By Stephen Owsinski:
We went from a hands-in-pockets president to a hands-on president in terms of recognizing the onerous job of our nation’s law enforcement officers. President Donald Trump evinced his support for police with a Sunday luncheon for the law enforcement community on January 22, 2017, one day before officially bailing the nation’s boat.
The main banter among attendees was the Trump Administration’s pact, titled “Standing Up for Our Law Enforcement Community,” laden with accolades and allegiance to elevate cops from the drudgery of recent years. Stemming from incidents across the country in which a chasm deepened, centrally stemming from anemic race relations, police officials were painted as villains and an all-around everyday target when utopia didn’t come to fruition.
But a new day and age is upon us. Turning the pages already demonstrated a cerebral sense of perspective and promise.
Some surmised that FBI Director James Comey would be fired by President Trump. Elbow-rubbing at Sunday’s police luncheon did not show those cards. No matter how Director Comey played his hand as the Hillary Clinton email investigation unfolded, not much in an active investigation can simply be exposed to appease curious souls and politicos who seek to be in the know. Despite Mrs. Clinton’s accusations that Mr. Comey torpedoed and sunk her political ship, the beat goes on…and there may be more to come. Director Comey and his agents are still digging into her sordid scandal and shady pathology. We shall see.
In a recently published New York Times article, it was announced that President Trump has every intention of retaining James Comey as FBI director, contrary to recent speculations that he would spit out “You’re fired!” and show him to the elevator. Interestingly, that also means that Director Comey’s agents will continue their investigation regarding some of Mr. Trump’s associates who may have been aligned with Russian figures. We can decipher the tacit acknowledgement that the President has nothing to hide, that he has full faith in the FBI’s diligence, and that he respects due process of law. Affirming the premise of a clear conscience is allowing them to perform their duties, even when the climate may impose a layer of tension. A true businessman knows it is part of the dynamics of conduct and the constructs of letting people do their job.
Trump is not a man who places politics before his country. Sunday’s law enforcement luncheon was listed as third among White House agenda items and one day before President Trump sat in the Oval Office and wielded the presidential pen to endorse “Make America Great Again” initiatives. I’d say his promises are ringing true.
Several issues needlessly leeching our nation’s lifeblood have been analyzed here on OpsLens. Those same reports align with the campaign tenets bellowed by President Trump: namely, assembling the border-building project, ending the sanctuary city fiasco, and severing drug smuggling arteries are those I anticipate President Trump taking on and bringing about whirlwind changes.
Unlike this predecessor, President Trump has exuded what it is to be a decent human being by contacting the husband of slain Orlando police Lt. Debra Clayton — directly and without a designee — to offer his condolences and supportive words in the midst of inexplicable tragedy and heart-wrenching loss. With all the inaugural confetti up in the air, our 45th president made time for a police family racked with grief.
Those are the bones of a spine-strong leader, to stand up and reach out in times of utter misery.
Stemming the Tide of Lawlessness
Perhaps the Trump Administratio, including soon-to-be Attorney General Jeff Sessions, can stem the tide of foul-mouthed Madonna who, via a stage mic, shared fantasies of “blowing up the White House” and orated the word “revolution” several times. Almost in the same breath, she chanted “We choose love.” Perhaps the obscenity-marinated words belong to a song she is working on. “Bombing” and “revolution” and “love” seem disjointed to me.
A recent article published here on OpsLens analyzed law enforcement intelligence which purported that Mexican drug cartels and ISIS were holding hands, colluding and conspiring in efforts to inflict terroristic acts upon President Trump’s inauguration. I saw no such instances transpire; or was Madonna their version of rocking the inaugural event? I suppose we witnessed her demonstration of behavioral indigestion and kept the spewing from saturating America’s true stars and stripes.
So, as a luncheon honoring police officers transpired, so did the launching of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service regarding Madonna’s words. Freedom of speech goes so far, and it appears her toes crept to a cliff.
Takeaways
In the context of honoring police at a White House luncheon, FBI Director Comey was summoned from the audience by President Trump. Symbolically, there is much work to be done, and both men seem to correlate strategies regarding the journey ahead. I have no desire to see Clinton et al. removed from the menu. Incomplete sagas remain. There are always grains of information untold, and wise folks know when not to speak.
Now that the smarmy elephant has left the room, the crowd of cops must have felt the crushing weight of the former administration lifted, with the ability to breathe like never before. The main gist of that renewed ability is to be cops again, unshackled, without impositions and improper restraints.
President Trump is a tremendous force for change, and throwing a bash of sorts for cops is a testament to his unwavering support and fondness for police officers. Policing is certainly no party, and horns need not be tooted when dealing in pulling lives from the brink of barbarism. Like our brothers and sisters serving in the military, the uniform represents Constitutional attributes, and those who fill uniforms are the selfless souls who are deserving of respect. Fulfilling passions is the reward.
Luncheon morsels are a welcome To: and From: tag nobly provided by backers of the blue…and the commander-in-chief set a prime leadership example by breaking bread with warriors.
Stephen Owsinski is a Senior OpsLens Contributor and retired law enforcement officer whose career included assignments in the Uniformed Patrol Division and Field Training Officer (FTO) unit. He is currently a researcher and writer.
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