Brexit and Stemming the Tide of Secular Globalization
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The tragic and evil events that took place in Dallas have opened a wound in our national fabric not seen since 9/11. Nationwide, the family members of law enforcement officers like myself hurt today. Those of us who know what it is to wait up at night for our loved ones to come home are in mourning. I spent the first 18 years of my life unable to fall asleep at night until I heard the key in the lock of my front door, hoping, oftenintimes praying that my dad would be safe. I've always worn a St. Michael medal, in part because my middle name is Michael. but perhaps in larger part because he is the patron saint of law enforcement officers. My heart would skip a beat if a newsflash would come across my television announcing a police shooting. Anyone who is closely related to a cop knows what I'm talking about. There is a brotherhood among cops; there is an equally strong brotherhood/sisterhood among police family members. We learn from an early age to literally live like there might not be a tomorrow. My dad was one of the lucky ones who made it to retirement. 37 of his brothers-in-arms were not so lucky on September 11th, 2001. I knew some of them. I sobbed for days. I sobbed some more when I commiserated with their sons and daughters, many of them my age or younger.
I'm not going to get into the semantics of which lives matter more than others because lives matter, period. But here's the difference between us, the family members of "Blue Lives" and anarchistic reactionaries on the political Left: we aren't going to create disorder and lock arms while blocking traffic on major thoroughfares to anger and inconvenience innocent motorists. We aren't going to go out and harm anyone. We aren't going to make spectacles of ourselves on the evening news. We are taught civility at an early age. We are taught to respect authority, to know and love God and the ways of Godliness. Many of my childhood friends with whom I grew up with, with whom I attended parochial school with and went to Mass with every week were the sons and daughters of police officers. Cops and firefighters were the brunt of the men (and women, but mostly men) who filled the pews of my childhood parish every Sunday. It was all I ever knew.
President Obama asked us to put ourselves in the shoes of the family members of the individuals in Baton Rouge and Minnesota. Truth be told, I simply can't. For two reasons: first, because my family members would never act behave the way so many of the individuals such as themselves who become pseudo-martyrs in the eyes of public opinion react. When stopped by the police, most people understand proper protocol. Yes sir, no sir, hands visible, keys out of the ignition, etc. And the second reason I cannot put myself in the shoes of these individuals and/or their family members is the simple fact that most of my family members are law enforcement officers, so it is THEIR shoes that I more easily put myself in. It is the example they set for me as responsible, churchgoing Catholics that I cherish and attempt to embody in all that I do. Though I did not follow in their career footsteps, I nonetheless possess a cop's mindset. I am quick to respond to people I see in need. I am certified in CPR and First Aid so that, should the occasion call for it, I can be of service to my fellow man. I treat people with respect and dignity and I speak with a tone of respect for authority figures and my elders. This is not difficult to learn or to grasp. It is, I always believed, common sense.
What happened in Dallas has brought back painful memories of what I endured in late 2001. It pains me to know that there are family members in Dallas who are in deep mourning at this very moment. My heart aches for them. But they can hold their heads up and take solace in the fact that their lost loved ones are the true martyrs, the true heroes. Through the amazing Grace of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, those five brave men may very well be face to face with Him at this very moment and that is the ultimate victory. Despite losing their earthly lives, we can rest easy knowing that Saint Michael the Archangel did indeed defend them in battle. Human life matters. Period.
Joseph Michael is a social worker and writer from Brooklyn, NY. Born into a Sicilian immigrant Catholic family, he attended parochial school throughout his childhood. He studied Journalism at Arizona State University and completed a Culinary Arts degree through Le Cordon Bleu, working for over a decade in restaurants and country clubs throughout California, New York and Wisconsin. He then earned an M.A. in Pastoral Counseling at Fordham University followed by a Master of Social Work degree from New Mexico State University. A writer since high school, his work has focused primarily on faith-based and political commentary. He has worked extensively in the mental health field, providing therapy in residential treatment facilities, behavioral health hospitals and clinics and now works as a crisis interventionist in correctional healthcare. He and his wife, also a social worker, reside in Arizona. Joseph is a Knight of Columbus and has strong devotions to Our Lady, St. Padre Pio and St. Michael. He plays ice hockey, watches baseball, cooks and does martial arts in his free time. Feel free to contact him at jdimarius@fordham.edu.
