November 4, 2015
By: Linda Case Gibbons
Who'd have thought that Quentin Tarantino and police across the country would have anything in common? But they do. They don't like each other very much.
After running his mouth, calling police "murderers" at an anti-police rally last month in New York, Tarantino is learning that turnabout is fair play.
Now the cops are taking him on, a guy whose main claim to fame is his violent movies...and his big mouth.
"When I see murders, I do not stand by," the pudgy little director told a crowd at the rally. In his mind, and organizers' "Rise Up October, the "murdered," were unarmed people, such as Michael Brown, Freddie Grey and Eric Garner, whose lives were "stolen by police," grand juries, the Rule of Law and facts be damned.
"Just because I was at an anti-police brutality protest, doesn't mean I'm anti-police," Tarantino whined, in response to the backlash that followed his remarks.
But it sorta' did look like he was.
The protest rally took place four days after NYPD officer Randolph Holder was killed in East Harlem while in pursuit of a suspect, and, as Gov. Christie says, even in New Jersey, that's called rude.
"I thought I had First Amendment rights," Tarantino said, defending himself on MSNBC.
He does have rights! Police were there, at the rally, protecting him and his rights. And now police are exercising theirs: The right to boycott Tarantino's movies.
From sea to shining sea, Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore and LA, police organizations are joining together, and saying they've had enough of Hollywood-types, speaking out from their California bubble.
The ones who, like Tarantino, have police protection when they need it, and body guards with guns, so they can go out and protest against the police, against America, and guns, with impunity.
Like "Sicario" actress Emily Blunt, who said she regretted becoming a U.S. citizen after seeing a GOP debate.
Like "Steve Jobs" actor Seth Rogen, who cursed out Dr. Ben Carson for his views on guns and the Holocaust.
And Jamie Foxx who applauded Tarantiono's comments as "telling the truth" against "the haters."
So now the police organizations have said they will boycott Tarantino's latest film, The Hateful Eight, due out Christmas Day, and their reps are not shy about saying why.
"Mr. Tarantino has made a good living through his films, projecting into society at large violence and respect for criminals. It turns out he also hates cops," Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police President John McNesby said.
Patrick Lynch, NY Police Benevolent Association president, wrote Tarantino off as simply "a cop hater," adding, "The police officers that Quentin Tarantino calls 'murderers' aren't living in one of his depraved big screen fantasies. They're risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives to protect communities from real crime and mayhem."
"There is always room for constructive dialogue about how police interact with citizens," Los Angeles Police Protective League President Craig Lally said, "But there is no room for inflammatory rhetoric that makes police officers even bigger targets than we already are."
In an environment made hostile to police by efforts supported by the highest officials in our government, where cops are being cut down in cold blood daily, our police are afraid to do their jobs.
It's called "The Ferguson Effect," and it didn't happen by accident.
But, listen. It isn't wrong not to say those two little words, "I'm sorry."
Even though Jeb says he's sorry all the time, most recently to the French for using their short work week as an admonishment to Marco, you don't have to apologize.
Think about it. Do you recall the Department of Environmental Protection saying "We're sorry" for dumping toxic mine waste from the Gold King Mine into the Animas River in Colorado? Of course not.
And Hillary never says she's sorry about any of her many scandals, such as storing her State Department e-mail server in a bathroom.
In fact recently her whole staff released a photo of them trapped in a campaign headquarters bathroom. Why, we don't know, but they seemed comfortable with the whole Hillary-bathroom-thing, and HIll? She just doesn't want to talk about it, any of it. Unless she gets caught. And even then it's dodgey whether she'll say those magic words.
She thinks she's right. And so does Tarantino.
Merry Christmas, Quentin.
Hold the line, America.