| COPS - ARE THEY REALLY THE BAD GUYS? |
| Now, more than ever, the average American sees the cops as the enemy. I can't say that there isn't a basis for this attitude when we are exposed to the tactics they are using to get an arrest. But let us look just below the surface and examine the reasons for their behavior. Number one, they potentially put their lives on the line every day of their careers, and for this they are underpaid and scoffed at by the general public. Number two, we expect them to enforce the law selectively. That is, just on the bad guys, certainly not on the average citizen. Number three, we take the image that the few over zealous and power hungry cops project and apply it to the overwhelming majority of public minded police, who only wish to serve and protect. It may sound like I'm going soft on the cops, but the fact of the matter is that they, like us, have very little choice in what they do. In my opinion, it is the bureaucrats who have brought us to this confrontation with the men in blue, along with the do-gooders, the State and Federal governments, and last, but not least, the evil greens. Everybody today wants a law passed to restrict others' rights in order to keep everyone in the safe and sober world of Puritanism. First, stiffer drinking laws, then smoking bans, and now, the Safety Act laws the cops use to pull you over for no reason. But once again, is it the cop, or is it just that he is the man behind the nightstick enforcing increasingly restrictive laws that he dislikes more than we will probably ever know? Think about it. If there were fewer laws he would have fewer confrontations with people who could potentially cause him harm. Consider what it might do to the personality of a policeman if most of his day consisted of helping motorists instead of arresting them. It is time we start blaming ourselves for allowing minority special interest groups to pressure legislators into passing poorly thought out laws like the drunk driving laws. These laws have destroyed more families than all the drunk driving incidents, put more money-grubbing psychologists on the backs of people who can ill afford the loss of driving privileges (with job losses possibly causing more tax payer burdens), and the cost of fines and legal fees. And whom do we blame? The cops. Speaking of fines, look at all the humongous fines levied every day in every burg from New York to LA on the average guy, and guess who has to enforce them for the coffers of the hungry local government. It is no wonder that the man my father would point to and say, "If you ever are in trouble, he is your friend" has turned into the Terminator. |
| The Terminator, isn't he the one who, in the first movie slaughters an entire precinct and nobody seems to care. It is just a sideshow, not even part of the main theme. In Terminator Two it gets worse. The bad guy, the man who represents the embodiment of evil not only now, but also in the future, is a cop look alike. What does that tell cops everywhere? What does that tell our children? To top all this off, the policeman has one more beast nipping at his heels. His boss tells him, "More arrests! More tickets! More fines! Don't let up or the special interests will vote me out of office!" You couldn't pay me enough to be a cop. So let us sum up the whole problem. A police officer swears an oath to uphold the law. Law he does not make, yet we hold him responsible for, and even though we want him to look the other way when we are involved, the general public loves to ridicule any cop who breaks the law himself. He works for an elected official who sucks on unmentionable body parts of special interest groups and who puts increasing pressure on the officers in his charge to intensify their arrest rate, so he can show that he deserves more election support and money. And last, but not least, when the general public sees the cop as public enemy number one, is it any wonder that he hides at the end of the driveway of the nearest bar to entrap a possible drunk, using any excuse to pull him over? The cop is an embattled creature, ostracized by his fellow humans, and it is only natural that he strikes back in any way he can. It is time that we the people stop blaming the cops for our unjust and oppressive laws, our greedy bureaucrats and oppressive government. And why not run a few greens out of town on a rail while we're at it? As things are, I don’t expect any change in the general attitude of the local police force, but how about trying this the next time you are out with your son, daughter, or grandchildren? Go up to a cop and let him hear you tell the youngsters that, if they need help, or are afraid, and they don't know where to turn, that they should go a policeman for assistance. Maybe if we start seeing them as they once were, they will respond in kind. Or if you see a policeman on the street, say "Good morning" or "Good afternoon, Officer." Acknowledge that they hold an office that commands respect. And just maybe, they will respond. But whether you agree with me or not, they do hold an office with authority and I suggest you treat that authority with respect, if not the man himself, or you will find yourself in the hands of the bureaucrats, and they will bleed you dry. |