Director, Commonwealth Policy Center

In director Rob Reiner's classic movie The Princess Bride, the vengeful Inigo Montoya uttered these famous words to the evil Vizzini: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” Perhaps we could use some of Montoya's wisdom today. Following a day which saw a man drive up to a Dallas police station in an armored vehicle and open fire, a CNN news anchor wanted to express some admiration. In discussing the story on the air yesterday, Fredricka Whitfield called the actions of shooter James Boulware “courageous and brave, if not crazy.” Boulware had accused the police of calling him a terrorist and taking his child away, and police even found one pipe bomb planted outside the building. Aside from being incredibly ill-advised, Whitfield's comments should also throw up a red flag as to how police officers are coming to be viewed these days. Whether it is from years of unfair Hollywood portrayals or recent liberal media bias, the men and women who are tasked with defending justice are being seen more and more as the enemy. Not that long ago, the sight of a police officer brought with it a feeling of comfort and peace; now it seems to invite unrest. That is simply inconceivable.