Outraged by the Occupy crackdowns, some are now calling for a national discussion on the use of force. That's a welcome development, but it's helpful to review how we got here in order to have an honest discussion.

Police officers will only abuse their power to harm civilians if they believe that their chain of command will support their actions. These events happen because of the absolute failure of moral leadership by people like Chancellor Katehi.

Many media outlets continue to portray the OWS agenda as vague, despite the highly specific demands on protestors' placards. The book "lending library" at the Occupy San Francisco encampment gives the lie to that spin.

We thought our uniforms made us safe. We were wrong. I wore an American flag bandanna around my wrist when we marched on the debate, and held another folded in my hands. I don't wear my uniform anymore, and the flag no longer has any home on my body.