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I can make the nicest cop go loony in about 5 minutes.

Nope, I’m not a fan. The police of yesterday aren’t the same as the police of today. The people may not be either - but that’s no damned excuse.

When they recognize my unique ability to be reasonable, intelligent and well rounded - I’ll recognize theirs. Until then I’ll be harassed for my appearance, my car’s condition or my gun at my hip.

So until they back off, I ain’t backin’ off. No sir, Not a fan.

I became a deputy after I retired from the Army because I thought that would be a good way to continue serving. That lasted about a year because, frankly, I could not stand the lack of principles and constant shady dealings I encountered.

I don’t go in for the brotherhood of silence demanded of officers to protect one of their own. I don’t go in for thuggish unions calling the shots. I don’t go in for threats and coercion, especially when someone has the temerity to suggest that my family and friends may have problems if I don’t keep quiet about official wrongdoings.

During that admittedly short time as a deputy, I saw so many corrupt politicians, petty government officials, judges, attorneys, social workers, and, yes, police officers that I can no longer wholesale support any of them. The myth of the “good majority” of police seems to be just that: myth. From what I have seen, I do not believe the “good majority” exists. I know we all want to stand up for our vision of the peace officer of yesterday, but I have found only a handful of them in my five decades of life and seeing it from the inside brought nothing but despair.

I am a law-abiding citizen, but I have seen precious few law-abiding police. The Us vs. Them attitude against both citizens and the Sheriff’s office, the militarization, the presumption of guilt without facts, the shootings of innocent people and animals, the many, many times a police officer throws his weight around because he can, the harassment of citizens just to make sure they understand who is in charge, the raids on the flimsiest of evidence—the list goes on and on. Some police officer over-stepping his mandate to serve and protect is in the news just about every day. By the way, when did “to serve and protect” become “to protect and serve?” The emphasis is important. They’re going to protect you until it hurts.