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REFLECTION ON POLICE WEEK
REFLECTION ON POLICE WEEK, FROM THE FOOD COP
By Beau Murry
It’s National Police Week. Among a half dozen other things, I’m sure.
When I started down this career path, I never imagined the tragedy and turmoil that would come along with it. Had I known what I know now, I’d have picked another road. I’ve accepted that 100 percent. I have a nice cushy office job now, but I feel bad for those who are still out there doing cop shit, running and gunning, and trying to make a difference in a community that shows, at best, indifference in return.
Now, I’ve worked with cops who didn’t deserve a badge and whom I was sure would get me killed in a pinch. Then again, I’ve worked with cops who deserved far better than what the badge could ever give. But this week, I think of the cops who lost everything because of the badge, that to others, may be little more than just a name on a wall. What I’ve learned is that the badge is unbelievably heavy and burdensome no matter the shape. And what I know for certain is that the names of my friends who wore that goddamn badge are far more than just a name on a fucking wall.
I know I shouldn’t, but I find it personally offensive when I meet a rookie or nerd cop who has an obnoxious thirst for the job. After all, how could somebody dare thirst so much for the very job that has caused so much turmoil and sacrifice? Maybe I just became the old dog that I was warned about. Angry and irrelevant. Maybe it’s the natural course of things. Jaded? Sure. Police Week is about remembering those who lost their lives. I’ve been to far too many funerals over the years. I don’t go anymore. Car crashes. Heart attacks. Murder. I’m sick of being sad. So, that’s my choice. Nowadays I try to find personal peace in the midst of chaos.
Sometimes that means closing the blinds and creating a quiet space where I sit alone and try to find some calm.
When I reflect back, it’s not those good stories that come to mind first. It takes purposeful effort to reminisce about the good times. The natural memories are the bullet holes in the bloody squad cars. The little kid who was ripped apart by an angry dog which I’d nearly, and should have, killed a week before. The kid who found their dad hanging in the closet. The twisted wreckage on the highway on Christmas day with presents scattered across the highway. And so on. And so on. And so on.
And so many have it so much worse than I did. I’m still here to bitch about it. Sure, there are good memories. Lots of them, in fact. Lemonade stands. Dancing couples in the street. Protecting people. High fives with the kids. Wearing a polished and ironed uniform because I believed so strongly in what it represented. I always loved protecting people. But mostly, I enjoyed the friendships with, and working alongside, some of the finest men and women I’ve ever met.
Police week is not a week to celebrate. It’s a silent nod in a busy room for the sacrifice made by God’s greatest servants.
To my blue family, I love you all. Minus a half dozen or so shit bags and blue falcons. As for those we’ve lost, I promise I’ll never forget them.
IFC, do you support NRA?
IFC is often asked if we support the NRA. It helps to seek the context of such a question. In every question or statement, we should always search for the context behind it so we can ascertain the premise. When we don’t, we skip vital information and risk arriving at the wrong conclusions. Always be cognizant of this.
Some people are searching for our affiliations when they ask us about the NRA. IFC has worked its tail off for years to move from being an affiliate club to the one and only official NRA State Association in Iowa. Through years of hard work and perseverance, we accomplished this lofty goal in January of 2019. This coveted recognition is reserved for the very best of the best and we continued to work daily with the NRA.
The legislation alone we’ve pushed forth with NRA-ILA is akin to moving mountains. If you look at where Iowa was just a bit over a decade ago, things were average at best. With Shall Issue, Castle Doctrine, Preemption, Stand Your Ground, Dove Hunting, Constitutional Carry, repeals of a dozen bans ranging from Youth Shooting to ATV and Bow Hunting Carry to legalization of Suppressors, SBR, and SBS, the list of liberties opened up to Iowans, is nearly too long to list.
From a “programs” standpoint, as the NRA Official State Association here in Iowa, we brought the first Refuse to be Victim classes into the fold. IFC arranged the first NRA School Shield training for Iowa’s Law Enforcement community. IFC and NRA work together to put on various meetings, rallies, and our huge 2A Day at the Iowa Capitol each year. Some of IFC’s sponsored shooters took top marks at the NRA Nationals in 2019. These are all things that would be exponentially harder without NRA’s cooperation and we’re glad we work together on your behalf. We do these things for others, not ourselves.
The other question we see is one regarding subjects like Wayne LaPierre or specific allegiances at NRA. People want to know if we support Wayne LaPierre or we denounce him. Frankly, that’s a false choice at this point, and we’re not entertaining it. I, like you, have serious questions I expect to have answered about operations within the NRA. However, I also understand that NRA is in the fight of its life against the behemoth we know as New York State for their right to even exist, as they are chartered in the State of New York. Every shred of communication they offer can and likely will be used against them in New York’s court. Thus, I understand not offering up words that will be twisted in court at this moment. My hope is the NRA gets done with this suit, moves the charter to a friendly state, and we learn the truth about the questions we have.
I have no doubt mistakes have been made. Why? Because the NRA is comprised of human beings and we’re prone to err. I won’t be dicing up anyone without the full facts, and I won’t complicate the issue by juxtaposing what I hear with brash statements, conspiracy theories, or grand claims. I have no doubt mistakes have been made, but frankly, I’m more concerned with how the mistakes have been realized and corrected than I am with playing the blame game. I, personally, worked for years under the kind of short-sided management that was more interested in blowing their stack over a mistake than illuminating and repairing the core problem so we could avoid the mistake a second time. I’m chiefly interested in those kinds of healthy and wise actions.
I recognize NRA has external and internal challenges. We all do, whether as organizations, corporations, congregations, or families. IFC holds the relationship we enjoy with NRA in the highest of value. I won’t be letting a series of well-timed hit pieces coming from New York publications and New York authors as the state of New York shakes down the NRA simultaneously, reshape my fundamental reverence for an organization like the NRA that has done so much for 2nd Amendment virtues over the span of nearly 150 years. I want the facts, but I’m willing to wait until they become available. If I form an opinion without them, I’m guilty of the same nonsense our opposition employs as they lobby against our fundamental civil rights on a daily basis.
As the longest-standing civil rights group in the country, NRA has my support.
-Michael Ware – IFC Board
Iowa Dumbs Down Standards For Black Kids
Iowa already has the lowest proficiency standards in the Midwest. Now, we just lowered them more for minorities. Apparently, black lives don’t matter in Iowa classrooms.
Please share this with as many people as possible.
Thanks for listening!
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