Just Drop the Knife, Already

"Rules are for other people," my old man would say, tossing another Coors Light can out the window as he swerved down the highway at eighty miles an hour, a Lucky Strike hanging from his lips.

My dad was filled with dubious advice. And he was a bully, using his large size and taste for confrontation to intimidate waitresses, clerks, co-workers and family.

Although I’ve dismissed most of my dad’s credos, a few have stuck with me, especially the ones that seemed contrary to his tough-guy nature.

"Never argue with a man holding a gun," he warned. "Especially a cop. He’s just as soon shoot you as spit on you, so do exactly what that man says." That’s damn good advice.

Consequently, I have very little sympathy for men killed by police after they fail to cooperate. Of course the police will shoot you when you don’t drop the knife. The outrage generated by recent incidents in Kansas City and New Orleans completely baffles me.