"What about..." is a common cry whenever the insidious spectre of political correctness appears. Every comment thread on the subject succumbs to one of two deaths:
Godwin's Law or
"but what about the Black Policeman's Association". And in a few entertaining car-crash examples, both at the same time.
There is of course no argument to rebutt these. They are killer debate-ending points. We have a
National Black Police Association,
National Association of Muslim Police, even a
Pagan one
forGorvannon'ssakes, and the daringly non-PC PCs at the
Christian Police Association (Motto: "Brianch News - There is no news at present. Please visit again later" and clearly written by someone to whom
html means a small and tricky Scrabble hand). However a search for a White Police Association takes you to a
Blogspot blog with 11 followers, mostly self-identified BNP, which hasn't been updated in 9 months.
Any suggestion on blog threads that
"someone should try to set one up, see what happens", usually leads to replies hinting at black helicopters landing on your lawn, or a politically correct lynchmob abducting the instigator and dropping them in a tub filled with hungry
candiru fish.* And someone then always says that the NBPA is open to all, to which someone always points out that non-blacks can only be Associate Members; and so the circle of pointless discussion becomes complete.
Which is why we should be thankful for Harris County Deputy Daniel McCool who, two months ago,
"standing up for equality of opportunity in local law enforcement", founded the
Caucasian Law Enforcement Association (website holding page only so story
here):
McCool said the organization grew out of his skepticism about the integrity of the hiring practices of Sheriff Adrian Garcia. McCool has no evidence of wrongdoing, but said he believes some employees have been hired or received plum assignments “just because (they) know somebody or just because of an affirmative-action-type decision.”
So he's raised the flag on what has blatantly been happening on both sides of the Pond for years.
A sheriff's spokesman insisted there is no discrimination in personnel decisions. “All hirings are done on merit and qualifications,” said Alan Bernstein, the sheriff's director of public affairs.
Yep. And that's a flypast of Gloucester Old Spots.
And so they lined up to take a pop at the lad. Spot the non-discriminatory, unbiased organisation titles (in bold if you can't be bothered).
Mexican American Sheriff's Organization President Albert Rivera criticized McCool for weakening the voice of law enforcement labor by making it more difficult to present a unified front to Sheriff's Office management.
“An organization of this type would seemingly attempt to open up old wounds and create more delay in the healing process” after past racist and discriminatory practices in the department, Afro-American Sheriff's Deputy League President James Phillips said in a news release. “Unless this Caucasian organization can define its philosophy on what it cites as ‘equal opportunity for all,' we will oppose such (a) group.”
So, is this new organisation some Trojan Horse for the establishment of a neo-Nazi
Schutzstaffel or
Sturmabteilung? No, nothing so exciting.
The new association's stated objectives are better working conditions, improving pay and promoting the interests of its members. McCool emphasized he intends to advocate for merit as the primary criterion for hiring and promotion. When asked why he uses the word “Caucasian” in the group name, he said, “From a marketing standpoint, the sky's the limit. There are no other groups out there.”
There is, of course some precedent for this. In 1993, a small number of Houston Police Department employees formed the White Houston Officers Association. The group formed after 106 black and Hispanic officers received promotions as the result of a settlement of a discrimination lawsuit but is now defunct.
So who can join? He's keeping the options legally open, but with finely crafted caveats:
McCool said the group is open to members from any race or ethnicity and from any law enforcement agency in Texas. “There are several hundred groups in the state of Texas that have their name tied to either a heritage or ethnic group to ensure fair representation. Ours is the same,” he said.
McCool did ask the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for permission to bar certain people from joining, he said. “I didn't want to have any Aryan brothers or any member of a white supremacist group,” McCool said. “At the same time, I didn't want a member of La Raza or a Black Panther group.”
So there we go...it can be done if someone has the backbone to put their career on the line (because that is what it takes). Next time you see a thread or discussion about this, point out that it can be done and it is being done.
* Cheers Original DK. Gone but not forgotten.
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