Sunday, July 10, 2016

Not Today, Satan.

Last week saw two more black men killed by police, followed by a sniper murdering five police and hurting seven more.  I think most of us were in shock, and Facebook exploded with the usual reactions.

All Lives Matter.

He had a record.

Police lives matter.

He must have done something to deserve it.

What do the cops expect when they kill civilians all the time?

Thin blue line decals for free!! (That one was pretty sweet, actually.)

More thoughts and prayers!

One for one side and one for the other and never the twain shall meet.    No, no, actually, I'm going to say something about that.

Not today, Satan.  

Nope. I'm getting pretty sick of people saying that the people being killed for no obvious reason deserved it.  Being an asshole is not a death penalty offense.  Being a suspect in a crime is not a death penalty offense.   Even if it was, this is America, and we're supposed to get a trial.   Thinking these things does not make me anti cop.  It makes me anti murdering cop, which, if you think about it, everybody should be anti murdering cop.   Seriously.  Especially cops.   I understand that sometimes the police have people lie about them.  I understand that their first instinct is to close ranks and defend their fellow officers.  I get it.  I work with the public, how could I not get it?  But there comes a point when enough is enough and you have to take a long hard look in the mirror.  

But I'm still not willing to say the police in Dallas deserved it.  Why?   They didn't.   I take cops like I take everyone else. One at a time.   In this case, the Black Lives Matter protest was going extremely well.   The police and the protesters were taking happy pictures with each other.   Everybody was calm, everybody was as happy as you could be at a rally protesting police brutality.  Even the police.  (Who I suspect are largely as sick of police brutality as the public.)

Then it all went to hell.  Someone started shooting, because he "wanted to kill some white people".   I understand the instinct to say Black Lives Matter ordered a war on the police, but I'm going to ask everybody to take a moment and firmly say:  Not today Satan.

Today, and everyday, we need to be calm.  We need to be rational.   We need to stop for a minute and think.   Let's be adults.  Let's all look at this like grown people with clear heads.    Evil says that the police, all the police, are the enemy.   Evil says they are all racist assholes who hate black people.  No, not today, Satan.  The police need to take a long hard look in the mirror and train their officers in deescalation and give the occasional attitude adjustment when it's needed to their people, but most cops are good cops.

And as far as Black Lives Matter wanting to start a race war, I'm going to tell y'all a little secret.  They let this white girl follow their facebook page.  I'm not seeing a thing about a race war or starting one or targeting the police.  Not a thing.  Am I on their email list?  No.  But I'm not seeing anything like what you're picturing.   For heaven's sake, just say no to paranoia and white supremacist propaganda and, well, Satan, and take them and the protests one at a time.  Like anyone else.  Reserve judgement.  Evil wants you to heap it up on your fellow human beings and stop seeing them as human beings.  Don't do that.  Just don't.

That's how bad things happen.  When you start seeing people as things.   We are all made in the image of God and we need to remember to act like it.     Reign in your temper, straighten your crown, and push those thoughts away with all your might.

Not today, Satan.

Not today. 

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