? What kind of chickenshit weakling feels so threatened by a 15-year-old girl holding a screwdriver 30 feet away that he opens fire, killing her? The answer to all four questions is simple: Cops! And they are doing it more frequently than ever before. They have truly been given a license to kill and in many cases, using that license to full advantage.

Let me focus on one case; the Kelly Thomas murder here in Fullerton, California. Six cops beat a 30-year-old, unarmed, mentally ill homeless man to death. They beat him into a coma and he died five days later. They broke ribs, fractured facial bones and broke his thorax which eventually caused his death. Hospital pictures show the face of a human being beaten beyond recognition. All this because of an anonymous call to 911 saying a man was looking into car windows and pulling on door handles. The officers responding to the call knew Kelly and demanded to search his backpack. Frightened and confused, he took off running, leaving the backpack behind. The cops caught up to him and began their deadly assault. A young man is now dead because of an anonymous report of someone looking into car windows. Hardly seems worth killing a man over, but they did. How does this happen?

Of the six officers involved only two have been charged. The other four are on administrative leave. I’m amazed the District Attorney even filed against the two. Most of the time in cases like these, the police department involved will claim the incident was justified and tell the public it is under investigation and then you never hear about it ever again. But the real question here is where does this form of brutal policing stem from? What kind of twisted, sick human being could beat a man to death in front of approximately 100 witnesses and think he can get away with it? A man who has been given tacit approval from higher up, that’s who. And this is the problem. The cover-up began right away and started with the chief himself. All the officers involved remained on duty for four weeks after Kelly’s death. If it hadn’t been for public outcry, I’m sure these officers would still be on duty today, protecting and serving the citizens of Fullerton. Which tells me this type of behavior is tolerated if not encouraged by superiors. Testimony revealed that one of the officers later boasted about, "f-----g up a homeless guy", as if he had performed some noble task. Incidents like this seem to be much more prevalent since 9/11.

Have you grown tired of the word "hero"? I sure have. The traditional definition of "hero" was rewritten after 9/11. We now are constantly reminded of how those in uniform gave their lives helping others .But isn’t this what they signed on to do? I have no doubt that some involved in the rescue effort during the attack on the World Trade Center acted in a heroic manner. However, they were merely doing what they were hired to do. Simply doing your job doesn’t make everyone who died in uniform a hero. Have you ever noticed when the events of 9/11 are mentioned in the media, the word "hero" is used only when referring to those first responders who died that morning in the tragic attack? You never hear the term used when referring to all the other victims who died performing their duty on that same day. What about the secretary who also reported to work that morning? The computer programmer sitting at his desk? And the janitor in uniform performing his duty when the attack occurred, isn’t he just as much of a hero? Apparently not. Only the policemen and firemen are heroes, and no one else. This new concept of "hero" has trickled down to the street cops patrolling our towns across America; causing them to lose sight of what they are really here for; "to protect and serve" the American public.

Something really ugly has happened to my country. 9/11 seems to have given police the green light on aggressive, unlawful behavior. Malevolent policing has become par for the course. Police now have a tremendous lack of respect for the very people they were sworn to "protect and serve". I don’t know how much the American people are willing to tolerate before fighting back, or if they even will. Any organized movement will be quickly squashed as we saw with the Occupy Wall Street attempt. The slogan "protect and serve" will mean even less in the future as the creatures of law enforcement abuse the rights of citizens. In order for the government to really clamp down on civil liberties, they need soldiers on the street willing to carry out the orders. They will need thugs to implement their plans. Are they concerned? No. The creatures of law enforcement are already in place and are more than willing to start cracking heads; anxious to be recognized as the new "heroes" in the war against the American people.
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John Brennan [send him mail] is a freelance writer living in Mexico and will respond to any comments.

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