CNN Reporter: Referring to Military Veterans who become Police Officers
"A lot of these young people are coming back from Afghanistan, and without knowing anyone in the community, are ready to do battle."
According to
Fox And Friends these comments were "offensive" and "inappropriate." They went on to be "Offended" by various other comments from twitter and
The Rachel Maddow Show, adding to the furor with similar Fox News hyperbolic commentary.
What exactly is supposed to be offensive in suggesting that some young officers, often times coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with PTSD, are perhaps not behaving appropriately as Officers of the Law?
It seems to me that someone who has been through the horrors of War probably shouldn't be put on the front-lines of large-scale protests and potential riots. These are our women and men who have been to hell and back and, thrown into a bad situation, can overreact in certain situations.
When all you have been taught is to react on your most primal instincts, and in many cases have had to react with violence and heavy weaponry, your instincts are going to put you on high-alert in potentially violent situations. This could easily lead to, and has led to, tragic results.
So again; What exactly is offensive to Fox News' reporters about pointing this out? This is a classic case of Fox News perpetuating our idolatry when it comes to our nation's veterans. We are expected to show deference to all Military personnel, active and veterans alike, no matter what the situation is.
If this attitude toward our military persists, and we never can be openly critical of the military, then how exactly are we supposed to express our discomfort with violence or mistakes made by current and former military members? Are we supposed to endlessly allow Veterans with PTSD to police our neighborhoods, even knowing that they could potentially be dangerous in a high-tension situation? Even more so than our ordinary trained police officers?
For some reason, not only has it become improper to criticize our own Military, but also Police Officers in general. (Remember NYPD turning their collective backs on Mayor De Blasio?)
Whether or not you agree with the criticisms being made by reporters about Police Officers and our Veterans, it's hardly appropriate to start pointing fingers and yelling, "You're Not Patriotic Enough!!!"
Criticism is the weapon of the public against the institutions of the Powerful. We cannot afford to lose that one weapon we have.