Maria+P’s+OpEd+Article


 * Thinking Before Speaking**

I am not allowed to post pictures online. Which is why there will be no photo to go along with this. My dad has the stereotypical attitude of a man in law enforcement, so here are some household rules that will ensure a better understanding of life with a cop (these are random, and in no way are these the ONLY rules):

1. You can trust no one and nothing is safe on the internet. 2. You can never have too many knives or guns 3. "Ammunition will soon be currency", so we all know what to buy my dad for Christmas 4. Sagging pants = no pants, so unless you want a nail gun to put them in place, pull 'em up. 5. Respect, respect, respect.

I am so frustrated with people who hate on cops. Obviously, we are all free to mouth off as we wish, freedom of speech and all that, but people don’t really think about what they say sometimes. My classmates, friends, and older people around me are all guilty of saying things like, “Cops are assholes” or “I hate police officers” (not policeMEN because there is such a thing as policeWOMEN). My own mother is guilty of it because she thinks that she gets speeding tickets because “that cop was a jerk”. What my problem with people spouting obscenities about law enforcement is that these people will give their lives to save a stranger, who could very well be you. Consider this: you are a police officer and receive a non priority call that takes you seven minutes to arrive on location. The people who reported a burglary in their home greet you with the words,”Oh, the f*ing pigs are here,” and proceed to tell you that you took your sweet time getting there. You are doing them a service and they show no respect for you or your position. Do you say anything? NO. Because at this point it happens so much, and you are so powerless against it that it serves no purpose to try to change that. Or how about this one? You spent the night sitting outside in the bushes of a man who has committed insurance fraud, deals in arms, and has 10 pounds of crystal meth in his safe, and when you storm the house early in the morning you find his two teenage daughters aiming shotguns at you from under a bed. You wonder if you’re coming home today. The reason so many people dislike law enforcement is that cops are always the ones catching you doing something you shouldn't be doing. Obviously, no one likes getting tickets or having their drugs confiscated. The horror; a policeman has taken your pot. But whose fault is it that you are doing it in the first place, and that you got caught? Said cop is simply doing his job. You are doing something bad and you know it, and if you get caught you must accept the consequences. When people trash talk the police and their line of work, they are essentially trash talking someone I love. Someone I know is always going to be fair and will give his life for a stupid teenager that won’t think twice about calling him a pig. If you happen to be that kid that hates the cops and think it’s cool to make like N.W.A. (Niggaz Wit Attitudes) and say stupid things like “ F*** Tha Police” (a famous song of theirs)by all means go ahead, just remember: when your life is in danger, you are probably not going to call your drug dealer for help. Because he has not knowingly pledged to give his life to save that of another without any scruples, and that cop has. Have some damn consideration, and think before you speak.