Why do we protect and serve?

This was one hell of a week, right? I started this week off on a high, first enjoying the cockpit of a Gulfstream G7 (technically Gulfstream G700), a private jet with a starting price tag of $75 million give or take. That same night, I spent some time chatting with some Air Force guys responsible for shuttling around the presidential motorcade.

Gulfstream G700 cockpit via Gulfstream and not the actual one I got to see

After that night, my wife and I had a date morning where we cast our Georgia Senate run-off votes for eventual winners Senators-elect Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock. Seems like that string of good fortune ran out when we didn’t hit a single number in the Mega Millions lottery drawing.

Like millions of other Americans, I spent Wednesday glued to the news as a gaggle of morons, idiots, conspiracy theorists, and armed terrorists (fuck calling them militias) attempted an insurrection to stop the certification of the duly elected president and vice president elect and install Trump as president for four more years.

I’ve been thinking of cleaning up my language and topics just in case I decide to either make my identity public or run for office in the future. That’s partly why I haven’t posted anything in light of what transpired. Then, I read this today, and things changed.

This is what got to me the most.

While some of the images from that day appeared to show officers standing by to let the mob into the Capitol building, the veteran officer said that they had fought them off for two hours before the attackers eventually gained access. The officer, who has been with the department for more than a decade, said that many of the widely spread images of smiling marauders, many in absurd costumes, wandering around the halls downplayed how well prepared some of the rioters were to overtake the building, and even capture and kill Congress members.

“That was a heavily trained group of militia terrorists that attacked us,” he said. “They had radios, we found them, they had two-way communicators and earpieces. They had bear spray. They had flash bangs …They were prepared. They strategically put two IEDs, pipe bombs in two different locations. These guys were military trained. A lot of them were former military,” the veteran said, referring to two suspected pipe bombs that were found outside the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee.

The officer even described coming face to face with police officers from across the country in the mob. He said some of them flashed the badges, telling him to let them through, and trying to explain that this was all part of a movement that was supposed to help.

“You have the nerve to be holding a blue lives matter flag, and you are out there fucking us up,” he told one group of protestors he encountered inside the Capitol. “[One guy] pulled out his badge and he said, ‘we’re doing this for you.’ Another guy had his badge. So I was like, ‘well, you gotta be kidding.’”

Now, we all take the same oath to defend the same Constitution from the same enemies. So, what do we do when those enemies are the people who clock into work right in front or behind us? How do we deal with the issue of enemies when they’re wearing the same badge and uniform as we are?

None of this is taught at the academy or during any advanced training courses. This topic isn’t even discussed during roll calls or briefings. I’d bet money that most any black officer you encounter would have a story or two about fellow officers who would have likely been in that crowd as an active participant if they had the opportunity.

After reading that article, my first thought was “why do we continue to serve and protect a country that doesn’t give a shit about us?” I honestly wish I had an answer for you, but I don’t. I can’t even muster the strength to make up a lie involving jingoistic patriotism. Outside of the fact that it pays the bills, I don’t even have a reason to return to work after my days off.

This country has been through a lot in the past year alone. We’ve dealt with a pandemic that disproportionately affected minorities in which our government turned a blind eye and allowed it to ravage the country. We saw more instances of disproportionate policing against minorities which led to protests and riots. Through all this, our government basically gave minorities the middle finger as though we’re not even citizens worth having our issues addressed.

Is spite of all this, minorities showed up in huge numbers and propelled the Democratic Party to retake the White House, hold the House of Representatives, and regain control of the Senate. And what do we get as a reward for “saving” America and democracy itself? We get a white riot, insurrection against the government itself driven by the Republican Party, their financial backers, and their supporters including police and members of the military.

The actual coup attempt doesn’t anger me as much as the lack of preparation to stop it. If I were to plan a rally against police brutality, every police agency within an hour’s drive would be on the streets hours before we show up. There would be helicopters in the air, APCs on the ground, and thousands of officers in riot gear armed to the teeth with tear gas, rubber bullets, and every less lethal tool there is in existence.

This Wednesday, there appeared to be no plan for anything other than the coup itself. Where was the riot gear, helicopters, and thousands of officers? There were Capitol Police officers opening the gates and helping the terrorists out. To add insult to injury, the police then held the doors and allowed the insurrectionists to walk away freely as though it was a concert letting out after the last act.

I will acknowledge the bravery of the officers who held the line and fought as long as they could to hold off the hordes, but they were heavily outnumbered and there was literally zero probability of holding off that crowd for any length of time. Their actions will be remembered as truly heroic to me. Their colleagues who aided and assisted insurrection will get no such accolades from me. At this current moment, I don’t think I’d spit on them if I saw them on fire. I may eventually moderate that view, but right now, I am very pissed off

This country asks me and others like me to protect and defend it while they shit on our existence. I don’t currently have an answer as to why we continue. I can’t say for certain that we will continue to do so if the country continues to treat us like shit. I’m not making any threat of reprisal. I’m just acknowledging human nature and people eventually get fed up of being treated badly. Maybe America needs a moment of introspection to determine why they expect us to continue to protect and defend a country that doesn’t protect and defend us.

Your thoughts?

*If I’m running for office and someone wants to use what I’ve said against me, then do it. I’m human, and I have emotions just like anyone else. My current emotion just happens to be anger. Keep reading my blog, and you’ll see all range of emotions, guaranteed.