Wow! What can I say that you haven't? I was in a newsgroup looking at
mindspring and there was your writing "Who are We?" and I had to follow.. I
did't suspect that it would link to even more ie: death of an innocent.." I
cried at my computer like a baby. I lost my 24 year old brother to a DUI
many years ago before all of the DUI laws that were put out there to
protect us. My sister was Crippled for 3 years at the age of 14 (thank god
she recovered) due to a young man drinking and driving and on drugs... He
walked away and she said she heard him flirting with the female officer as
they stood over her twisted body she listened to the officer asking her if
she was on drugs and then continued to flirt and fawn over my sisters
assailent who was drunk and on drugs but apparently good looking.(shrug)
She has scars down her legs and 18 surgeries later and one leg a tad
shorter than the other. and alot of pain later she is fine. I often wonder
why they never allowed him (the driver) to see what pain he caused. I sat
there and watched as my sister screamed in pain when they drilled a hole
all the way through her knees and placed mettle bars in them like a
frankenstein monster and attached heavy weights to them and every time she
moved and the weights attached to her knees stretching her legs swung and
hurt her this 14 year old child would scream and cry pitifully begging
people to be carefull not to touch the weights.. My Mother and father
crying in the hallway while I held her hand and watched her suffer for four
months when it first happened... It was a nightmare but, even then she was
better off than my poor brother who  died several years later being caught
by a drunk in a van as he plowed into a pole that my brother was leaning
against while waiting for a bus. I could go on and on. But when I read your
writing on who are we I thought of how even my own friends threaten there 3
and 4 yr old children with The cops are going to get you. The cops are
going to take you away. You better watch out or I will call a policeman and
he will put you in jail. what the hell are they thinking???? Why would they
want to paint you guys as the enemy? I have never understood this. I cannot
even beging to think of what damage they are doing to there kids by making
you the enemy? My son he is 4 and he wants to be a policeman already. I
find it honorable. but, I warn him that it is a hard and dangerous and
Thankless job. But he insists that he wants to kill the bad guys. I am not
sure how I want to take all of that. But I told him the whole Idea is not
to kill anyone but to save the good people from the bad guys without
killing anyone. But trying to tell this to a 4 year old is not an easy
task.I teach my children that policemen are the good guys.. as good as it
gets and that they have to see the ugliest side of people so that they have
a tendancy to distrust you until you prove or act otherwise. Not to assume
that because they are innocent that they should get treated like they are.
You have seen the most blatent and uncaring liars and theives and
murderers. People that seem like thy have no soul. Or people that are so
damaged that they don't even know what is good and right anymore.
Unsalvagable waste. I am sure you have seen it all. And it has to be such a
great burden to see the ugly side of the human race. I have found more of
it on the web than ever before. And I apriciate the truth and the lies. I
sift through it and ponder over it  frequently and every once in a while I
find a person like you and realise that even imperfect. there are those few
that open up there hearts and compassion and bleed for us all. I am
simpatico. And I give you a standing ovation. I am so glad that someone has
found the words to tell it from the heart about what officers are and to
even see a glimmer of things from your side. I will save this for my
children to read. I will not make you the enemy like so many parrents
stupidly do without even realising it. I praise you for putting yourself on
the line and dealing with the ugly monsters of humanity so that I an my
children have some kind of barrier against the bad guys. I know that the
police have failed me before and that they have not always been there at
just the right time. To save me every time but I do know that you have done
alot and saved someone.. that your not just out there eating donuts.
Although I do like some of the jokes. (hehehe) You have to admit they can
be funny... LOL. I am so sorry I have gone on and on.. I needed to vent.. I
am sure you have heard it all.. But I would like to send your article to my
local paper for all of these country bumpkins to read a little about the
officers side of the story. I think there are a few parents out there that
are making you to be the big scary boogie man to there babys that need to
see what you have to say I didnt get it across to them maybeyou will.
Assuming that you even got to the end of the pile of babble I would at
least like a yay or nay to the permission for me to send it to my local
paper here in ST Augustine Florida.
and to my local police pages in the beautiful city of ours...

sincerely


STARR
http://userpages.aug.com/starr/