I have read a lot of police bashing in here recently and feel a strong need to set the record straight. Yes there are a few of my brothers and sisters in arms who have Absolutely NO business wearing a badge much less carrying a gun! I admit this openly and up front! They have exceptionally poor attitudes. I know doctors who have really bad bed side manner that doesn’t make them any less a doctor. Just jerks with a lot of medical knowledge! The vast majority of my associates are decent, honest and hard working people who are simply doing a job. I personally got into law enforcement to make a difference and be a decent shining light. Well, it’s my dream and everyone needs one. Why is it people HATE the police and LOVE firemen? Because firemen don’t make you do things you don’t want to do and cost you money when you decide you’re not doing to follow the rules or that they simply don’t apply to you.
First, WE (police officers) don’t make the rules! (laws) We just enforce them. We don’t even have the option of picking and choosing which ones we like or want to enforce. Second, most of us hate writing tickets! The only thing I hate worse is cleaning up dead bodies at a wreck scene! But I have learned that if I am writing tickets in a high wreck area, wrecks tend to drop dramatically! WHY? Because people will start paying attention if I’m there. Generally, I only go to an area to write tickets if, A. I have been order to do it by a supervisor or B. I’m tired of cleaning up wrecks at that spot!
NO! I do not have a quota, my Chief says I can write all the tickets I want! I have worked for a department where I did have quotas (Bessemer PD) but most decent departments don’t push their officers to write tickets. My personal policy is not everyone needs a ticket, but some people do! Example, I stopped a person the other day for running a stop sign. This person did not even attempt to slow down! When I got him stopped he pretended to have no knowledge of anything, and claimed the reason he failed to stop is because he did not normally take that route. I’m sorry but no matter which road you travel a stop sign is still a stop sign and means the same thing on all roads! This person NEEDED a ticket! But, by contrast, I stopped a person for traveling a little over the speed limit. As soon as he stopped he immediately admitted his mistake and repented! It’s a little difficult to write someone a ticket in this case as this is all a ticket is for to begin with! NOW, that’s not to say if you go around doing whatever you feel like all you have to do is confess and walk away without a ticket.
We are just people! We have families, go to church, and do all the things other people do. We generally don’t care where you’re from what you were doing or where you’re going. Your personal business is yours and personal and of no concern to us. I don’t have time to “target” anyone, as most of the time I can’t see the drivers face and really don’t care who’s driving. Don’t like to go the speed limit? Change the law! Want to smoke weed? Change the law! Otherwise standby to standby! We are the enforcers of society. When you disrespect the officer your disrespecting society! Kill and officer and you are killing society.
No man is above the law and no man is below it: nor do we ask any man's permission when we ask him to obey it.
Theodore Roosevelt
Peace!~
Extremisms bothers me. I don’t like the idea of anything or anyone that can not take into account the other side of the coin or simply doesn’t care about it. I hear so much these days about “change” and the need for it but seriously has anything changed in the last ten years beside gas prices? I hear a lot of, “ conservative values”, “old fashion values”. Well slavery is and old fashion conservative value, but I don’t want to go back to it! Thanks anyway! Denying women the vote! There’s you and OLD fashion conservative value! Want that one back? Me either!! Who decided GOD was a GOP? I’m tired of having the flag waved in my face and being told if I don’t follow this party or that I don’t love my God or my country and my feet stink! Sorry but that’s extremism! The nationalist fervor that has gripped the GOP scares me to death. The last time I saw this there were swastikas and book burnings!
And before you start thinking I’m some crazy GOP bashing Demo/ Lib I’m not! I think a person should have to work to eat! The only people that should be given a helping hand are those too young or too old to help themselves! We owe or children and elders that much! I believe in free choice, but I believe there are consequences for your actions! Everyone will be judged for his or her actions but not by me and not by YOU! I do not believe in abortion! But I believe morality can not and should not be legislated! I was made sick to my stomach the other day when I saw a van go by with the sickest pictures of aborted fetus’ on the side of it! To the owner, You should be arrested! I don’t want my four year old grand daughter to have to witness that abomination! YOU are an extremist! All you are going to do is cause the pro-abortion people to point a finger and say, “ Look how sick that person is!” put it on a hand out and hand it out at the abortion clinic! Where it might do some good ! Common sense is not as common as it should be!
I think most people are also non-extremist. I think most people, if they are honest are moderates. Conservative about some issues and liberal about others. It doesn’t have to be an ALL OR NOTHING deal. There are two sides to every issue and if you refuse to look at the other side you are probably and idiot extremist like van lady! The best way to move your faith forward is for YOU to live it! don’t talk the talk, just walk the walk! It will speak far louder than you can. The person who has had the most impact on my life never knew it! He never spoke about this believes, he just lived them everyday! And I saw and was moved! Thank you James “Jimmy” Barnett! I was watching!
I am a Christian and I do not recall Christ forcing anyone to follow him! Any religion that has to be forced on someone is not worth following! Any religion that thinks strapping a bomb on a mental challenged woman and blowing her up is acceptable makes me sick! That is extremism! Any religion that says you must be killed for questioning it makes me wonder if it has any merit. I believe we as a nation have been “puddin’ ized”. I think PC has gone too far! I believe we as a nation have the right to defend ourselves again terrorist and EXTREMIST! But I do not believe it is our job to force anyone to accept our way of life. Not everyone can truly handle freedom or wants it. Some people, I call them SHEEPLE want to be told what to do , what and how to think and when not to think. Live your freedom like your faith and they will come!
Let’s face it there really isn’t a nickels worth of difference between the major political parties except the way they force themselves upon us. None of them are really going to “save us” from anything or anybody. I really haven’t seen a politician I could believe in since Reagan and he was a little scary! He just managed to surround himself with some very gifted people and time mellowed some of our feeling about him.
I leave you with this parting thought, “ Blind faith in anything or anybody will get you killed!” just make sure what you believe in is right and just!
Peace~!
